I want to start pin collecting

[Mema]

I want to start a pin collection. I'm going to Disney in August, and I read that there is a place in Epcot to buy and trade pins. I have some pins from when my kids were little. I have the whole collection of The Little Mermaid, the Disney Collector's Society pins, some Mickey pins that I just liked, and a Goofy. I don't want to trade any of these, but I do want to start a serious collection. How do you get these pins? Which ones do you start with? Do you just buy the ones that you like and go from there? Are you supposed to keep them in the original wrapper? I wear mine on my Mickey denim jacket. Please help!!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Hi, Mema, and welcome to the DIS collector's board.

First of all, there are several places throughout WDW to buy pins. Pin Central is in Epcot Future World, between Spaceship Earth and the fountain, but each park has a number of pin carts that are indicated on the park maps, and many gift shops sell pins.

As for your other questions -- we get the pins from the parks, from online auctions, or from friends on the DIS who return with extra pins. You can start with whatever pins you'd like. From what you said, it sounds like you have some older pins, which are just as good as any. Some people may keep their pins on the original card or in the original wrapper, but I wouldn't worry about it.

But don't forget the most important rule ....

HAVE FUN!!!

 

[stampcramp]

Hello! I just returned from Disney, so get ready--I have LOTS to say about pin collecting/trading. I heard about the whole thing b/4 I went, and thought there were only specific places to buy/trade. I think this was the case when the whole hoopla got started. Anyway, you can buy/trade almost anywhere. I went there with the thought of just picking up a few as souveniors of my trip--boy was I wrong--I got hooked REALLY bad. To start with, most people by the lanyards which are sold in all the shops for about $8 then you attach your pins and the fun begins. People either wear them as an addition to their wardrobe or wear them to trade. Once I started, I didn't want to trade, I just wanted to collect them. My son made me nuts--he would buy a pin one day and trade it away the next! We were there over the 4th of July, and OF COURSE, there was a specific pin for that day being released in each park, limited editions. So, I proudly wore my lanyard with all my pins, and as we were going into Alien Encounter one of them (a 4th of July collectible) came off! Horrors! I felt it hit my leg, and there I was crawling around in the darkness trying to find my pin. I did find it, and that was the last day I wore the lanyard. It stayed in the hotel and each night I would add my pins to it. By the time we left I had 3 lanyards. The park employees all wear lanyards for the purpose of trading, and are happy to do so. Once I got home I thought what the heck am I going to do with all these pins!!?? I was kicking myself for getting caught up in the moment, but I've been home for 2 weeks, and the pins are still on my mind. I found myself looking for some of the carrying cases I saw people trading from in the parks, and just last night I found pinfever.com So, I guess I have officially begun a pin collection. While in Disney I collected the "special releases", and the pins of the rides that I was brave enough to do--Tower of Terror, and Rockin Roller Coaster--they became my medals of honor! Now my biggest problem is to decide what to collect now that I'm home. Do I just stick with Disney pins or branch out to other areas--Hard Rock, Olympics, etc. My advice to you would be to leave all the pins at home that you have no intention of trading, set a daily limit on how much you'll spend on pins--it adds up really fast--prices start at $6.50 up to $12.50 for the specialty pins, and let me know when you get back how much fun it was!

 

[Raulandpinboy]

Trust me pick a favorite and collect just that one, if you try to collect everything you will go nuts. I did.

My wife (God bless her) has gone goo goo gaa gaa over pins and has decided her favorite pins are anything Disney (that would be just a few).

I on the other hand am king of my castle, and will collect any darn pin that…. she will let me. (Right honey)

Anyway pick a favorite that's my advice.

 

[RamVA]

I too have just returned from a trip where our family jumped on the pin trading bandwagon (unexpectedly), and now 2 of us are addicted. I do have a suggestion; we are on e-bay a lot, and though some limited editionpins go really high, and generally the rack pins (the ones you can buy at the park) are a little higher than what they are there, there are a lot of pins to be found on e-bay that are less than $5.00. A lot of them are Winnie the Pooh theme, some of the other common movies, and some of them are from Germany, but they are still stamped Disney, and they are tradable. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have stocked up on them to have to trade with the cast members for the rack pins they have on the lanyard, and I would have saved some money. The cheapest you can buy pins in the park is the set of 4 park icons, and I think that is $15, so that is $3.66 per pin, and since that is what a lot of people do, a lot of cast members have them on their lanyard and won't accept them. So, if you come with some different pins, that to me makes it more fun and easier. In fact, before I make my next trip, I will buy some of these same pins I'm talking about so I can trade with cast members for rack pins. If you would like to e-mail me I will give you some of the user-names of the people that sell less expensive pins. Not everybody is a big e-bay fan, but if you are careful, you can get some nice pins at a reasonable price, and I have found since I'm home and not at a partk, it's one of the few ways I can continue this hobby, since I don't have a large enough supply to really trade effectively yet. Hope this helps a little. Good luck and have fun--it's like a treasure hunt, and you can meet a lot of nice people.

 

[Mema]

Thank you so much for your help. I can't wait to get started. Snow White is my favorite movie, so maybe I'll see what I can find relating to that. I'm leaving tomorrow for a family vacation to Chincoteague, VA. We go there every year to see the pony swim. So I won't be able to check out the computer for a whole week! I hope I make it!!! I printed out all the great info you sent me, and when I get back I'll try to go online to buy some before I go the last week in August.

 

[pintrader]

resort on Friday night at the pin kiosk, for our weekly pin trading meet.