Last Updated on August 31, 2024 by Netropolitan Museum

Collectible lapel pins from the 1965 World Championships in Colorado

Called the “world capital” of figure skating by many, Colorado Springs, Colorado, hosted the 1965 World Figure Skating Championships. The site was the famed Broadmoor World Arena on the grounds of The Broadmoor resort and hotel. Although the World Arena was demolished in 1994—and with it, the rich history that it represented to the sport—souvenirs of the 1965 World Figure Skating Championships, such as commemorative lapel pins, remain to help tell the stories of the past. In this post are several pins issued for the event.

1965 World Figure Skating Championships Pins

In the galleries that follow are the main logo pin from the 1965 World Figure Skating Championships and several special-issue pins made for those with a specific role at the event. All these pins reflect the significance of the major event they were made to commemorate.

Logo Pin: Craftsmanship at its Finest

The finely crafted logo pin was probably sold at the event and the hotel itself. It’s easy to imagine countless people moving in and around The Broadmoor with this handsome pin proudly displayed on a coat lapel or scarf. On a gold-color base metal with cloisonné fill, the logo pin has a jewelry-like quality, and seasoned collectors consider it the finest ever produced to commemorate a major figure skating championship. The focal point of the pin is The Broadmoor, flanked by figure skaters—female on the left, male on the right—above a two-tone section of green and blue that carries the event name, location, and year: “World Figure Skating Championships Broadmoor 1965.” The year is split on either side of “Broadmoor.” This is an exceptionally well-designed pin, as beautiful today as it was nearly 60 years ago.

Special-Issue Pins: For Only a Select Few

Showing in the gallery are four large and impressive cloisonné special-issue pins. The first three are for individuals with a named role in the event: contestant (competitor), official, and guest. The fourth, an unmarked version, is likely a prototype or a blank reserved for an unnamed honored guest. The design and composition of the pins reflect the modern and clean approach that was indicative of the era.

The shape of the continental United States with a superimposed likeness of the main building at The Broadmoor is featured prominently at the center of the pin. Stylized and colorful lettering denotes the year, event, and location: “1965 World Figure Skating Championships, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado USA.” A unique treatment of the “O” in “WORLD” incorporates a boot and blade, in gold, on a solid green background. All pins would have been made in a highly limited number. The Curator of The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins has also seen a version of this pin that is marked “ISU” that would have been given only to select officials of the International Skating Union.

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This blog was originally published on May 23, 2020, and has been updated with additional details.