Trading Pins - anything special we should look for

[lovinmgm]

Any suggestions on some pins we should get?

I still regret not getting the complete 4 set of park pins in 2002.

This time I want to be prepared!

 

[bytheblood]

I personally do not think that you know what will be going away and what will be around for a while. My personal stradegy is...if I see a pin a really like, I get it to make sure I get something I want. Like this month, I got a Happiest Celebration on Earth and POFQ pin to put in my shadow box. I know the Happiest Celebration pin will be gone after the celebration, so I got it. POFQ is where I stayed.

 

[rayelias]

Each trip, we are sure to get a couple pins that commemorate THAT trip. For example, our last trip was over Memorial Day, which also coincided with Flower & Garden Festival. It was also our first stay at FWL.

So, we picked up a Memorial Day 2005, Flower & Garden 2005 and a Fort Wilderness Pin.

We do NOT trade, because we buy the pins for sentimental reasons, not for the "best investment" type of thing. It's just something to remember our trips.

However, if we see ever find a CM with a "Skippy" pin, we'd be all over that. My DF absolutely LOVES Skippy. Apparently, they made a Skippy pin when Alien Encounter was first out. Can't find them anywhere, now. He's still in it, too! (Are you listening Disney? We want Skippy merchandise!)

To answer your question, I'd say find something that appeals to YOU, there are certainly enough choices. So many that I would make a suggestion. Have a # you want to purchase in mind BEFORE you go looking for your pin(s). If you're only going to get 1 or 2, DON'T buy the first ones that strike your fancy. Without a doubt, as soon as you make your purchase, you'll see another one that you HAVE to have. It can get very addictive!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Depending on when you're going will prob. determine if these are left, but right now they're selling "Buy a Piece of Disney History" type pins. The most recent one was released when I was there; it's a Festival of the Lion King pin with part of a stilt warrior's costume inside a bubble. They also made ones for Maelstrom, Dumbo, and Muppet Vision 3D. I saw all of them at Island Mercantile in AK on the 17th. $10.95 each, and a nice way to remember your favorite ride or show if any of those happens to be a favorite (and if not, it's still nice to own a piece of Disney World memorabilia). From what I can remember, one comes out each month, so you'd be guaranteed to get one at least the month you're going.

Oh, and the small versions of the MK castle window pins are nice too; they have one for each Disney park worldwide that has a castle. I got the WDW and DL ones and love them. They're $8.95 each.

 

[cavepig]

I think collecting the ones that mean something, commemorate the time you went (like Star Wars weekends or Flower & Garden Show), or are your favorite character or ride is the best.

I collect Dumbo pins, because he's my favorite. I got one of the ones with the piece of ride in it - it's pretty neat.

My Dad collects the Lanyard Series pins off the cast member lanyards that you can only trade for (He gets one chance a year to pin trade). They are actually pretty neat pins and are an adventure to find. Some of them are kind of silly but others are neat like the parking lots symbols, the 3 caballeros, the 3 hitchhiking ghosts, or the nephews.

 

[nluvwithmickey]

I buy pins to keep. The only ones I trade are the ones I buy on Ebay.

With the quantity and variety of pins on sale at WDW, you can easily go crazy and broke quickly!

So I decided on pins that have something written on them(a ride, hotel, event etc) I also select pins with specific characters....Mine are Mickey and Chip n Dale.

I also try to limit the number of pins I buy, They really add up.

 

[greattenchi]

i bought a few pins the last time i was there in 2001 i think? i got cool coontemporary resort pin? i was wondering do they change the pins for resorts each year? plus do they got new contemporary resort pin this year?

 

[lovinmgm]

Thanks for the tips. Trip commemorative pins sound like a great way to go. When you mention that, I reviewed ours and our pins thus far do bring back memories from past trips.

I didn't realize the ones on the CM lanyards are for trade only......I don't quite get it thou. If you cannot 'buy' the ones they wear, where do they come from? I mean, the people before me for the most part can only give something purchased, so that is what the CM can offer me. Not sure I get how these are unique.

Thanks!

 

[caribbeanme]

The CMs are often issued pins that aren't for sale. Assuming someone else hasn't nabbed the pin before you, you can trade any of your pins for one of these exclusive pins. Right now they have some Tiki pins that are CM exclusives, and some AK pins representing the different sections of the parking lot that are CM exclusives. There are probably more...

I am a fairly new trader, and I look for park-specific/resort specific pins: ride pins, etc. If they have moving parts, even better! I have a Contemporary pin with a monorail that slides back and forth which reminds me of my first trip to WDW, and a Space Mountain with a sliding rocket which I love because of the characters' (particularly Goofy's) expressions.

When I go back this August, I may purchase some of the new pins issued in relation to the 50th to remember this trip.

If you want to know more about pins and pin collecting, these sites are very helpful:
http://allearsnet.com/btp/mil_pin.htm
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/index
http://www.dizpins.com/
http://auctions.images.go.com/Images/I-Catalog/DisneyPins/index.html?DCMP=BAC-DisPinsHPfromDAHP

Some of them are geared towards the serious collector, but it's always amazing to see the types of pins that Disney comes up with!

 

[WaltD4Me]

I just started collecting pins too and I really like trip specific ones too. I get one or two with the year on it and then ones that help commerate things from that trip. For our May trip, I got a Happiest Celebration pin and a 2005 pin, then I got a Soarin' pin, a Flower & Garden Festival pin, a Tink Birthday pin (because it was my birthday.) I also picked up some other pins on ebay to commerate past trips, before I started collecting. I really like getting pins that mean something or bring back a special memory.

 

[cavepig]

The cast members have a mix of regular pins you can buy and the cast "lanyard series" pins. These "lanyard series" are not for sale and can only be traded for with a cast member or a guest who traded for them with a cast member. You can buy a pin and then trade it for a lanyard series pin.

They started this a few years ago and the pins have gotten neater. If you go to www.dizpins.com and they have lists of which ones are out. Most of the new ones have a little mickey in the corner. They do say "lanyard series" on the back.

The latest series has like 105 pins in it including what I said above and some of the others are the monorails, princess in ovals, mickey, chip n dale, tickets, and disney dollars.

 

[BBGraph]

for me it's an easy decision onwhat to collect I collect my name "Mike" and "Sullivan"
both from monsters inc. and not on 1,000,000 pins I also would get some cheap traders off of ebay totrade with castmembers for pins you want.

 

[jacksmom]

My son and I collect Stitch pins! It is really fun, like a scavenger hunt each trip to find the most unique one!

 

[McKelly]

I like the idea of buying pins to commemorate the trip. Do you know if they make pins for specific tours and/or the Pirate Cruise for kids at the GF? And if so, does anybody remember where? Thanks!

 

[disnemimi]

Yes, I'd like to know too if there are pins for the Pirate cruise. My grandsons are doing the pirate cruise in September and would love this pin if available.

Disnemimi