1949 WBP Antique Collectors Pin from the 2nd Peace Race

This is a rare original 1949 Warsaw Prague Peace Race pin made in former Czechoslovakia. It is in great condition, is slightly under 3cm high and it has a stick pin style fastener on the rear side. It is made from a pressed sheet metal and then hand painted as these badges were prior to 1956.

Depicting the Polish and Czech flags only as Berlin was yet to be included on the route and below this the letters PW denoting Prague and Warsaw. The text below, 'Zavod Miru' is Czech for 'Peace Race'

This particular pin is a state produced official race pin although it also has the names of communist newspapers of Poland and Czechoslovakia below the date. In later years the newspapers would produce their own sponsor pins that better suited their requirements.

Item Description

Peace race pins are getting very hard to find these days especially the older ones and since 2006 there haven't been any races, so the event may have finally been cancelled after almost 50 years of tradition.

The Course de la Paix, Warsaw-Berlin-Prague or Zavod Miru depending on your language was the most prestigious cycling event during the communist era, producing stars such as Olaf Ludwig.

The first race took place in 1948 and became known as the peace race to commemorate the end of WWII

The pins on sale here are race souveniers from the actual races, the pins are usually of 3 different types.

• Official race pins, produced by the state.
• Official sponsor pins, produced by the communist newspaper Rude Pravo.
• Official route pins, produced by the cities that the race travelled through.

The Peace Race (Zavod Miru in Czech, Friedensfahrt in German and Wycig Pokoju in Polish) is a cycling event held in May that consists of 10 stages over 10 days. The course encompasses East Germany, Poland and former Czechoslovakia and was open to all the members of the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact countries and cyclists from the West.

The first Peace Race was held in 1948, when there was a race connecting the cities of Warsaw and Prague, the route would develop in 1952 to include Berlin and each badge usually depicts the initials WBP in varied orders, meaning Warsaw, Berlin and Prague. The order of the initials WPB usually denotes were the race would start and finish, it was customary for the countries to take it in turns to host the finish line. Recently other European cities have been included in the stages to broaden the appeal of the race.

During the Cold War the Peace Race was known as the 'Tour de France of the East' as Eastern Europeans were not allowed to leave the Eastern Bloc to participate in the actual Tour de France. As Eastern European cyclists were not allowed to compete professionally, i.e. for money, it was an amateur race. It attracted the best cyclists from the communist countries, plus guest teams from the West. Communist-bloc riders tended to dominate the event, but there were exceptions

As usual Wikipedia has all the info.

Shipping

The item will be shipped when funds have cleared by signed for delivery from The Czech Republic.
If a signed for delivery is a problem for you please contact me and I will arrange an alternative delivery method for you.
The delivery can be tracked and is insured against loss. The package will always ship within 3 working days.

Warranty and Return Policy

The item should arrive in the condition described above and as photographed. If this is not the case please contact me as soon as you are able.
If you are in any way dissatisfied I will happily discuss any problems you have via email. I always strive to provide an excellent service.