Chinese Mao Zedong Circular Lapel Pin

Plum blossoms climb the left edge while a rocky slope rises at right.

This Mao Zedong circular lapel pin is from China, and dates to the 20th century. Badges and lapel pins bearing Mao's face were produced by the billions, and Mao himself called a halt to production in 1969 because the metal used was seen as wasteful. In the upper right of a red disc sits a silvery profile. Branches of five-petaled blossoms curl up the left side. A craggy rock formation fills the lower right, and the surface is slightly rippled. It is 2.25 inches in diameter.

A gentle floral touch on an otherwise stern lapel.