Last Updated on February 3, 2024 by Netropolitan Museum
A retrospective of Skate Canada figure skating pins
The 1973 Skate Canada International was the inaugural event of the senior-level invitational, staged in Calgary, Alberta, just a year and a half after the 1972 World Figure Skating Championships had taken place there. From 1973 through 1980,1 Skate Canada was the only major international figure skating competition contested annually in North America, and it quickly earned a prestigious reputation. Let’s take a look at the lapel pins issued for the first seven Skate Canada events.
The Canadian Figure Skating Association (CFSA, or today also called—confusingly—Skate Canada) may very well have been among the first federations, if not the first, to launch and sustain a brand for a competition. A distinctive stylized figure skater logo, arms held high over head and free leg in an elegant extended position, was introduced in 1973 and quickly became a brand classic. For the first six Skate Canada events, the pins issued were circular in shape and featured the same basic design, varying mainly in color and size, although other minor design variations can be seen from year to year. In an interesting twist, the 1980 Skate Canada pin features the same logo and overall brand, but the shape was changed to an oval.
Pins Gallery: 1973–1980 Skate Canada
Culled from the collection of The Netropolitan are the pins issued for the earliest Skate Canada events, shown below: 1973 Calgary, 1974 Kitchener, 1975 Edmonton, 1976 Ottawa, 1977 Moncton, 1978 Vancouver, and 1980 Calgary. Along with the small logo pin that would have been available to the general public, a significantly larger version—given only to competitors and officials—also was produced. In addition, another pin was issued in 1978 that carries the slogan “Love It!”
small logo pinS
Size
The 1973–1978 logo pins vary slightly in size, measuring approximately either 9/16″ (1.4 cm) or 5/8″ (1.6 cm) in diameter; the 1980 logo pin measures approximately 3/4″ x 1/2″ (1.9 cm x 1.3 cm); and the 1978 cutout-style pin measures approximately 7/8″ x 7/8″ (.76 cm x .76 cm)
Value
$10 to $15, depending on condition
competitor/official pinS
Size
The 1973–1978 competitor/official pins all measure approximately 1‑1/2″ (3.8 cm); the 1980 competitor/official pin measures approximately 1‑7/8″ x 1‑1/4″ (4.8 cm x 3.2 cm)
Value
$20 to $25, depending on condition
There is provenance associated with several of the pins on display. The large versions of the 1973, 1974, and 1975 Skate Canada pins were acquired from Lynn Nightingale, the four-time Canadian champion (1973–1977) and ladies winner of the first two Skate Canada events. The large versions of the 1976 and 1980 Skate Canada pins were acquired from Gary Beacom, the two-time Canadian national silver medalist and the most avant-garde competitor of the late 1970s through the mid-1980s.
Enjoy this week’s figure skating pins blog: 1973–1980 Skate Canada Pins: The Early Years.
This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on October 24, 2020, and has been updated with new and expanded information.
1Skate Canada was not held in 1979, in deference to Norton Skate (also called Flaming Leaves International), an invitational held in Lake Placid, New York, which served as the official test competition for the then-new Olympic Center Ice Rink built for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games.
The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins Story
Be sure to read the museum story for more information about the sport’s pins. If you have a question or have figure skating pins to sell, contact The Netropolitan.
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