1984 Los Angeles Olympic Team Pin ~ Fencing ~ Designs by Margarita

A 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Team pin for Fencing, made by Designs by Margarita and given to the U.S. athletes who competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. A light blue band across the top reads "1984" in gold, with "OLYMPIC TEAM" below it. At the center, a light blue ring reads "LOS ANGELES" around a red, white and blue "USA" over the gold Olympic rings, all framed by a green laurel wreath. An American flag stands on each side, and the white field has a red border. A royal blue ribbon across the bottom reads "FENCING."

The story behind this pin: This pin comes from one of the rarest sets in the 1985 Pin Collector's Guide, the United States Summer Olympics Team Pin Set, listed as framed set "R." on page 103. According to the guide, only 500 sets were made, and each was shown with the team belt buckle. These pins were made for the athletes themselves: each U.S. athlete on the 1984 Summer Olympic team received twenty USA team pins and twenty pins for their own event. The framed set in the guide shows a center plaque reading "United States Summer Olympic Team, Los Angeles 1984" and the large team emblem, surrounded by matching shield pins for each sport, each with the sport named on its blue ribbon. This is the Fencing pin from that series. 1984 was a proud year for U.S. fencing at home in Los Angeles, as Peter Westbrook won the bronze medal in men's sabre, the first U.S. Olympic fencing medal since 1960.

• Year: 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
• Sport: Fencing
• Issued to: U.S. Olympic Team athletes, 1984
• Maker: Designs by Margarita (source letter "C" in the 1985 Pin Collector's Guide)
• Design: "1984 Olympic Team" shield with Los Angeles USA emblem, Olympic rings, laurel wreath, two U.S. flags and a "FENCING" ribbon
• Style: Enamel, gold tone, cut to shape
• Size: approx. 1" x 1"
• Back: Stamped "© 1984 Designs by Margarita Taiwan," single clutch back
• 1985 Pin Collector's Guide: framed set "R.", United States Summer Olympics Team Pin Set, page 103
• Set quantity: 500 sets (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.