It might just be the area where I live, but I come across trading pins a lot. I've sold them in the past individually and as singles, but I have found that you have to really study up if you want to know which individual pin will bring a lot at auction.
The people who collect trading pins are often VERY into the hobby. Special trading vests are made just for showing off pins. The pins you might be willing to sell or trade are worn on the vest, while your special "keeper" pins are kept somewhere out of the way and safe. This is no small deal here. The people who trade these pins can take things pretty seriously and they know how much their pins are worth. They are a dedicated bunch and they seem to be very concerned with keeping things ethical and fair, which is very nice to hear. They want to get the pins they covet, but they really like meeting people with a similar interest along the way.
photo credit: ste3ve
Popular Trading Pins
Disney pins are wildly popular. For the most part, these are sold in large lots, but there are some pins that are very rare that sell well on their own. As I watched recently, several Disney pins went for in the neighborhood of $500 each. I was watching them with interest because I have some older Disney pins mixed in with one of the large boxes of estate items that is currently waiting for me to go through it. I'm pretty certain that I've got the types of pins that would go in a large lot though.
Even though Disney pins are outrageously collectible and very popular, there are many other kinds of trading pins available. Some people specialize in one particular area of pin trading and collecting. Obviously, Disney is on very strong trading niche, but baseball pins and pins devoted to other sports are also quite popular. These usually feature some or all of the following:
- Team name
- Team colors
- Logo
- Mascot
- Player numbers
- Year
- Team state
If the pin is from some special event, that may also be included. That's a lot of information to get on one little pin! To take it one step further, some people even have additional "bling" added to their pins in the form of blinking lights or tiny gems.
Olympic pins are yet another area that people specialize in. There are lots of folks who get together before the Olympic games to buy, sell and trade pins with each other. These pins are traded constantly on sites like eBay, but they can turn into major events as the Olympic games draw near.
This actually only scratches the surface of the types of pins that are collected by people with a passionate interest in either collecting pins or supporting whatever event it is that their pins celebrate. NASCAR, football...the list goes on and on and on. eBay is a natural meeting place for pin collectors. It is like the world's biggest pin show and it goes on every day of the year for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. No wonder there are always so many trading pin listings.
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 Disney Trading Pins Lot of 20 Hidden Mickey LE CL LR  US $16.40
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 DISNEY pin Lot 20 Trading Cast Lanyard HM 5000 FEEDBACK US $15.58
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 20 DISNEY Trading Pin Lot W Hidden Mickey CL LE LOOK US $10.53
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 DISNEY pin Lot 20 Trading Cast Lanyard HM 5000 FEEDBACK US $13.53
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This video does a great job of summing up what makes pin traders tick...
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