Sport metal badge history
The sport metal badge first appeared in 1870 when the first sports companies emerged in Switzerland. They were gymnastics, sport shooting and wrestling badges. Later, around 1900, due to sport ascension in Switzerland, many sport clubs start manufacturing their own badges. But this is rather a confusing period, sport associations didn't have much money and many of them didn't have even an official logo.
In the photos and postcards of that time we can see athletes (like football players) with their jersey, but without any distinctive sign or logo or embroidered badge. It was the time when the athletes did not had their club's sport equipment like today, they wore their own civil clothes. And that's how appeared the idea of having a distinctive symbol of their club. They started wearing the club's badge at their lapel or on their shirts. And here we have our sport associations' metal badge!
First they were like a pin, only a little later came the lapel buttonhole. The badges were enameled and many times they had the manufacturer's signature: brothers Huguenin, Louis Meyer, Paul Kramer etc. Some of the badges were real jewels, many of them were made in silver.
In the years after Second World War other models emerged. These badges were attached with a screw, and later, influenced by american pins, they were attached with a clip. This kind of badges (pins) is very common today, the majority of clubs use it as official badge. The difference between this kind of badges and old ones (enameled) is obvious and that's the reason why many collectors prefer searching and paying much more for old pieces.
Good collection to all!