About an inch tall, this handmade resistance pin was cut with a jeweler's saw (or something similar) out of a copper American penny. The "V for Victory" sign became a symbol of resistance in January 1941 when exiled Belgian politician Victor de Laveleye proposed it on the BBC as a rallying cry for occupied Europe. De Laveleye chose the letter V because it stood for victoire (victory) in French and vryheid (freedom) in Flemish/Dutch. It gave ordinary citizens living under Nazi occupation a simple, low-risk way to show solidarity and remind occupiers they were surrounded by defiant populations. The accompanying hand signal evolved into the hippie peace sign. Here, an everyday safety pin was soldered roughly onto the back, making a wearable patriotic symbol. c. 1940s.