1936 World Figure Skating Pin: Non-Identical Twin.

Last Updated on July 19, 2025 by Netropolitan Museum

Via Berlin, a familiar form finds center ice in Paris

Seasoned collectors with a sharp eye will recognize the 1936 World Figure Skating Championships pin as something that looks … well, a little familiar. That’s because the pin shares an unmistakable resemblance with its European Championships counterpart, issued just weeks earlier in Berlin. Although not identical, the two pins could easily be mistaken for siblings—designed with the same base elements, but each bearing its own distinct flair. Such close resemblance likely stems from practical considerations, like shared production methods or timelines, rather than pure coincidence. See the 1936 European Figure Skating Championships pin here.

From the European Championships Berlin to the Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the World Championships in Paris, the 1936 competitive season was a month-long spectacle culminating in familiar results in the City of Light: Sonja Henie won the last of her ten golds, Karl Schäfer collected his seventh and final gold, and the duo of Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier claimed the first of their four world titles. But while the skating captivated audiences, the keepsakes from the 1936 World Championships—particularly the pin, which is from the estate of Baier—captured something else: a perfect snapshot of the era.

Pin Gallery: 1936 World Figure Skating Championships

The similarities between the European and World pins aren’t just skin deep. Both were made from silver-tone base metal, with blue enamel accenting the text and central design. However, the European version carries the maker’s mark “Rob. Neff, W.57 Berlin,” while the World pin does not. Still, the design overlap is so strong it’s likely they were both manufactured by Neff’s Berlin firm—possibly in one production run to streamline costs and materials.

That said, the 1936 World Figure Skating Championships pin has its own identity. The lettering is more stylized, which is perhaps a deliberate nod to Paris’s artistic reputation. The skate blade design is tweaked slightly, standing above the inscription “Paris,” with the venue “Palais des Sport” featured just above it. Surrounding it all is a circular inscription, in French: “Championnats du Monde de Patinage Artistique, 1936.” It’s the same structure, but with just enough French flair to make it uniquely its own.

Whether you’re drawn to its elegant craftsmanship, its historical ties to skating’s golden generation, or the way it visually rhymes with its “twin,” the 1936 World Figure Skating Championships pin is a reminder that behind the headlines and the hardware, figure skating has always been a sport that values beauty in the details.

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on October 3, 2020, and has been updated with new and expanded information.

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