Chinese Mao Zedong Lapel Pin

Glowing profile sits inside a red sunburst with a beaded border.

This Mao Zedong lapel pin is from China, and dates to the 20th century. Propaganda posters of the era generally pictured a utopian society, with smiling farmers, brave soldiers and happy people gathered around Mao, who was cast as a benevolent father and wise teacher. Rounded corners and a glossy red surface carry fine gold rays radiating from a gold head in profile. The bottom edge is trimmed with a row of small gold beads, like a string of scallops. It is 0.75 inches wide and 0.5 high.

All that radiance in a pocket-sized frame.