Badge — Black Sabbath badge, England, 1972-1973
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1972-1973
Badge in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.3161-2010), made in England, dated 1972-1973. The museum's brief description reads: Black Sabbath badge..
Museum description: Black Sabbath badge. Plastic coated, oval, black with image of a red iron cross with hand forming 'sign of the horns' bursting through, with Black written across and Sabbath down. The museum records it as plastic, printing ink, measuring Height 7.2 cm; Width 4.6 cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Black Sabbath is one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, helping to create the genre with ground breaking albums such as Paranoid. Their original sound focused on ominous lyrics and doomy music, in stark contrast to popular music of the early 1970s. This badge was an insignia to distinguish the wearer as being a fan of the band, showing their allegiance to the metal subgenre.The image uses a Black Sabbath logo engraved on an iron cross, with a hand punching through, forming the 'sign of horns'. According to later band member, Ronnie James Dio, this was a sign to ward off the 'Evil Eye'.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- plastic, printing ink
- Dimensions
- Height 7.2 cm; Width 4.6 cm
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- England
Identification
- Museum object name
- Badge
- Museum object number
- S.3161-2010
- Museum system number
- O1177095
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.