Collecting and Heritage

For an Olympics-crazy pinhead Christmas often comes twice a year!

By Andrew Kollo

Andrew KolloFor a pin collector the Olympics is truly like Christmas. The night before arriving at a Games, thoughts of pins just keep floating around in one's head like the vision of sugar plums. Ah, the sights and the sounds of a pin trade being consummated!

The glitter of silver and gold pins festooned on hats, scarves and lapels brings a pin collector back to their childhood. It is like a mobile toy store with a cornucopia of treasures just in reach around every corner and the currency is not pounds, dollars, euros or rupees. No, the currency for this 'holiday season' is pins.

Like a moth to a flame the urge is undeniable. The need for pinheads to gather in tight quarters to exchange tiny metal treasures risking pricked fingers is as though it is imprinted into our genetic coding. It's like a worldwide family reunion with members of our gene pool we never knew existed. The need is there and cannot be denied. Some collectors feel if you don't attend an Olympics to trade pins it is tantamount to disownment or expulsion from our odd collective family. There are just a few rules of this extended family: treat everyone fairly and the more the merrier.

Pin Collecting Pins

Pin collecting_lanyard_pinJuly 5 - Based on the number of enquiries we have received about the Pin Trading Pins, you will be pleased to know that they are due to be released this week.

My Favourite Pin Story - Al Falcao

Name: Al Falcao

From: Canada

How long have you been collecting? 24 years

How many pins do you own? 35,000 different pins

Al Falcao_-_pinsPin Trading at a Coca-Cola Olympic Pin Trading Centre can be very hectic. Often times you don't recognise the person you are trading with and sometimes you just don't care because it's the pin you're after!

During Lillehammer 1994, a couple appeared at my trading table and the man asked if I would trade for his IOC 101st. Session Monaco 1993 pin. My sixth sense told me that the man had to be an IOC Member because this was a very exclusive pin at the time.

I took a closer look at the man and said " If you are who I think you are, let me tell you that before you were born, I used to collect stamps and wrote to your parents congratulating them on their marriage and they very kindly sent me a set of their marriage commemorative postage stamps". My guess was right. It was Prince Albert of Monaco!

We not only traded pins but we also had a very pleasant conversation about his bobsled team's performance at Lillehammer 1994.

I met Prince Albert at two subsequent Olympics and he was gracious enough both times to say that he remembered me!

My Favourite Pin Story - Robin Ford

Name: Robin Ford

From: West Drayton

How long have you been collecting? 1 year

How many pins do you own? 120

Robin Ford_-_pinsI think my best story is my first pin meet in Stratford.

Everyone was very welcoming explaining about the pins they have as well as trading. I also found out a lot of useful information such as where to find pin news and how/where to get a bag for my collection.

I also had the chance to swap a few pins as well, my favourite of which was the Lloyds TSB and Bank of Scotland logo pins both of which have a very limited issue of 2,000 and 500 respectively.

This has opened me up to the world of trading and I look forwards to trading at the Olympics over the summer.

Coca-Cola Pins Announced

Country Flags_GB_-_Coca-Cola_pinJuly 1 - As we move into the last month of the countdown to the Olympic Games, Coca-Cola have launched their pin programme and their online shop.