1973 Canadian Figure Skating Pin: That Was Unexpected.

Last Updated on June 15, 2024 by Netropolitan Museum

The Canadians did a U-turn of sorts with the event pin

When the 1973 Canadian Figure Skating Championships came to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the seaport city could already boast an impressive record of hosting major figure skating and winter sports events, including the 1960 World Figure Skating Championships. By historical accounts, the 1973 Canadian Championships were an “as expected” year with regard to results. Somewhat unexpected was the event lapel pin, if expectations ever could be placed on such an item.

Pin Gallery: 1973 Canadian Figure Skating Championships

So many pins from major championships are circular or rectangular in shape that the inverted “U”-shaped design of the 1973 Canadian Figure Skating Championships pin made it a refreshing change for figure skating pin collectors. The pin is on a gold-colored base metal with enamel fills.

The center of the pin features a simple illustration of a figure skating pair set inside laurel leaves, all on a white background. Threaded neatly around the laurel is the event title: “Canadian Figure Skating Championships.” Below the skaters are the event year and location: “1973-Vancouver.” To the left and right is the obligatory maple leaf. What would a Canadians pin be without at least one maple leaf? Also, somewhat oddly, a hyphen is used between 1973 and Vancouver rather than the more traditional word space. A dark green border frames the center artwork, and the gold color combines to create an overall striking design.

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on November 28, 2021, and has been updated with new and expanded information.

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