KidsZone
Pin Tips and Definitions
| Pin Collecting Tips |
| Collect what you like! You can't collect everything. |
| Wearing a pin signifies that you are a collector; wearing two or more pins signifies that you are a trader Don't wear a pin which isn't a "trader"--a general rule of pin trading is that if you wear it, it's tradable. |
| Trade in the spirit of friendship and display a smile with your pins. Pin trading can be very infectious but so is a friendly demeanor. |
| Don't let anyone rush you into a trade. Make sure it seems fair to you too. If you don't feel good about a trade, just say you'll think about it and go on your way. Get informed about the pins you collect. Ask questions and pass on your knowledge. Tell people what kind of pins you collect. They may be able to help you in your quest. |
| Be patient and don't beg for pins. This is usually one of the hardest pin collecting lessons to learn. |
| It's considered rude to interrupt a trade. If someone interrupts you in the middle of a trade, simply say, "Excuse me, I'll be with you in a minute". |
| If you're not sure about a pin's origin, quantity produced, date of issue, etc., just say so. Honesty is always the best policy. |
| When you're looking at another trader's pins and don't see anything of interest, don't insult them by saying , "I have those already". Take a "softer path" and tell them you need to do some more looking before you decide. |
| Common Definitions |
| Bid Pins: When a city makes a bid for the Olympic Games to the International Olympic Committee, they sometimes produces pins to help fund this venture. In the case of the 2002 Winter Games, Salt Lake City, Sion (Switzerland), Ostersund (Sweden) and Quebec (Canada) all competed for the honor to be the "host city" and each of these cities produced Olympic bid pins. |
| Countdown Pins: Commemorate how many days there are until the Opening Ceremonies of an Olympic Games. The "2002 Days" pin is a good example of this type of pin for the Salt Lake Games. |
| Holiday Pins: commemorate a Holiday like Christmas, New Year's, Halloween, Mother's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc. These pins also usually double as a "countdown pin" |
| Corporate Sponsor/Licensee Pins: Made by corporations which make donations of money and/or equipment to the sponsoring Olympic Committee (ie., SLOC), the national Olympic Committee (ie., USOC) or the International Olympic Committee. Some "usual corporate sponsors" include Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Xerox, AT&T, Delta Airlines, Nations Bank, Kodak, and Budweiser, to name a few). |
| Venue Pins: Commemorate the sites where an Olympic competition is held (ie., Alpine Skiing at Snowbasin, Men's Ice Hockey at West Valley City, Speed Skating at Kearns, Curling at the Ice Sheet in Ogden, bobsledding at Park City, etc.). The Salt Lake Games will have 5 indoor venues and 5 outdoor venues. |
| Olympic Committee Pins: Designs produced for distribution by the Salt Lake Olympic Committee (ie., "2002 Days", "America's Opening" and the "Passing the Flag/Closing Ceremonies" pins) |
| Olympic Village Pins: Produced to commemorate the location of the athlete's Olympic Village(s). In the case of the 2002 Games, over 3,500 athletes, coaches and trainers will be housed at the Village on the University of Utah campus. |
| National Sports Federation Pins: Produced by the National Sports Federations which governs that sport in a country (ie., US Hockey, US Bobsled, US Figure Skating, etc.). |
| National Olympic Committee (NOC) Pins: Designed and produced by each of the competing countries which have athletes entered in the Summer or Winter Olympic Games Each country usually produce a generic pin (no logo or date which would associate it with any particular Olympic Games) and also one or more pins which are designed to be identified with a specific Olympic Games. |
| Opening/Closing Ceremonies Pins: Designed to commemorate the Opening and Closing Ceremonies associated with each Olympic Games. Usually given to those individuals who purchase tickets for these events. The 2002 Opening and Closing ceremonies will be held at the University of Utah's football stadium. |
| Media Pins: Produced by the various worldwide media organizations providing coverage of an Olympic Games. For Salt Lake, an estimated 10,000 electronic and print media representatives are expected and their "media center" will be located at the downtown Salt Palace Convention Center. |
| Novelty Pins: Produced by a variety of sources which become collectible during an Olympiad (ie., Pin Pals International pins would certainly fit in this category as would the "Salt Lake's Pinhead" pin, "Salt Lake City" guitar pin and the "America's Opening" volunteer and VIP pins). |
| Sports Pins: Designed to commemorate the individual sporting events in an Olympic Games (some of these pins have already been produced for the Salt Lake Games- Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Luge. Biathlon, etc.). Olympic competition for the Salt Lake Games is tentatively scheduled for seven sports in 68 medal events with 179 ticketed events. |
| Law Enforcement/Government Agency Pins: Designed and produced by law enforcement, fire protection and governmental agencies providing support services for an Olympic Games. |
| Prototype Pins: Produced for final consideration by the agency/corporation ordering a particular design. A very limited number of prototypes are produced for each design thus making them highly desirable collectibles. |
| Volunteer Pins: Designed for and provided to the volunteers which are the "backbone" of any modern Olympic Games. An estimated 12,000 volunteers will help stage the Salt Lake Games. A volunteer registration program will be implemented closer to the start date of the Games. |
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