Pin trading memories

[Figment2]

Vince's (Parkhopper's) response to another thread got me to remembering all the good times, bad times, times when we wondered whether Disney management was on drugs...

Making so many new friends. Getting to know people while standing in line.

Heck, standing in line - like the infamous one from the Figment event.

Being at the first AK event and seeing the Tree of Life at night.

Running around the World Showcase to have our maps stamped and buy the pins in the 90+ heat and humidity - several times! It's a wonder none of us collapsed from heat stroke.

Winning that Elliott pin at the auction. I was determined to win it! Being at the FIRST pin auction where I paid for several auctions no where near what I paid for that Elliott pin.

Going to pin trade at EPCOT pin central, only to be told to run to MK (and run we did) because an LE 1,000 was released (Wet Paint).

Trying to disguise ourselves so we could pick up a couple more of "whatever pin was released" since we knew friends back home would want one too.

Buying a family (okay, I never did, but I know somone who has and we still tease her about it). For the new people, you'd buy a family asking them to buy extras of the newly released pin, then let them keep one as payment. OR, give them a couple of the maps and let them keep one of the free completer pins.

Spending a week in WDW and never once going on a ride or attraction.

Standing in line waiting for the Disney Store to open (we sure did stand in a lot of lines in the old days).

Ah, memories...great ones, good ones, ones I'd like to forget but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Anyone else?

Cyn

 

[daber]

How about the Great Pin Adventure and doing 80 trades in one day!
(I think some of the CMs still haven't recovered and run when they see me coming)

 

[tennisnut]

I will never forget standing in line at Pin Central in the POURING RAIN!!! waiting for the release of Flubber. We waited as long as we could and then my DH and I had to get to the POLY for our pick up to catch our plane. Both of us were drenched and I actually changed clothes in the back of the Taxi! I had wet tennis shoes all the way home and squished every time I walked.
Thanks to Scottakamickey I did not go without a Flubber

Susan

 

[~Kathie]

I remember the co-ops for the first Artist Choice pins. We figured out who was going to be there when and who could get the pins.

My assignment was the Pinocchio Artist Choice. Poor Steve. That September I dragged him from pin station to pin station so I could get enough for everyone who was getting them for me int he following weeks.

We didn't run....I swear.

 

[Parkhopper_Vince]

Yes, I have tons of memories from my pin experiences. A lot of them are shared with friends which is really nice to think about.

I didn't get to wait in line for Flubber...I was already at the airport that morning to fly home....I wish i had been in the line and shared the soaking wet stories. I was in the airport talking with Nat on the phone while he was in line getting soaked and wondering if there was any way to change my flight to a later one to go back....Thanks to Nat I did get a Flubber pin for my collection even though I missed out on one of the more memorable pin lines.

Run.....yes, I guess I am the only one who remembers running from the rope drop to pin central for the pin of the month. I was running behind Nat who was clearing the way and running ahead of ScottakaMickey. Neither of whom admits to running...although I think Nat's knees still remember that run...

I remember flying down for the November POM in 2000 staying in Florida for only 36 hours. Enough to pick up the November POM and wait in another long line and get my Darth Mickey Surprise pin! Oh and lunch in Canada for some cheese soup....I think the waitress would still remember that one....heavy dose of S.A. Tax on that check. That was a fun trip even though it was short. It was fun later to hear the stories related of a couple of pin nuts that flew down from New Hampshire and Maryland just to spend one night and get some pins....LOL....

Lines, lines, and more lines.....spent some time in some lines over the years.

A driving trip down to Florida for the 4th of July 2000 where we drove straight through the night ending up at the AK just as it was opening, then hitting every park (some more than once) and Downtown Disney...and ending up pin trading at the pin cart at DTD after midnight having been up for more than two days straight!

Driving up to Rhode Island to meet Kathie for the first time at her restaurant after trading online several times the day before the Natick meet at the Disney Gallery up there! We were those internet people.... Met Nat up at the gallery for the first time at that meet....


I have soooooo many good memories and soooooo many good friends that we have made from these times....

Thanks for starting this topic Cyn!! Fun times!!

 

[~Kathie]

Driving up to Rhode Island to meet Kathie for the first time at her restaurant after trading online several times the day before the Natick meet at the Disney Gallery up there! We were those internet people.... Met Nat up at the gallery for the first time at that meet....

Now how could I forget that??? Steve almost had a heart attack when I told him I was picking up Vince and Suzi at their hotel and driving them to the Natick pin meet. What was I thinking meeting up with those "internet people"????

 

[lovingthemouse]

While I didn't have nearly the exciting adventures you guys did (they always held events while i was teaching) I remember meeting Kathi for the first time at a meet at the Burlington Mall- 2001? - as my DH and I arrived bearing a bunch of Mickey balloons. What a great group of people too!!! Kathi really got me started.
Then there was my great CT group: Peggi, Leslie, Cynthia, Mario, Dom, and Sharon to name a few - faithfully meeting under the escalator at Westfarms Mall to meet, trade and enjoy a meal together once a month. Those memories are wonderful!!! Even though i am not into pin collecting on an active basis, I still have most of them, and a host of wonderful memories. Caroline

 

[~Kathie]

I remember meeting Kathi for the first time at a meet at the Burlington Mall- 2001? - as my DH and I arrived bearing a bunch of Mickey balloons. What a great group of people too!!! Kathi really got me started.
Caroline

Me again???? I sure am getting "blamed" for a lot around here.

Those meets were fun. I have traveled to CT, NH, Florida, Maryland several times, and NYC.

For the NYC meet we all met and spent a ton of money at teh 5th Ave Gallery Store, then we met in the Sony Atrium (forget the exact name of that place) for a pin meet. There was a lot of ice on the glass roof and we pin traders were so wild that day the roof literally cavedl in. It was pretty scary at the time but we laugh about it now. Thank goodness we heard the glass breaking and moved out of the way in time and no one was hurt.

 

[LJC1861]

Kathie, you beat me to it about the NYC Ice meet.

I had organized that meet and we had over 80 people there....that was my count, there were probably more. We met upstairs at the 5th Ave. Store Gallery. I was a CM there at the time and had to convince my managers that it would be okay, really! Well it was! Everyone spent LOTS of money, and the store had a great day that day thanks to all the collectors purchasing stuff we could only get there. We had a huge birthday cake to celebrate the birthdays of Leslie and Sue Ellen's daughters and lots of other snacks. We had people who were not pin traders stop by to see what was happening and have some snacks! The trading was amazing that day. We had door prizes and certificates for anyone who RSVP'd and told me they were coming. I had extra certificates that I was making throughout the meet. The decor was a lovely lime green. Early in the meet someone asked the security guard what would happen if the ice fell. He replied that it would never happen and that the glass was strong enough to withstand the falling ice. Luckily the ice fell at the end of the meet, when lots of people had already left. Had it fallen during the height of the meet, there would have been people hurt as many of us were sitting at those tables trading. I remember grabbing Sue Ellen's daughter Tara, and running for cover as the second icicle fell. Had we not moved as quickly as we did, we would have been covered in glass. The securiy guards did not want to let us back in the Atrium to get out pin books and stuff, but we were not leaving without them. Jonie(Sorceror) was staying with me that weekend. When we got back to my apartment we found glass in our pin books. Jonie's Mom had heard about the disaster on the boards later that day and called us frantically to find out if we were alright. Let me tell you, that was one pin meet I will NEVER forget!!!!!

Linda

 

[lovingthemouse]

Linda- I was not there for the NYC meet, but you and I did meet at AK walking in one day and again later crossing the bridge in front of the Tree of Life. You also sent along some Freedom Bell pins for my students on one of our trips.

Kathi, you're right, we do have some wonderful memories. And no, I blame you for anything other than making it possible to meet some pretty awesome people over the years through our mutual interest in Disney pins.

Thanks. Caroline

 

[LJC1861]

Caroline,

Of course I remember you! We have met on several occasions...the ones you mentioned and also several times at the Contemporary for the Friday night pin trading.

I am pretty much out of it these days, I just couldn't keep up, but I will always remember all the wonderful people I met while pin trading.

Linda

 

[~Kathie]

Linda!!!!

So nice to see you posting!!

Hope all is well!!!

 

[LJC1861]

It is Kathie!

I'm not pin trading too too much anymore....just when I go to WDW and only for the fun of it. Most of my collection is gone, with the exception of a few treasured pins, a few from NYC and anything with the Disney characters on ice skates. Being an ex figure skater, those are the pins I have chosen to focus on.

Other than that, I have moved from NYC to Asheville NC. Big change huh? My partner and I needed to be closer to family....both of ours are within a 2 hour drive.....and we needed to find Lisa a better job. We totally love this town and are VERY happy and settled here. Of course now WDW is only a 10 hour drive away......that is way too tempting for me!

Linda

 

[NHMickey]

Do you remember the days that went like this…?

1. Up at the break of day to be first in line at a pin release.

2. Running from pin cart to pin cart and park-to-park to get as many “it pins” as you could.

3. Looking not at just cast members pins but those on fellow guests lanyards… (When was the last time you just walked up to someone other than a CM in the parks and asked to look at his or her pins?)

4. The “Lines” that where not a line until Disney said they where. Who here was at the release of Flubber?

5. And most import the auction sites. Who didn’t set the alarm clock so they could win an auction that ended at 3am?

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

Wow where to begin. I remember....

1. Asking Trina is she wouldn't mind making a "few" lanyards for a "small" get together at the first Epcot event (300 is a few right?)
2. Raul nearly getting us killed and thrown out (in that order) at Pop Century
3. Steve paying $750 for a lanyard (adventure dollars)
4. The cast member walking off the boat at the Jungle Cruise after we filled it with pin traders doing the wave every time he told a bad joke
5. Figgy nearly getting us killed at Epcot because she "thought" she saw Figment
6. Obi Wan Pinobi standing in line for 4 hours to get pins at the 2002 Epcot event while Mean Laureen, Adventure Girl and I rode Test Track and goofed around
7. Watching people run around getting 80 signatures for trades in their passport at the Great Pin Adventure II
8. Hearing Daber talk with an Australian accent on Kilamanjaro Safaris
9. Getting the bird from MadStrwberry every time I see her
10. Holding a mini-meet on the Monorail and completely freaking out a family from Japan who had no idea what was going on
11. Text messaging Obi Wan telling him there were rare pins at whatever park he wasn't at so he would run from place to place looking for them (it was Lauri's idea)
12. Meeting Scoop for the first time and laughing so hard my sides hurt while playing "Guess That Flippin' Pin"
13. Trina making her first trade only to find out she traded for a rubber Goofy head which was not supposed to be on a lanyard (that is my all-time favorite most valable pin since she traded it for me because I like Goofy)
14. Peggy making Raul put on a speed-o at Chef Mickeys
15. Sending Lauri's head and my head to Walt Disney World to an Epcot Event when neither of us could attend
16. Trading with Ruthie until all hours of the night so she would select one pin
17. Watching BeKeating's husband run all over WDW asking cast members for help with pictures of mixed up pins
18. Seeing JamesD and his wife chase down scavenger hunt items and autographs (and bring me Cotton Candy for bonus points)
19. Trading with a horse in Animal Kingdom and taking pictures of it because no one would believe it
20. Being abused at the Adventurer's Club for being with a group of "pin people"

I may have to sell some of my pins so that I can afford therapy for some of these memories.

Jeff

 

[EpcotKilterFan]

[*]Trading with Ruthie until all hours of the night so she would select one pin

There are many of us with that memory

I can remember the lines... but I missed Flubber, Olympic, Wet Paint etc. My adventure was standing at Epcot Pin central and someone came up to say there was an Inauguaral pin at DTD. Super Trader Mike got on the phone and called over there to see if there were any left! Mom and I walked briskly (we didn't run ) to the front of Epcot and took a taxi. My first cab ride in my life was to DTD for a pin

I won't even talk about the lines on the Disney Magic during the May repositioning cruise

My hunt for the the TDL Blood donor pin was the ultimate in friendship. I had my "one good pin" There was one person that had the pin in his book. Nat, Figgy and a few others said... you can not trade that to anyone, Debbie is coming and she needs it. Nat even offered his trading book up to help me get that pin. Eventually I think I guilted the guy into trading it to me. It was an amazing night when I got it.

The friendship is the greatest part of the memories. I have travelled to CT and MD to pin trade, but more so for the friends. I could not begin to name them all but they will all be in my heart.

Oh, and Kathie.... I am sure I can find something to blame on you

Debbie

 

[klmall]

because I didn't get to any of the WDW pin events but I used to get to Pinhopper Meets all the time!

I still have all my pins and take them out once awhile to reminisce!

Was even going to sell my pins a few years back but my DH said "No, you can't do that!!!!! They're so special to you!"

I still think fondly of all my pin trading at WDW and even at Disneyland and of course the Pinhopper parties were so great!

These days I keep busy scrapbooking---my new obsession---and preparing for retirement and a second career!

This is a super post!

Kathy M. (Mickay)

 

[Zoiebear]

These memories sound fun and that flubber line looked crazy. It reminded me of the first pin event at epcot, where Figgy and I and another friend ran in the thunder and rain across epcot to get to the event place to pick up our rsp's so we didnt miss out. We were all soaked and freezing once the a/c took effect
Stacie

 

[Parkhopper]

Kathy (KLMall) we remember you!! We are having a pin meet in a few weeks (February 25th) at the same location. We would love for you to stop by and say "hi!".

Suzi

 

[Figgy]

I disavow all knowledge of the incident that Jeff is talking about... Well ok maybe it happened that way but maybe he is just nuts.

I have so many memories that it is hard to just pick out a few...

Worst pin memory was 2000 first day of Food and Wine Festival. Saw wheelchairs pushed over and people knocked down... it was awful. I swore that I would never try to be "first" to get a pin after that.

Best pin memory was the absolute fun that I had at Scoop's sneak release at MK. Teams running all over the place in Magic Kingdom responsible for doing tasks and being the "first" back. And lets not forget the boas. And that includes driving there on a friday to surprise him on Sunday at the event and then turning around and driving home monday...


figgy