When an investment banker helps a client with a corporate finance transaction (like raising capital, selling a business, etc.), we often commemorate the transaction with something called a “tombstone” or a “deal toy”. These range from boring lucite squares with the specs of the transaction to very clever pieces that reflect the business or their products.
I thought I would share some of my favorite deal toys from over the years (with the exception of Einstein’s Bagels, I helped conceptually design all of these, which are each about 5-6″ tall):
Pizza delivery bag with “stack” of pizzas for the IPO of Papa John’s largest franchisee
Cooker restaurant rendering for a follow-on public equity raise for Cooker
Bagel to-go box for Einstein/Noah Bagel Co’s follow-on equity capital raise
Pool table for Total Entertainment Restaurant Corp’s (Bailey’s and Fox & Hound) IPO
Vanity mirror for the M&A sale of Jerdon to Focus Products
Foodservice scale for the M&A sale of Pelouze to Newell-Rubbermaid
I have shelves filled with these, so I would be happy to share others, but these were my personal favorites of the bunch.
