A very pretty, gold coloured metal pin badge with text 'Lada' in the city of Sobeslav, advertising the 70th anniversary of the company who have been producing sewing machines since 1919. The badge face is 1.8cm in diamater and has a long, stick pin style fastener to the rear.
Historical Background
There is a very good history of Lada, in English, on their web page.
Soon after breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy the idea of founding a factory producing sewing machines appeared. Many czech workers who were living and working in Vienna before World War I. wanted to return home when the war was over and they were looking for new jobs in their own country. It took a lot of time but on 1st September 1919 a Stock company producing sewing machines in Sobeslav was found. At the beginning of their functioning on the market it wasn´t easy at all for such an still unknown trademark to compete with well known European and Overseas competitors. The market was controlled by the famous companies and it cost so much effort for LADA to be successful.
By the sixties the production of sewing machines had reached 100 000 units a year. But then, being included into management unit ELITEX in the year 1965, LADA lost its independence and finally, based on the decision of the goverment in 1972 production was the discontinued again. Lately as the communism regime fell down could LADA renew its good tradition in the field of producing sewing machines