Badge — David Essex badge, 1979
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1979
Badge in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number S.623-1985), dated 1979. The museum's brief description reads: David Essex badge. Enamel badge from 1979, silver metal, rectangular, black background with name and "Silver Dream Racer" in red..
Museum description: David Essex badge. Enamel badge from 1979, silver metal, rectangular, black background with name and "Silver Dream Racer" in red. The museum records it as metal, enamel, measuring Height 2 cm; Width 3.3 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
Badges displaying a band or artist's name gained popularity from the 1960s and showed the wearers allegiance to a particular artist or group, and often by proxy a certain musical genre and subculture, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. David Essex is a stage and film actor and has had a extensive number of UK hit singles, including two number ones. His career began in in 1971 when he garnered praise for his lead role in Godspell on the West End stage. His 19 Top 40 singles run began in 1973 with Rock On which sold over a million records internationally. Essex's British tours incited hysteria amongst his female audiences and he was a teen idol for more than a decade. His stage career continues to this day and he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1999.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- metal, enamel
- Dimensions
- Height 2 cm; Width 3.3 cm
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- DAVID ESSEX / SILVER DREAM / RACER
Identification
- Museum object name
- Badge
- Museum object number
- S.623-1985
- Museum system number
- O1177267
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 date against a specialist reference.