The Kids Forum
Find Out First Hand From Kids Themselves How To Become A Master
Pin Collector
A letter from Ashley
Making your own pin book from Topher Powell
How My Son Got Started
How I Got Started (Annette from Australia)
A little warning from Stacy
Back to the KidsZone
FIRST THINGS FIRST
1. Pick the kind of pins you want to collect. There are all kinds, animals sports,
events, balloons, Olympics, McDonalds.
2. Learn about what you are collecting. In Olympic pins there are many different
kinds like, sports, media, sponsor, bids, NOCs, bridge, etc.
3. Learn about pin types. Some have safety pin backs, some have butterfly backs.
They are made of different materials, enamel, cloisonne, plastic etc.
After you choose what kinds of pins you want to collect & learn a little about them,
it is time to learn about how to find pins!
FINDING PINS
It's EASY! ! There are many companies and people who will sell you pins but it more fun to
find them for almost free.
1. Look around your house, in drawers or ask your parents & friends if they
have any.
2. Pins are sometimes given out for free at special events or shows.
3. If you see someone who has a pin you like, ask them where they got it. They
might give it to you or tell you where to find it.
4. Go to flea markets, garage sales, antique and thrift stores. You can sometimes
find cool pins for just a little money!
5. Get your parents to help you find the names & addresses for sports
federations, National Olympics Committees (NOCs) and companies who sponsor events like the
Olympics. Many will send you a free pin if you write & ask.
6. If you know anyone who works for a big company like IBM, UPS, Kodak, they may be
able to order pins for you at very low cost.
7. Getting free pins is FUN. For the Atlanta Olympics, I wrote to 77 companies, 55
sent me over 250 pins! And I got some awesome ones like the Avon lipstick & UPS truck!
Here's what I did:
a. Go to the web site of the Olympics, like Sydney 2000 &
see who the sponsor companies are.
b. Get your parents to help you find addresses. My Mom uses
INFOSEEK on the web to get company addresses.
c. I like to write using a piece of notebook paper & a
pencil.
d. Tell the company how old you are, what you like to do,
what you like to collect & how much you would like to have one of their pins.
e. I always offer to pay for the pin. Most companies will not
ask you to pay but will send you a pin for free.
f. If I get a pin, I write a thank you note.
g. If you are writing to other countries, it is nice to make
the letter real simple & try to say something nice about their country. It helps you
learn about other countries too.
h. If you are writing to other countries, remember to use air
mail envelopes & a $.60 stamp.
i. It is good to let them know what you like to do. I ride
& show horses so when I write a letter, I tell them I ride & show horses and that
my goal is to ride in the Olympics someday!
If you ask nicely, the pins will start coming. Then it's so much fun to get mail everyday!
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Always remember, the main fun of collecting & trading pins is not the pins, but the
new people you will meet.
1. Now that you have pins, you have to decide which pins to keep & which ones
to trade.
2. Learn about the value of your pins & the pins you want to collect. Some pins
are worth a lot & some aren't.
a. If you can go to a pin show, walk around & look at the
prices
b. Go to many pin websites & look at pin prices
c. There are brochures from companies with pins in them. I
like American Pin Company the best.
d. Go to Leslie Chaffin's Mining Company site. She shows many
pin values there.
3. Now you are getting ready to trade but you need to find a way to carry your pins
around. There are several ways.
a. Buy a pin bag, they cost from $20-75.
b. Put your trader pins on a towel that you can roll up &
carry
c. Put your pins on a vest or hat
d. Put your pins on a cork board you can carry to trade!
4. Now to trade! Remember to always be polite, even if other people aren't.
a. Ask your friends if they want to trade.
b. If you can go to a pin show...
1. Never interrupt a trade, it is rude
2. Ask people if you can look at their trader pins &
would like to look at yours.
3. Ask the pin dealers if they trade. Some do not.
4. If you see a pin you want, Just say, "I see a pin I
like, do you see anything of mine you like?"
5. If you do not see anything you like, it is nice to say,
"You have some nice pins but I do not see anything I can use right now. Let's meet
later after we do some more
6. If the other person has a pin you want but they don't want
any of your pins, ask them what they want in trade. Go & try to trade for the pin they
want.
7. Sometimes you may have to trade several pins to get the
pin you want. Or sometimes people may offer you several pins for the one they want. This
is Cool.
8. Never, never be rude about other people's pins. If someone
is rude to you, do not trade with them again.
c. Trade on the Internet. There are bulletin boards where
people put messages about the pins they have for trade, like The Collector, Pinheads &
Leslie's Chaffin's site. Or you can go to someone's pin web site & see if they trade.
There are many people who do not sell pins, only trade.
d. There is an international pin club called Olympin who has
over 800 members. You can join their club & get their directory with names &
addresses It .is cool because not everyone can come to shows or is on the internet.
e. Be willing to help others. Sometimes I have traded or even
given a pin to someone who, really, really wanted or needed the pin even when they did not
have anything to trade. It feels good.
f. Even if a pin is real valuable, if you don't like it or
need it, do not feel you have to trade for it. Trade for what you like.
g. Most important of all--HAVE FUN--!! Meeting new people
& having fun is more important than the pins!
WARNING SIGNS
Most pin traders are good & honest. But, there are some real stinkers out there!
1. Be careful when someone tells you how "valuable" or hard to find their
pin is. It may not be valuable or hard to find.
2. Be careful if someone says your pin isn't worth much. That may not be true &
they just want to get a nice pin for nothing. These people are called "pin
sharks".
3. There are people who will try to sell you pins for a lot more money than would
pay at other places. Always check prices with several dealers or traders before you buy.
One person may have the pin for $30 while another person has it for $5!
4. The original cost of a pin is not as important as what it sells for now. Some
Atlanta pins first cost $6 but are now $1 or less. Some Salt Lake City pins sold for $10,
but now sell for $150!
5. If someone rips you off, don't trade or buy from them again & tell other
people so they don't get ripped off too.
6. Some people can get real rude & tell you their pins are better than yours.
Ignore them, they are "pin snobs"!
7. Find people to trust & ask them to help you with a trade. This is okay.
Remember, most people are good, there are just a few who aren't.
Now, you are ready to get pins & trade. IMPORTANT: Have FUN, Meet new people, be
polite & collect some really cool pins!
Making your own personal pin book
You can buy squares of felt and puch holes in them and put the felt pages in an empty notebook. It is a good idea to put extra felt pages between the pin pages so your pins won't get scratched. Also, you might want to put tape on the edges of the felt before you puch holes in them so they won't tear out. You can decorate the notebook if you want.
I am a truck driver and have driven my truck through most of the 48
lower states and into Canada.
One summer, i had the chance to take my son with me for a while. I
bought him a hat, and we got a hat pin from each of the states we drove through. We also
got one from each of the museums, and other exciting places we stopped at along the way.
You should have seen the looks on the faces of his friends when he
showed them his hat and could tell them a story about each of the pins
He has branched out now and is collecting other pins, but his
"summer vacation hat" full of memories will always be his most prized pins.
I started collecting pins last year. Before that I had never heard of
them. I live in Sydney right across the road from where the
olympics were. Almost every day during the olympics I'd go autographing. Many atheles and
officals gave me an olympic pin of their
country. I got about 100 just from that! It was also great meeting them. Then I wrote to
the address on this website. They sent me a
wonderful collection. Better than that was the addresses they sent. I wrote to so many
sponsers, and got some very generous
responses. It's hard writing the letters but definately worth it when the letters come in
all the time. One week I was getting at leased
3 letters a day. I have nearly 200 pins now. Some very valuble. And I didn't have to pay
for any of them. If you really want a big
collection, don't go spending heaps of money, get them the easy way.
Annette age 11.
Please remind people that there are "adults" that
USE their children as a pawn just to make a trade. The traders look at kids with
awww that's cute and trade whatever the kid is looking at. If you go to Disney & trade
pins make sure you trade with Cast Members for a fair trade and becareful of "Pin
Sharks". I learned the hard way.