Newbie - Pin trading questions for experts please!

[Torontogal]

Hi all,
Want to get into pin trading. I already have a small collection by accident!
Wondering what you look for when you buy pins? I am primarily looking at getting pins which will have value later on. I was told that pins with Hidden Mickey's have more value, etc. Can someone please tell me the "pin trading secrets" I should know about. What pins tend to have value or are sought after? Thanks for your assistance!

 

[pointandshoot]

Hi and welcome to pin trading. Pins, like many collectibles, are very subjective in value and constantly change. IMO, few pins increase in value over time, some will retain value, and most will not. Disney releases pins all the time with over 50,000 pins logged into the Pinpics database.

At one time, surprise pins that were suddenly released were valuable but now Disney announces their a "surprise" pins. Lanyard or now hidden Mickey pins were popular but that seems to be changing. Disney Auction pins were once hard to get but that fad passed. Cetrtain characters like Stitch were in demand but so many Stitch pins were offered so his star has faded.

Piece of History pins with have small fragment on the attraction are popular now. But at the start, they sat on the racks. Tomorrow, something else will be the hot pin that everyone must have.

You do have some popular holy grails of pins. The Wet Paint, Haunted Mansion Dangle, Tourist Stitch, etc. I have seen some cast service pins that fetch a high price. But these are few and far between the many pins available.

For me, I collect what I like; Animal Kingdom pins. I also enjoy sharing the hobby with my family and the friends I have made through trading pins online and in the parks.

To learn more about pins and trading, read this board as well as www.dizpins.com and www.pinpics.com. These websites have tons of info on trading. For value, look at auctions sites.

Good luck with your new hobby.

Chuck

 

[Luv2Roam]

Most of us traders have dozens of pins we thought for certain would be "hot".
It's very unpredictable -- in most cases. Some are sure things.
Even that is not true. I have often seen people think a pin is bound to be TERRIFIC for a spare, only to find out everyone else thought the same and there are many easily available on the secondary market.
Best bet is to get what you like and don't worry about what others like.
The pins that seem to hold their own value the most are the higher end pins anyway, sometimes from hard ticket events.
I don't know that having Hidden Mickey's on a pin is in such demand. To some it may mean something. To someone like me it doesn't mean a thing.
I think many put much more value on Cast lanyard pins than there is.