1979 European Figure Skating Pins: Good Things Come in Threes.

Last Updated on February 27, 2026 by Netropolitan Museum

A rare championship set designed as a coordinated trio

Triplets. Blind mice. Strikes. Musketeers. Wise men. Turns. Good things really do come in threes, especially in figure skating, and specifically in the three pins—gold, silver, and bronze—issued to commemorate the 1979 European Figure Skating Championships, held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (today, Zagreb, Croatia). These pins are rare examples of championship commemoratives, purposely conceived from the outset as a coordinated trio to celebrate the gold, silver, and bronze medalists in a single, unified design. It was a Soviet-bloc sweep of gold medals, with Jan Hoffman and Anett Poetzsch of East Germany claiming the singles titles while Russians Marina Cherkasova & Sergei Shakrai won pairs and Natalia Linichuk & Gennadi Karponosov won dance.

The group is also among the few known true “sets” created for a major figure skating championship. That distinction alone makes the 1979 European Figure Skating pins notable within the broader landscape of skating memorabilia. Rather than relying on a single pin to mark the event, the organizers chose to issue three separate pins, each corresponding directly to podium placement. The approach gives the set a conceptual clarity that feels intentional rather than decorative.

Pins Gallery: 1979 European Figure Skating Championships

Thin, lowercase letters “ep” (for “Evropsko Prvenstvoare,” or “European Championships”) in relief serve as the central design element on each pin. The event location, rendered in all capital letters, is tucked neatly inside the counter of the letter “p,” while the event year is split on either side of the descender. A skate blade anchors the bottom of the composition, clearly signaling the sport for which the pin was issued. The surface is finished with a fine, pebble-style texture that adds subtle depth and catches the light without overwhelming the design.

Viewed together, the 1979 European Figure Skating pins feel unusually modern in their restraint. There are no unnecessary flourishes or competing elements—just a strong idea executed consistently across three finishes. For collectors, the set stands out not only because it was clearly meant to be kept and appreciated as a group.

In a collecting field dominated by one-off designs, the 1979 European Figure Skating pins offer a quiet reminder that sometimes the most successful commemoratives are those that commit fully to a simple concept—and see it through, three times over.

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on May 15, 2021, and has been updated with new and expanded information.

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