1975 Canadian Figure Skating Pins: A Quebec One and Done.

Last Updated on October 5, 2024 by Netropolitan Museum

One of Canada’s oldest cities hosted the nation’s top figure skaters—and marked the event with at least three different lapel pins

Quebec City, capital of the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec, is a sister city of sorts to Oakland, California, when it comes to having hosted a national figure skating championship. Each city has done so exactly once and in the same year, no less—creating an unintentional “one and done” legacy. For the solo turn in Quebec City, the Canadian Figure Skating Championships were in town in late January 1975 and were commemorated with at least three different lapel pins. We’ll take a look at each in today’s blog.

Pins Gallery: 1975 Canadian Figure Skating Championships

The 1975 Canadians were commemorated with a main logo pin issued in two versions (one an epoxy dome, the other enamel) and a larger pin produced for and given only to competitors, officials, and selected others. All are shown below.

The first logo pin, done with an epoxy dome on a gold-color base metal, is among the smallest ever issued for a major event and may very well be the smallest pin ever issued for a Canadian Championship. At the center of the pin is a maple leaf in red with the likeness of a skater in white. The illustration is oddly drawn, appearing to represent a female figure skater in motion but with arms all akimbo and in a semi-squatting position or perhaps just preparing to sit down. Lettering of the event name in blue stands off well from the overall white background and is in both French and English (the two official languages of Canada): “Championnats Canadiens de Patinage Artistique” around the top and “Canadian Figure Skating Championships” around the bottom. Tucked just above the English translation are the location and year: “Quebec 1975.”

Done in enamel, the second logo pin is a stripped down version that uses abbreviations yet clearly commemorates the 1975 Canadians. The same central artwork is seen on this pin, but the event name in French is abbreviated “C.C.P.A.” along the top and in English is abbreviated “C.F.S.C.” along the bottom. The location and year are in the same position as on the main logo pin. The Curator conjectures that this pin is either an early production version or a special version made only for selected individuals connected with the event. In either case, it likely would have been produced in limited number. If anyone has more definitive information about this pin, please contact The Netropolitan.

The larger pin repurposes the same design and format as the main logo pin but in an enlarged size mounted in the center of a shiny, gold-color base metal. The scalloped edge and textured surface of the base create visual interest and help to identify the pin as unique and special compared to the more simplistic and substantially smaller logo versions.

In a bit of trivia with a Canadian tie-in, read the blog about the pins from the 1975 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The logo pin from that event historically has been difficult to find, but The Curator collected one in the early 2000s from a former Canadian ladies champion, of all people.

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on March 12, 2022, and has been updated with new and expanded information and an additional pin.

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