1984 Los Angeles Olympic Sam the Eagle Press Pose Pin ~ Microphone ~ LAOOC

A 1984 Los Angeles Olympic cloisonné pin of Sam the Eagle in his "Press Pose," with a microphone. Sam stands in his red and white striped top hat, with the Olympic rings on the blue hat band. He holds a microphone on a black cord up in one wing, with a white notepad tucked under the other, ready for the interview. A light blue panel sits behind him, and gold-tone metal outlines every part of the design.

The story behind this pin: Sam the Olympic Eagle was the official mascot of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games. He was designed by C. Robert "Bob" Moore of Walt Disney Productions, who turned the usually stern bald eagle into a friendly, cheerful bird in a stars-and-stripes hat. The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) used Sam on its own pins, and the 1985 Pin Collector's Guide lists this one on its page of "Special LAOOC Designs." There, Sam appears in three Press Poses, each one a member of the press at work: with a camera, with a microphone (this pin), and at a typewriter.

The guide tells how these pins reached collectors. The three Press Pose designs were first ordered in a larger quantity than the LAOOC could actually use, so the licensee was allowed to sell the overage. All three were sold in retail stores even though they were never advertised. The guide notes that Fuji Film, the official film sponsor of the 1984 Games, used the camera pose heavily, which made it the most common of the three at about 10,000. The microphone pose is scarcer, with about 7,500 made, the same number as the typewriter pose.

• Year: 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
• Design: Sam the Eagle Press Pose with microphone and notepad, striped top hat with Olympic rings
• Companion designs: Press Pose with camera and Press Pose with typewriter
• Guide reference: 1985 Pin Collector's Guide, L2, page 62
• Size: approx. 5/8" x 1 1/8"
• Material: cloisonné, gold tone, cut to shape
• Back stamp: "LA84 ©1980 LA OLY COM," textured gold back, single post with clutch
• Approx. quantity produced: 7,500 (1985 Pin Collector's Guide)

Packaging: All orders shipped in corrugated box for extra protection, we don't use bubble mailers.

Shipping: U.S. shipping is $4.95 flat per order, and free on orders of $35 or more.