My collection of metal badges, pins, photographs and other memorabilia

Like many children, I collected all sorts of things when I was young. During the communist era in Poland (the PRL period, 1945–1989), even very simple everyday items could become treasures for children and teenagers. Bottle caps, matchboxes, comic strips found inside chewing gum wrappers, foreign beer cans and soft drink bottles, cigarette packages, and postage stamps often found their way into the collections of my friends and classmates.

I was no different. I gathered many such items myself. I still remember, for example, a plastic cigarette package made by Philip Morris, which at the time was considered a particularly desirable “artifact” among young collectors. Even an empty beer can from abroad could be something special in those days, when imported products were uncommon and difficult to obtain in Poland.

Warsaw, 159 General Karol Świerczewski Avenue.
The photograph shows the display mat with my pins and badges hanging in my room.
This photo was taken in my apartment on May 13, 1981, as we were celebrating the written mathematics matura exam (secondary school leaving examination) that had taken place earlier that morning. An hour or two later, we learned about the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

I also collected postage stamps. I even had a subscription and received new issues every quarter — postmarked copies, which were less expensive than mint stamps. I still own one stamp album containing many pre-war stamps as well.

I probably received this badge from my friend's father at the Poznań Fair.

Over time, I became especially interested in collecting metal pins and badges. My main source was the Poznań International Fair, a major trade fair in Poland that attracted exhibitors from many countries. My father went there every year and brought back new badges for me. On one occasion our whole family went together, and I was in seventh heaven! Interestingly, I met my friend's father, who lived in the same building, on the same floor, and who held a high position at the headquarters of the "Unitra" electronics company in the Polish People's Republic, and he gave me a handful of pins!

Original admission ticket to the Poznań International Fair from June 1974  

Later, during hiking trips in the Polish mountains, I bought more badges at mountain huts and tourist lodges. When the Solidarity movement emerged in 1980, I tried to obtain as many pins connected with that historic movement as possible. Friends and schoolmates, knowing about my hobby, also brought me badges from time to time. Eventually, all of them were pinned onto a display board that hung in my room for many years.

Many years after I emigrated to Canada, only part of the collection made its way back to me. I mounted those badges on a new board and added several more collected in Canada. The display still hangs in my office today.

For years it served as a wonderful conversation starter. Clients would often notice it, and many interesting discussions began because of one small metal pin. More than once, instead of focusing strictly on business matters, I spent time talking with people about travel, history, Poland, Canada, or shared memories sparked by something on that board. I remember those conversations fondly — sometimes interrupted by my secretary reminding me that other clients were already waiting.

I have always believed that life should not be only about work. Whenever time allowed, I enjoyed sharing my interests — both those rooted in Poland and those developed later in Canada, which I describe in my travel blog: http://ontario-nature.blogspot.ca/

My room in the apartment in Warsaw, on 159 Świerczewskiego Street (currently Al. "Solidarności"). My mother with our awesome and extremely friendly parakeet. The mat with my pins is on the left. Behind, on the door, there is a very original poster featuring a ghost. The photo was taken in the second half of the 1970s.

In future posts I will share photographs of these badges and pins, along with descriptions, reflections, and the stories behind them. Other interesting objects may also appear here from time to time — and sometimes simply memories.

This blog is also available in English, although I realize that some topics may be especially meaningful to readers familiar with Poland and everyday life during those years. 
However, if this text is of interest to international readers, I'll be happy to answer their questions whenever possible. Sometimes my replies to comments may be delayed: when I travel, I usually rarely use my cell phone (which I only started using in 2022), don't have access to my account, or don't have internet access at all because there is often no cell coverage in the areas where I travel.

Finally, I should mention that some historical information included here will come from Wikipedia and other online sources.

Blogi są również dostępne w języku polskim/blogs are also available in the Polish language

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More from the author

This entry is part of a broader collection of personal research and historical documentation across multiple blogs:

👉 Travel and nature archive/blog/: https://ontario-nature.blogspot.com/