1984 US Figure Skating Pins: Of Olympic Proportion.

Last Updated on May 17, 2025 by Netropolitan Museum

Olympic-inspired design, disappointing execution.

The 1984 US Figure Skating pins stand out in the hobby of collecting—not for their beauty or craftsmanship but for their puzzling origin. The primary logo pin from the 1984 US Figure Skating Championships, held in January in Salt Lake City, Utah, used a design unmistakably derived from the “Stars in Motion” logo created for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. How and why this Summer Olympic-themed graphic ended up on a figure skating event pin months before the Games would open remains unclear, even decades later.

Unfortunately, the issue with the 1984 US Figure Skating pins goes far beyond the artless copying of another logo. The pins were cheaply produced, two with thin vinyl-like stickers applied to base metal, many of which are noticeably off-center or crooked. A lack of quality control was seen in all three pins: the main logo pin, an alternate logo version, and the event mascot pin. Among collectors, the 1984 pins are often cited as some of the worst-ever produced for a U.S. Championship, both aesthetically and in terms of production value. In an Olympic year when enthusiasm for the sport was high, the pins were a failure of Olympic proportion.

Pins Gallery: 1984 US Figure Skating Championships

The main logo pin, on a gold-tone base metal, features a pair of skaters in motion, emerging from a red, white, and blue stars motif taken directly from the 1984 Olympic branding. Below the stars are the words “1984 National Figure Skating Championships”—notably omitting the event’s location and using “National” instead of the more standard “U.S.” A thin blue outline frames the entire design.

The alternate pin, slightly smaller and done in cut-out style from silver metal, simply reads “1984 Nationals.” This version was sold in limited locations (and possibly limited quantities) during the week of the competition, including at the event’s official hotel. Similarly to the main logo and mascot pins, this pin leaves much to be desired from a quality standpoint, exhibiting an overall crudeness.

Edges the Eagle, the event mascot, graces the third pin. Matching the main logo pin in style and materials, this round design also suffers from misapplied stickers and a flat, uninspired look.

Although the 1984 US Figure Skating pins failed to impress, the championship itself was impressive, serving as the penultimate event for selecting the U.S. team for the 1984 Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The athletes rose to the occasion—something the pins, regrettably, did not.

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on July 10, 2021, and has been updated with new and expanded information.

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Figure Skating Flashback: 1984

• Scott Hamilton of the United States arrived in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, at the 1984 Olympic Winter Games with a clear mission: to win gold. He succeeded, though his performances in both the short and long programs were somewhat overshadowed by Canada’s ever-close contender, Brian Orser—often dubbed “Mr. Second Place” for his string of narrow misses on the top podium.
• A future figure skating star was born just a few months after the Olympic Games: Johnny Weir, who would go on to become a three-time U.S. champion, Olympian, and one of the sport’s most distinctive personalities, greeted the world on July 2, 1984.
• Fresh off their famous Boléro performance and Olympic gold in Sarajevo, British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean retired (for the first time) from amateur competition. By the summer of 1985, they had transformed their artistry into a full-scale theatrical skating tour, premiering to rave reviews and capacity crowds across the U.K. Their move helped redefine professional skating and opened the door to a new era of skating as live entertainment.
• Meanwhile, the June 1984 issue of Skating magazine teased the upcoming 1985 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas City, Missouri, advertising an all-event ticket price of just $75—a snapshot of a more modest era in the sport’s economic history.
• 1984 also marked a milestone for one of America’s most beloved pair teams: JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley celebrated the 25th anniversary of their partnership (today, a 66-year partnership!). First paired in 1959 for a club show, they went on to become three-time U.S. champions, world medalists, and two-time Olympians, embodying the golden age of American pair skating.

In all, 1984 stood at a unique crossroads in figure skating—a blend of tradition and transformation. Legends took their final bows, new stars quietly entered the world, and the sport itself edged closer to the cultural spotlight it would fully embrace in the years to come.

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