Chinese Mao Zedong Lapel Pin

Silvery profile standing on a tiny gate building that sticks out of the circle.

This Mao Zedong lapel pin is from China, and dates to the 20th century. After Mao's death in 1976, the Communist Party began a process of de-Mao-ization, and much memorabilia was destroyed, statues were taken down, and many badges were collected and melted into functional objects. Swept hair crowns a silvery profile that fills a clean red disc. At the bottom, a detailed multi-roofed gate building in silvery relief breaks past the rim. The red surface is smooth and glossy. It is 2 inches in diameter.

It simply refused to stay inside the circle.