Last Updated on November 29, 2023 by Netropolitan Museum

World and European Figure Skating Championships: 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1950s

The 1911 marriage of Walter Jakobsson of Finland and Ludowika Eilers of Germany brought together off the ice two figure skaters who had achieved much on the ice, both as a pairs team and separately as singles skaters. Theirs is a long and colorful history: three world championships, an Olympic gold, an Olympic silver, two national singles titles each, and more. This blog takes a look at several figure skating pins and medals from the Jakobsson estate. The Netropolitan is proud to count these important pieces among its collection.

World Figure Skating Pins and Medals, Jakobsson Estate

Three participant medals and one judges’ badge presented to the Jakobssons are featured in the two following galleries. From very early in the long career of the Jakobssons come medals from the 1910 and 1912 World Championships. In both 1910 and 1912, they won silver, with the year in between bringing their first world title. These medals, now each more than 100 years old, would have been given as keepsakes, likely presented by the host skating federation or club. The medals would have been made in extremely limited number. You can read more about these medals in the blogs dedicated to each: 1910 World Championships and 1912 World Championships.

The medal and pin shown in the following gallery were presented to Walter Jakobsson for his role as a judge at these World Championships: 1926 Berlin and 1932 Montreal. The 1926 medal is particularly grand in size and refined in design and detail. The 1932 pin marks the first world event held in Canada and only the second held outside Europe. Read more about each of these pieces in the dedicated blogs: 1926 World Championships and 1932 World Championships.

European Figure Skating Championships Pins, Jakobsson Estate

The three European Championships pins featured here also would have been given to Walter Jakobsson for his role as a judge or official. Of particular note is the 1952 pin, which is personalized with his name and title (“Ing.” meaning Engineer, representing Jakobsson’s profession as an engineer with a Finnish crane company). Each of these pins was previously featured in-depth at The Netropolitan. Review the blogs for more details: 1928 European Championships, 1938 European Championships, and 1952 European Championships.

A Window Into the Past

The figure skating pins and medals from the Jakobsson estate represent some of the finest and most historical pieces made to commemorate European and World Figure Skating Championships. They truly are a window into the past. Looking at the items, one can only imagine the camaraderie and togetherness that must have existed among the elegant and refined skaters of the era; a time when competitors were often friends and mentors to one another, rather than the self-absorbed impersonators seen today.

Enjoy this week’s figure skating pins blog: Figure Skating Pins and Medals from the Jakobsson Estate: Provenance on Display.

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