Lenin Centenary Lapel Badge, 1870–1970 (znachok)

Object/Artifact

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

Lenin Centenary Lapel Badge, 1870–1970 (znachok)

Entry/Object ID

2025.2.30

Description

An upright rectangular pin-back badge in gilt/golden-tone metal. The upper half carries a relief left-facing profile bust of Vladimir Lenin (bald crown, mustache and short beard) against a finely stippled ground. The lower half bears the relief dates "1870" and "1970" stacked on two lines. There is no other lettering on the face. A horizontal pin/needle fastener is fitted to the reverse.

Use

Obtained in Cuba by Anna Veltfort and brought to New York City with her when she moved back to the US.

Context

The badge belongs to the USSR's 1970 centenary of Lenin's birth, an occasion marked by a vast output of commemorative medals, coins, posters, and lapel badges. Lenin (1870–1924), founder of the Bolshevik Party and the Soviet state, was the most reproduced subject of Soviet znachki; the "1870–1970" pairing identifies this as a centenary issue. This is the mass-issue lapel type, distinct from the state Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of V.I. Lenin."

Collection

Anna Veltfort collection

Acquisition

Accession

2025.2

Source or Donor

Anna Veltfort

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Date made

1970

Place

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

front

Transcription

1870 1970

Notes

"1870" / "1970" (relief).

Type

Inscription

Location

back

Transcription

10K

Notes

Face: "1870" / "1970" (relief). Reverse: "10К" (transcribed "10K") — most plausibly the 10-kopeck retail price stamp standard on Soviet znachki (interpretation; the Cyrillic К abbreviates копеек/kopecks).

Dimensions

Height

2.3 cm

Width

1.3 cm

Parts

Single stamped metal plate with reverse pin/needle fastener.

Materials

Material

Metal

Material Notes

Stamped metal with a gilt/golden finish — likely anodized aluminum or gilt brass (tentative).

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Anna Veltfort

Notes

owner

Person or Organization

Vladimir I. Lenin

Notes

imagery

Related Places

Place

City

Havana

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

preservation

Place

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

production

Research Notes

Notes

This is a lapel znachok, not the round 32 mm state medal.

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

March 31, 2022

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 18, 2026