Trading pins have a rich history dating back to the beginning of the modern Olympics in 1896. Tradeable souvenirs have been popular since sports and print became mainstream, but the 1896 Athens Olympics were a big jumping-off point. Large youth baseball tournaments - including uniforms and lodging are raised today using baseball trading pins.
A new version of such a historically significant global display of athletic ability brought fans out of all countries and pumped life into the industry of tradeable gear - namely pins. Thus began the history of trading pins. Baseball trading pins were an evolution of the market for these collectible sports pins.
They are also very flexible as fundraisers because many of the team members buy them themselves to trade with other players at tournaments or events. First, let's take a more detailed look at the history of trading pins.
In 1898, sponsored pins by companies hoping to market themselves to sports fans began to spring up with certain players featured on such pins. A prominent sports commentator published an outstanding review of the birth of baseball trading pins in 2012.
Today, sports pins are collectible for youth sports players and enthusiasts and can also be feasibly used as a fundraising item. Players and parents alike love to collect, trade, and display these pins as keepsakes for tournaments, teams, and accomplishments that they or their children have participated in or accomplished.
Baseball pins are tradeable and collectible little emblems that kids or parents collect or sell at events to commemorate an event or team. Typically, they come in the form of a traditional pin that can be attached to a bat bag, a hat, a shirt, or any other type of baseball-related gear.
Baseball pins officially started in the 1920s at a small business in upstate New York. They offered what they called "pin-back buttons" in packs of four for collections or for trading that featured profiles of local baseball players.
In 1924, pins gained a huge following with Olympic athletes in the first-ever "Olympic Village." Competitors from all over shared the same space for the duration of the games. Not only did camaraderie ensue, but trading pins also gained popularity in a big way - as sort of a goodwill offering from one country to another via their athletes.
Once the audience of the Games noticed the trend, a market sprang up amongst them that was feverish in the least. As a result, officials made a concerted effort to cap the number of trading pins to maintain their value and exclusivity.
Fast forward to the late 20th century, when baseball trading cards began to enjoy a booming market with both children and adult baseball fans. Modern corporations started to notice the demand for exclusive and collectible items.
As a result, trading cards for every sport and subject known to Americans began to flood the market. Everything from baseball cards to cartoon Garbage Pail Kid cards could be found on the "impulse buy" shelves that lined checkout lanes.
Major conglomerates such as Disney and Coca-Cola have now entered the trading pin market. Coca-Cola's trading pin market became global news at the 1988 Olympics - people flocked to the Games to get their hands on the pins rather than to watch the events.
Another great example is Disney. Disney has possibly developed the world's most lucrative trading pin market. They were also the first non-sporting-related organization to introduce a trading pin program.
Today's youth participate in a staggering amount of sports. If your child's chosen favorite is baseball, you're going to find yourself helping to fundraise for the team to save on equipment costs and league fees. You're also going to want to get something that your little slugger can keep to help remember the experience and to trade with their friends.
When your children have children, they can sit down and show them their keepsakes from all of the tough competitions and tournaments that they played in. This fosters a multi-generational legacy of discipline and sporting success. And let's face it - having some extra bling on their backpack for winning a tournament is bound to boost a kiddo's confidence.
Quite a bit of the experience of youth baseball is meeting new friends from different teams and regions. Baseball trading pins work as a great icebreaker for your children and kids that they might otherwise have not met. Experiences like that can help build their social skills and be more confident in situations involving children their age.
Like most collectibles, baseball trading pins provide a tangible item for the collector that signifies a significant experience in their life.
Collections give us a sense of community and commonality - some people collect stamps and find friends who are fellow enthusiasts. Geocachers are a modern iteration of trading pin collectors. They hunt out real-life treasures for collectible pins that they trade with other enthusiasts.
Other common collectibles include:
By investing in baseball trading pins, you are not only opening up a possible fundraiser to help your child's team. In fact, you are giving them an opportunity to develop socially with like-minded children both locally and outside of your area.
Your team may not win a championship ring every year, but at the very least your young masher can come away with a bit of "jewelry" to adorn their backpack or favorite baseball cap. By the same token, they can spread the wealth to their fellow ballplayers by trading. Contact a quality pin maker to view your options and for pricing.
Little league pins — they've developed a culture of their own. What many people view as a silly pastime is a deep and complex art, with as many aficionados to its name as many other hobbies and pastimes.
You may even be interested in the art of trading baseball team pins yourself. But how can you get started?
As strange as it may seem to admit, the world of little league trading pins has more to it than meets the eye. Taking the journey into the hobby might catch you by surprise. What starts as a fun way to celebrate your child's time playing sports, quickly reveals a group of people of all ages who love meeting up to trade their pins.
Let's walk you through the art of trading baseball team pins. Read on to learn more.
To understand the art of training pins, it's important to understand their long, storied past. Trading pins have been around since 1896 and found their earliest uses in the Olympic games. The athletes wore small patches on their ankles that they would trade with others.
The trading of pins became a tradition, and this tradition transitioned over to the world of little league baseball as well. Now baseball pins are perhaps the most prominent kind of trading pin out there.
If you want to know the history of little league baseball, check out our article on that right here!
The Little League World Series is also the unofficial world series of pin-trading. Different manufacturers and pin fans bring all sorts of different pins.
Sometimes, these pins are representative of their hometown, their local teams, or their interests. Other times, these pins are shaped like umpires, gloves, and other baseball-related things. Food pins, and pins that feature movie/cartoon characters, are some of the most popular pins out there. You can even customize your baseball pin to really stand out with add-on features such as bobbleheads, sliders, or crystals to name a few!
A huge portion of the art of trading baseball team pins is knowing where to trade them. The best place to go for this activity is the Little League World Series in Williamsport Pennsylvania, the hub for all things little league.
For any devoted pin-trader, going to the little league world series will feel like a homecoming. People from all over the country will be there, sporting pins of all different shapes, colors, designers, aesthetics, and sizes.
Pin-trading is done inside of the "pin-trading tent", so the whole activity has a fun, official feel. Many people make their pins specifically for this event so that they can trade them for unique pins, and bring joy to others.
It goes beyond just that, though. The town of Williamsport is well aware of how many people enjoy trading pins. You can find many pins at local stores, and some of the hotels even rent out rooms specifically for pin-trading aficionados.
Now that you know the basics of little league trading pins, it's time to get into the nitty-gritty of that art of trading. Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind when you're trading your custom trading pins.
When trading pins, you have to bring a product along that other people are going to want to trade for. Though there are some great pins you want to keep for yourself, understand that some of your favorite pins are probably your favorite for a reason... and they'll probably catch someone else's eye as well.
Make sure you bring a high-quality selection of trading pins so that you can get good deals and impress the other traders in the tent. The more attention you can grab, the more likely you are to trade for a pin you truly enjoy.
No matter which individual pins you have, it's important to organize your pins in a way that's pleasing to the eye. There's no wonder why props designers are so important to the theatre: they understand that even objects as small as a pin need to be organized in a way to make them seem attractive.
We recommend organizing your collection by color. Individual colors in trading pins won't stand out when they're all paired with each other, but when you put similarly colored pins together, the colors immediately stand out. The pins start working together — much like a baseball team — and are more likely to grab the attention of someone walking by.
Make sure that you set limits for yourself on how much you're willing to buy/sell. This doesn't just help you out financially, but it can help you out in the future. You don't want to spend all your valuable pins trading for pins you love this year, only to miss out on all of the cool pins that come around next year!
One of the best things about trading pins is that they can be enjoyed by people of all ages. While kids make up the majority of those with baseball trading pins— because they're on the little league teams themselves — parents, cousins, and other older baseball fanatics can often be seen at the trading tent.
Getting your child started in the trading of baseball pins can help instill a sense of pride in them, and develop an interest that will last a lifetime.
Little league pins are collectible items that have a deeper culture to them than most people realize. If you are interested in little league pins, you're not alone; take yourself down to Williamsport PA or even Cooperstown, NY, and get trading with other aficionados just like yourself.
Once you understand the history of trading pins, the pins you can expect to find, where you can trade, how the art of trading little league pins works, and who trades, you're well on your way to cultivating your hobby.
For more information, complete our form to get started or call us at 888-998-1745
Baseball is a beloved past time for many sports enthusiasts of all ages. It allows friends and family to gather for the sake of doing something fun. And, whether you enjoy watching the sport or you're always on the field, there is added pleasure in collecting baseball trading pins.
But, why are baseball pins so cool, you ask? We'll go into it with greater detail in a moment. For the time being, remember that being cool is all about being a good sport.
Baseball pins invoke camaraderie and team effort. They're also a good way to show off your team spirit. No matter how cool you want to be, starting a baseball trading pins collection is a good place to start.
If you're trying to learn more about why these little pins are so cool, you've come to the right place. In this article, we're providing you a little history and details to get you started on the coolest collection in town.
Baseball pins got their start in an unusual place back in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a Bakery in Rochester, NY, that started the tradition of trading pinback buttons that featured famous baseball players. Patrons received a pin with their favorite hometown heroes displayed with each loaf of bread purchased from the bakery.
The pins came in sets that were made in 1920, 1922, and 1933.
That's part of the excitement of collecting - you just might end up with one of these originals in your own collection someday!
Baseball itself is a timeless tradition that has roots as far back as the 1300s in France. Today, it's regarded as America's favorite sport after earning a rich history in the United States.
With baseball gaining in popularity around the turn of the 20th century, it became a profitable market for manufacturers and retail sellers. People that love baseball will inevitably buy baseball related products and collectibles. And so, baseball collector's pins got their start.
Remember those original pins that started with the Bakery almost a hundred years ago? Those pins are worth some big bucks nowadays because they are rare and hard to find. There are other pins that have been popular through the years and thus carry a high value.
Your favorite pin is also your most valuable pin when it comes to trading time. And, you may even be keeping it because you think it could be worth some money someday.
If you become a serious collector, you could find some valuable pins along the way.
Besides the value and history of your favorite trading pins, they're so cool because they allow you to show off your pride in and for baseball. It's an awesome way to decorate your favorite hat or backpack. Get them in all the different styles to add variety to your collection.
There are four different styles of baseball pins to choose from:
Now that you know how cool baseball pins really are, it's time to start your own collection. Even if you already have a collection going, you need to know where to get more pins and trade them, too.
Of course, you'll already be at your favorite teams' baseball games or your own where other collectors are bound to hang out. Maybe you know some people on your own team, or even the opposing team, that collects pins. If you don't, ask around.
Asking around is a great way to get others to start collecting, too. This way, you'll have more people to trade with later on.
Ask around some more or look for local postings where 'pinheads', or other pin collectors meet up and talk about their pins and even trade with others.
You can start up your own trading events with friends and collectors that you meet. It won't be hard to start up a conversation about your pins if you wear them often. And, other collectors will be able to find you in a crowd.
There are many collectors that trade pins via online forums and auctions. You can find local and international websites dedicated to helping collectors find the pins they're looking for.
Don't forget to work your social media channels, too. Social media networks are extremely expansive so that you may reach even more collectors.
Local sports shops are best known for carrying your favorite sports memorabilia. So, make sure to ask them if people are looking for baseball pins. Maybe the shop even has a few that you're looking for.
Sports shops are great places to meet other fans and even if the shop doesn't have pins, there might be other collectors hanging out there anyway.
Whether you're trying to be the coolest collector in town or you just really love baseball, trading pins are fun to collect any time of the year. All you have to do is figure out what kind you like and get out there and find them. You'll be the talk of the team when you introduce others to this awesome past time.
Anything that is this fun is bound to be cool by most standards. It gives you a reason to connect with your friends and make new ones. And, of course, if you're lucky enough to find a gem, you could even make some money down the line.
If you're interested in trading pins, or if you have questions, contact us! Or, you can get a quote to jumpstart your collection, today.
Collectible trading pins have been around for over one hundred years and continue to be popular among sports fans, players, and collectors, alike. But, there's more to trading pins than simple trinkets that attract the eye. Trading pins as a pastime is just as much about tradition as it is about supporting your favorite team or sports players.
Knowing the history of the trading pin will only make you a more popular person to trade with. Not to mention that you'll feel a sense of connection to those that started the tradition and have a shot at becoming a part of history yourself.
If you've always wondered about the history of the trading pin, then you're in the right place. In this article we're discussing how it all began and why collecting baseball trading pins should be a priority for your team. Keep reading to learn more.
Once you know all about the history of the trading pin, you can share your knowledge with other pin traders to help keep the tradition alive. The history is what makes it all so fun and exciting in the first place. And, regardless of your affiliation to the pastime, you'll be better equipped to find pins for yourself and your friends or family that make an impact on your collections.
In today's day and age, it's actually difficult to find a reason NOT to collect trading pins. Many sports teams from youth leagues to professional enterprises engage in creating, designing, and trading pins as a way to promote team spirit among players and fans. Some people trade pins solely as a hobby, even if they don't usually participate in the events for which the trading pins are made.
Many baseball pin traders have probably heard the story about how trading pins got their start. For baseball, in particular, it began in the 1920s in Rochester, New York when a local bakery began distributing pinback buttons featuring local baseball players. The bakery offered the pins in four-packs for collection or trade.
But, the real origin of the trading pin itself began at the end of the 19th century in Athens, Greece. It was the first Olympic games where athletes, judges, and officials all wore different cardboard discs with multiple colors to identify themselves. Wearing, distributing, and trading such type pins eventually evolved into the custom that we know today.
When the first Olympic Village opened in Paris in 1924, trading pins grew in popularity because athletes had more frequent contact with each other and officials. Each country featured its own pin. It was not long after that spectators took an interest in trading pins and collections which eventually urged Olympic organizers to limit the number of pins produced in order to maintain exclusivity.
By now, it was 1948 and pin trading and collecting was becoming a popular hobby. Sports fans began organizing their own trading events and the tradition took off with great enthusiasm.
In 1988, Coca-Cola saw an opportunity to get in on the fun and set up an official pin trading center at the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary. This was the first time a corporation became involved with pin trading and it was a great success. Some people arrived at the Games just for the pin trading rather than to watch any sports.
Ever since Coca-Cola's promotion and dedication to pin trading started, it has become known as the number one spectator sport at the Olympic Games. There are now thousands of designs and millions of pins and collectors found throughout the world.
Disneyland parks have always carried pins for their guests to purchase and collect. But, it wasn't until the Millennium Celebration in 1999 when pin trading was introduced at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The Disneyland Resort in California soon followed.
Now pin trading is popular at Disneyland Parks worldwide. This was the first time in history that a corporation unaffiliated with sports became involved with the tradition of trading pins and it has been a great success. Each branch of Disney, including Disney Cruise Lines, has their own pins and trading traditions.
Many pin traders, known as pinheads, started their collections by finding trading pins that they really love. These can be pins that are colorful and made with soft enamel to photo-etched pins that depict their favorite sports players. They started trading as a way to broaden their collections as well as make new friends.
Whether you enjoy sports as a player or a fan, or you're just intrigued by the many different types and styles of pins, it's a good reason to collect and trade. You'll not only have fun, but you'll also have something to brag about when your collection takes off.
Make a game of it in itself and see how many pins you can collect in a given year or season. Think of your friends when you're trading so that you'll have something to share with them when you find a pin that they've been looking for. Best of all, create a tradition in your family that's sure to last for generations.
The tradition of collecting pins is a pastime for many that enjoy sports and other events like scholarly competitions. Some pins even hold significant value depending on how old they are and how many are in circulation. If you're lucky, you may find rare pins that not only add value to your collection but also motivates other pinheads to trade with you.
Trading sports pins is all about camaraderie on and off the playing the field. Whether you're a player or a fan, trading pins is a great way to make lasting friendships. You may even build your own network of pinheads to trade with on a regular basis so that your collection remains diverse and up to date at all times.
If you want to be a part of the history of the trading pin and start your own collection, feel free to contact us! We've been manufacturing and distributing baseball trading pins since 2003 and we look forward to helping you get involved with this timeless tradition.
Looking to make your own custom trading pin? We can help,. Fill out our online form to begin!