pin trading for my ds6

[dopeysgirl]

hi all! not sure if this is the right place to post this ?, but i need advice and this is the tips board, so...

during our first family trip in 05, ds (then 4) got a lanyard and a few pins (it actually started because he saw star wars pins and hes a fanatic!) anyway, we actually use the free black lanyard that came with the free resort bus pin when we checked in.

so on this trip we acquire a few star wars pins and he trades his resort bus w/ a cast member. we then bought 2 more pins so he could trade a few more times.

we went again last year and he bought 2 more to trade and then my sis bought him 2 (we wont let him trade those 2 special ones). he now has about 15 pins (most of them the larger ones) on his lanyard. he actually does not want to part with any of these. so i bought him a lot of 6 goofys to trade this sept and put them on a pirates lanyard (thank you target $ spot!). get ready cause im finally getting to my question.....

the lanyard has become quite heavy/limited space with those larger pins. does anyone have suggestions on how to maximize space. do people use more than one lanyard? we are by no means "pin traders"- this is strictly for fun/collecting purposes.

i suggested he only wear the pirate lanyard w/ the ones he wants to trade, but dh says its really the only time he can wear his collection (when not in wdw we hang it on a hook in his room), so dh thinks he should wear them all.

hope this isnt too trivial, just looking for suggestions from some of you experienced pin people.

thanks! (sorry so long- wanted to give a little background!)

 

[mickeysaver]

I have no kids, but I do know a thing or two about kids and pin trading. The charity in my signature for the last few years has received lanyards and pins for the kids going on the trip and I have been the one to load up all of those lanyards.

For kids that want to trade, it's best that they only start with tradeable pins on their lanyards. Any keepers, should be left at home or in the room. As they trade away pins, load up the keepers on one side and keep the trader's on the other, until they are all switched out.

Most kids do well with about 10 to 12 pins on a lanyard. Any additional traders can be kept in a safe place, like mom's purse, to be reloaded onto the lanyard when the keepers are removed.

This is what seems to work best for most folks. With younger children, you will find that the favorite keeper pin that is traded for at 10am on day one is the last pin to be traded away again an hour before you leave for the airport. It's kinda fun to watch their changing valuations on their new found prizes.

Anyway, I hope that something in this helped. Maggie

 

[dopeysgirl]

thanks! im thinking were gonna just leave our original lanyard at home w/ our keepers...and take the new lanyard w/ the traders to wdw.

 

[makinorlando]

I agree that it is probably best to only take the "traders" to the parks. DD has quite a collection of pins, we only really started trading about a year ago. I bought her a little tri-fold pin book that she uses to carry her pins, as she does not like to have the lanyard on her neck.

I lost about 20 pins last fall on the monorail, and after re-buying them on EBAY (cost me a fortune to replace them all) - we now only take 5-6 pins each time we go to a park. I also found that the pins tend to fall off the lanyards, and can get lost that way as well, unless you use the locking backs!

At home we have our pins on a big cork board. Right now it sits on an old armless rocking chair that acts like and easel. All of her friends have a great time when they come in the house checking out her pins!

I have seen extensive collections of pins on vests & hats in the parks as well. Wearing some on a hat might be an option as well.

We too have many pins that are not tradeable - annual passholder pins, party pins, gifts, etc.

Every few months I will check out EBAY and see what lots I can find for a decent price. If I can find pins for under $3.00 for trading I think that is a good deal.

We were at EPCOT Friday evening, and by trading she was able to add two new Chip & Dale pins to her collection. She concentrates mainly on Chip & Dale, with some Lion King thrown in recently! We are headed back today and currently have only two traders left! YIKES!

It is a fun hobby, but can get expensive!

 

[princess jackie]

My DD9 loves to trade pins as well. However it can get very expensive. We try to limit what kinds of pins she can trade for. She likes the Hidden Mickey pins and there are a ton of them. What we do with the untradable ones it put them on my lanyard or DH if mine gets too full. When we get back to the room for the night DD9 takes all of her untradables and puts them in a safe place. The next day we start all over again!!

 

[PinGirl]

hi all! not sure if this is the right place to post this ?, but i need advice and this is the tips board, so...

during our first family trip in 05, ds (then 4) got a lanyard and a few pins (it actually started because he saw star wars pins and hes a fanatic!) anyway, we actually use the free black lanyard that came with the free resort bus pin when we checked in.

so on this trip we acquire a few star wars pins and he trades his resort bus w/ a cast member. we then bought 2 more pins so he could trade a few more times.

we went again last year and he bought 2 more to trade and then my sis bought him 2 (we wont let him trade those 2 special ones). he now has about 15 pins (most of them the larger ones) on his lanyard. he actually does not want to part with any of these. so i bought him a lot of 6 goofys to trade this sept and put them on a pirates lanyard (thank you target $ spot!). get ready cause im finally getting to my question.....

the lanyard has become quite heavy/limited space with those larger pins. does anyone have suggestions on how to maximize space. do people use more than one lanyard? we are by no means "pin traders"- this is strictly for fun/collecting purposes.

i suggested he only wear the pirate lanyard w/ the ones he wants to trade, but dh says its really the only time he can wear his collection (when not in wdw we hang it on a hook in his room), so dh thinks he should wear them all.

hope this isnt too trivial, just looking for suggestions from some of you experienced pin people.

thanks! (sorry so long- wanted to give a little background!)

If you are in Orlando you are probably near an outlet that carrys Reduced price Disney pins. Try to go there and pick up a few before your trip and dole them out to DS like 5 a day.

Take only traders and maybe bring some small zip lock bags you can buy at micheals craft store (if you have those there) - to put keepers on and put them in a bag you are carrying.

In the evening look over what you have gotten for the day -anything that you don't like so much can be traded out the next day!

Have fun!

 

[MoeFam]

If he really wants to wear his "keepers' invest in the safety backs and put them on a bucket hat. This will show off his collection and provide some sun protection. We actually started our 4 yr old with a hat from AK with pins already on it- it was a good investment for us as he ALWAYS has a hat on. The lanyard would be for trading and the hat for showing off!

I agree with PP that the outlets are great for picking up discounted pins for trading!

 

[dzorn]

Bought both DD 5 & 8 pins on ebay for our next trip. And they like all of them. They just don't get trading yet. Hopefully they will figure it out when we get there.

Denise in MI

 

[teresajoy]

I agree with what others have said. Leave the ones you don't want to trade at home, or invest in some of the locking backs. We lose several pins each trip when they fall off the lanyards. It's frustrating!

 

[soccerEAGLE09]

Ah! I fan of pin trading here too! I started out just like your son did. I am by no means a "hardcore" trader, but I like to pick of my favorites everytime I go. If you think that this will be a hobby he continues every trip I would invest on one of those briefcase-like carriers that they sell at WDW.

 

[disneychickforever]

I have 2 lanyards and I need to buy a third one when I get up there.

What I do is I have a special fannypack to hold my pins in.

Also- I always buy two identical pins that are the cheapest. One to trade with a CM, one to keep. That way my collection can really grow, without spending 20 dollars a pin.