Last Updated on April 5, 2023 by Netropolitan Museum

Profile: Lapel Pin from the 1989 European Championships, Birmingham, England

The record books show that the 1989 European Figure Skating Championships were held in Birmingham, England, but who can remember that event? Or who competed and won? Or who emerged as a new name for the future? That all makes the 1989 European Figure Skating Championships, including the pin issued for the event, somewhat forgettable, regrettably. That may have been partly due to 1989 being a post-Olympic year when titles were (mostly) transitioned to new owners and the marquee names had retired or weren’t competing. None of this is meant to diminish the achievements of those who participated, and they are given due credit.

So what of the pin? The best to be said about it is that far worse figure skating pins exist. Anything from the 1970 European Championships, for example. One would have thought, however, with the European Championships being held on English soil for the first time in half a century that a special effort might have been made to mark out the occasion in the most memorable way possible. A lapel pin would have been a way to easily do so, but it was not to be.

So what of the pin? The best to be said about it is that far worse figure skating pins exist.

Around the circumference of the pin, which measures approximately 1-3/8″ in diameter (3.5 cm), are the event name, sponsor, and year: “European Figure Skating Championships, Skate Electric, 1989.” (Skate Electric was the sponsorship name used by the Electricity Council that governed the electricity supply industry in portions of the U.K.) At the center of the pin is an illustration of couple, in gold, in a classic skating pose. Note that the event location is not included. Although the pin, done on a gold-color base metal with black enamel fill, certainly did its job to commemorate the championship, it did little to interpret the importance of the event, even if that event was a less than stellar one.

Enjoy this week’s figure skating pins blog: 1989 European Figure Skating Championships Pin: Who Can Remember?

Figure Skating Pins Gallery: 1989 European Championships

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