1989 Skate Canada Pin: On Snowflakes and Asterisks.

Profile: Lapel Pin – 1989 Skate Canada, Cornwall, Canada Kicking off the 1989–90 skating season was the annual Skate Canada event, taking place in Cornwall, Ontario, in late October 1989. And in line with possibly the worst decision ever made by the International Skating Union (ISU) was the absence of compulsory figures from the event.… Continue reading 1989 Skate Canada Pin: On Snowflakes and Asterisks.

1988 Skate Canada Pins: The Winds of Change.

Profile: Lapel Pins – 1988 Skate Canada, Thunder Bay, Canada In 1988, the long-established and successful brand for the Skate Canada event, held annually in the fall, began its descent into history with the addition of a title sponsor to the event. Ownership of the event was effectively being transferred in exchange for naming rights… Continue reading 1988 Skate Canada Pins: The Winds of Change.

Limited Edition Pin. 1987.

Figure Skating Pins Profile: 1987 Skate Canada According to a report in Skating magazine on the 1987 Skate Canada competition, held in Calgary, Canada, the pin issued to commemorate the event was produced in limited number and sold out before the event had concluded. That left collectors and others attending the event who not yet… Continue reading Limited Edition Pin. 1987.

Ottawa: Canada’s Skateway. 1981.

For the 1981 Skate Canada event, two pins were issued: a standard pin for sale to the public and a second, larger version given only to competitors, officials, and volunteers. The standard pin is on a silver-color base metal with red enamel fill; generous radial corners create both visual interest and a pleasing profile. The larger version of the pin swaps out the silver background for white but features the same overall design.

Highly Irregular. 1986.

As figure skating pins go, by and large, the pin made to commemorate the 1986 Skate Canada International is striking. Not so much because it is beautiful or even well-produced. But because it is different. In a world where pins are routinely round or rectangular in shape with little creativity, a pin with an irregular shape and angles is a welcomed changed. The familiar Skate Canada logo is used to good advantage in a strobe effect, something not seen before on Skate Canada pins.