Monday, October 31, 2011

1984 Generic USA Hockey Pin

This pin comes from the 1984 Winter Games held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The pin has a value of $8.00 USD.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

1988 Calgary Skyline Hockey Pin

This is one of a series of nine Calgary Skyline pins produced for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This hockey pin is quite difficult to locate, and thus I'd put a value on it of $9.00 USD.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

1992 Kodak Fashion Model Hockey Pin

This is one of several Kodak pins from the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France. Kodak had produced a series of these pins with fashion models performing various winter sport disciplines. This pin has a value of $6.00 USD.

Friday, October 28, 2011

1994 Ice Hockey Pictogram Pin

This generic hockey pin is from the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The pin depicts the official ice hockey pictogram from the 1994 Games, which is featured on dozens of different pins. This pin's value is $5.00 USD.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

1998 USA Hockey Pin

This is a USA Hockey pin from the 1998 Winter Games held in Nagano, Japan. The pin incorporates both the classic USA Hockey skater, but also the creative official flower symbol of the Nagano games. Each petal of the flower is actually also an athlete from a different sport discipline. For instance, the green petal is a ski jumper--can you see it? This pin has a value of $15.00 USD.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

2002 Hockey Pin From "Salt Lake 2002" Set

This is one of twelve pins from the "Salt Lake 2002" pin set that came from the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The pin has a value of $12.50 USD, mostly because is it difficult to find this pin separated from the other 11 pins in the set.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

2006 St. Petersburg Times Hockey Pin

This pin comes from the 2006 Winter Games held in Torino, Italy. The media pin bears the maps of Italy and Florida (the home of the St. Petersburg Times publication), as well as a hockey player. There were only 300 of these pins made, and each has a value of $10.00 USD (though I have seen it sell in the $15.00 USD range).

Monday, October 24, 2011

2010 The Hartford Paralympic Sledge Hockey Pin

This pin comes from the 2010 Paralympic Games held in Vancouver, Canada. The pin depicts both a sledge hockey player and The Hartford's classic elk logo. The pin has a value of $10.00 USD.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

1998 Coca-Cola® Pewter Hockey Pictogram Pin

This pin comes from the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The pin was manufactured for the Coca-Cola Company and depicts the official hockey pictogram of the 1998 Games. The value of this pin is $8.00 USD.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

1980 Soviet Union NOC Pin

This NOC pin, in the classic Soviet Union style, comes from the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. This pin has a value of $35.00 USD.

Friday, October 21, 2011

2006 German Olympic Hockey Team Pin

This German Olympic hockey team pin is from the 2006 Winter Games held in Torino (Turin), Italy. The pin features the classic "Deutscher Eishockey Bund" logo on the face of a hockey puck, with the map of Italy in the background atop the colors of the Italian flag. This NOC pin has a value of $15.00 USD, but can easily sell for up to $25.00.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

2002 Canadian Double Gold Dangler Pin

This pin was produced after the 2002 Winter Games held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and commemorates the Canadian men's and women's hockey teams' gold medal victories in the Olympic hockey tournament. This pin has a value of $8.00 USD.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

1960 Commemorative USA Hockey Gold Medal Pin

This pin commemorates the United States' gold medal victory during the 1960 Winter Games held in Squaw Valley, California. In regard to ice hockey, the 1960 Games were important because they marked the first time that nations began questioning the amateur status of some of the participants. In particular, Canadian Olympic officials called into question the legitimacy of military jobs held by members of the Soviet Union hockey team, claiming that instead of working the Soviet athletes were able to play hockey full time which gave them an advantage in international play. This dispute raged on and ultimately led to the Canadian boycott of the 1972 Olympic hockey tournament. During the 1960 hockey tournament, the Americans defeated the heavily favored Canadians (by a score of 2-1) and the Soviets (by a score of 3-2) to claim the improbable gold medal. (Parenthetically, the Canadians beat the Soviet Team at the 1960 Games by a score of 8-5.) This pin has a value of $25.00 USD, mostly because it (and any other hockey pins from the 1960 Games) are very difficult to find.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

1980 Olympic Rings Mascot Hockey Pin

This pin comes from the 1980 Winter Games held in Lake Placid, New York, USA. The pin features the official Lake Placid Olympic logo, and well as the official mascot, Roni, in the center of the pin and also in scenes playing hockey and bobsledding. The value on this pin is $8.00 USD.

Monday, October 17, 2011

2002 Ice Hockey Gold/Silver/Bronze Medallion Pins (Reproductions)

These pins are similar to those featured in yesterday's blog entry, but these smaller and lower quality versions were not produced until long after the 2002 games had ended. Each pin was made as a promotional give away item for fans that attended Utah Grizzlies hockey games on December 13, 2002 (bronze pin), January 18, 2003 (silver pin) and February 8, 2003 (gold pin). The Utah Grizzlies play their home games in the E-Center (now named the Maverick Center), which was one of the venues for ice hockey during the 2002 Games. The Salt Lake City logo on each of these pins is black, as opposed to the colored logo on the original pins. There was a limited number of 2002 of each of these pins made, but unlike the originals these pins are not individually and sequentially numbered. Each of these pins has a value of $8.00 USD, though I have seen the gold pin in this series sell for up to $20.00 USD.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

2002 Ice Hockey Gold/Silver/Bronze Medallion Pins (Originals)

These three pins were some of the most sought after generic hockey pins of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are large pins displaying the bright colors of several nations' flags. Each pin also depicts a hockey player and each bears the official 2002 Winter Olympics logo. Each of the gold, silver and bronze pins had a limited production of 700, and each pin was individually and sequentially numbered. Thus, in the pictured set, each pin is numbered 150 out of 700 pins produced in the respective gold, silver and bronze versions.

One flaw in these pins was the selection of the nations' flags that appear on the pins, which were not necessarily the flags of the nations that participated in either the men's or women's Olympic hockey tournaments. For instance, Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Slovakia, Switzerland and the Ukraine participated in the men's tournament, but none of those nations' flags appear on the pins. Similarly, Finland and Kazakhstan participated in the women's hockey tournament, but neither of those nations' flags appear on the pins either. Meanwhile, neither Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, nor Japan participated in either the men's or women's hockey tournaments, but the flags of these countries do appear on each pin.

Each pin has a value of $15.00 USD, though I have seen each of these pins individually sell for up to $30.00 USD, and I have seen the set sell for up to $100.00 USD.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

2010 International Ice Hockey Federation Pin

The International Ice Hockey Federation had this pin made for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The pin includes the official logos of the IIHF and the Vancouver Olympics. It has a value of $15.00 USD, though during the 2010 Winter Games it sold for up to $42.00 USD.

Friday, October 14, 2011

1984 Team Canada Maple Leaf Hockey Pin

This is another Team Canada hockey pin from the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The value of this pin is $10.00 USD.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

1984 Team Canada Maple Leaf Hockey Pins

These Canadian hockey pins come from the 1984 Winter Games held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Each pin has an approximate value of $10.00 USD.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

1988 Series III Olympic Hockey Pictogram Pin

This pin comes from the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. According to the Coca-Cola Company's Pin Collector’s Guide of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, this pin is one of the "Series III" pictogram pins, each of which depicts a different Winter Olympic sport. This pin often does not sell for the value that I believe it to be worth (I value it at $7.00 USD), probably because it is a generic and easily obtainable item. However, this good quality cloisonné, bordered on two sides by bands of color mirroring the colors of the Olympic rings, and bearing the official Calgary Olympic symbol is a nice addition to any pin collection. There were 20,200 of these pins manufactured.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

1992 Candia Olympic Mascot Hockey Pin

From the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France comes this Olympic Sponsor pin from Candia. The pin features the official 1992 Winter Games mascot, Magique, playing hockey. The pin has a value of $6.00 USD.

Monday, October 10, 2011

1994 Russian Olympic Commemorative Set

This set of Russian pins was made for the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The value of this set is $15.00 to $30.00 USD, depending on the condition of the pins. I have not been able to translate the first two words that appear on the last pin (with the Russian flag colors), but I have been informed numerous times that this set has something to do with hockey.
Are there any Russian speakers out there that can leave a comment interpreting the language on the pin?

Sunday, October 9, 2011

1980 Oscar Meyer Olympic Sponsor Hockey Pin

This sponsor pin features a hockey silhouette and comes from the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. Generally, you should be able to acquire this pin for between $7.00 - $10.00 USD.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

2002 Monster.com Sponsor Hockey Pin

Produced by Monster.com with the web site's famous mascot adorned in hockey gear, this pin is from the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. I recall that when I acquired this pin it was prior to the beginning of the 2002 Winter Games. When I would show my pin bag to other collectors for trading purposes, I was getting some insane offers for the pin--up to $100.00 USD. The offers were so high because no one that I met had ever seen the pin before. Yet, I was hesitant to trade the pin because I wanted to hold out for an equal, good value trade--maybe an NOC hockey pin. Also, I really liked the pin and I was worried that if I traded it I would never get one for my own Olympic hockey pin collection. However, I would soon learn a lesson during those Olympic Games, which were the first Olympics that I had ever attended in person. One day I was walking along the street and saw a commotion up ahead. As i made my way down the street I saw people crowded around a life sized Monster.com mascot that was passing out hands full of Monster.com Olympic pins--including the hockey pin that theretofore I had treasured as being next to priceless. Instantly, its value on the pin trading market plummeted as obtaining the colorful hockey pin became simple to do. Thus, I learned that the value of a pin trade can be greatly affected by when you trade. Lesson learned. Now, I would say that this pin has a value of $15.00 USD.

Friday, October 7, 2011

1998 Japanese Ice Hockey Federation Pin

This pin was issued by the Japanese Ice Hockey Federation in advance of the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. It was distributed on a small card containing the slogan "Goal to Nagano" in support of the Japanese hockey team's successful bid to qualify to participate in the 1998 Winter Games hockey tournament. The Nagano games would mark the eighth time that the Japanese participated in the tournament, though out of 14 participating countries they managed only a 13th place finish on their home ice. This pin has a value of $10.00 USD, though I have seen it sell for up to $43.40 USD.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

1988 German Olympic Hockey Team Pins

These German NOC hockey team pins are from the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. There are two variations of the pins as the backs of the pins have different inscriptions. Each pin has a value of $15.00 USD.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

2002 Bridgerland Ice Arena Hockey Pin

This pin comes from the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, but the history of the pin begins in 1998 when the Utah legislature passed House Bill 284, which appropriated $2,000,000 USD to aid the construction of the "Bridgerland Ice Arena" in North Logan, Utah (85 miles north of Salt Lake City). The facility had its official grand opening on January 10, 2002, less than a month prior to the opening of the 2002 Games, but still there remained much to be completed (the sound system, part of the seating, the locker rooms and the concessions areas still remained unfinished). Unfortunately, the construction project was out of money and the remaining projects would still cost an additional $1,300,000 USD.

So, in stepped some wonderful Olympians. The Bridgerland Ice Arena had made deals to serve as the Olympic training center for the Chinese short track speed skaters, the French and Russian figure skaters, and the Swiss hockey team. Prior to the beginning of the Olympic Games, these athletes (along with the Slovakian Olympic hockey team) agreed to exhibition performances to assist in the fund raising efforts. Thus, thanks in part to the Olympic athletes who called the ice arena their own temporary training facility, the construction project was ultimately completed at a cost of $5,300,000 USD.

Following the Winter Games, the Utah State University hockey team began using the facility for its practices and home games, and the arena also serves as a community center for the general public to enjoy.

There was a limited number of 300 of these Bridgerland Ice Arena pins produced, and the pin has a value of $20.00 USD.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

2010 Czech Snowflake Hockey Pin (Silver Version)

This pin comes from the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of twenty-two pins that make up a Czech Republic set, four of which are hockey themed pins. This snowflake shaped pin has a silver colored base metal, and only 300 of this pin were produced. Meanwhile, only 100 of the gold base metal version were produced. The same production numbers apply to the silver and gold version of the Czech sliding goalie pins that are also part of this set. Of all the pins available during the 2010 Games, perhaps none were as controversial as this set of pins. There is Internet chatter proclaiming these pins to be fakes, as found on the tremendously informative http://www.olympicnocpins.com/:


This well-researched website goes on to report that the Finance Minister of the Czech Republic NOC in Prague declared this set to be unauthorized. Meanwhile, an individual with a strong seller rating that has sold this set of pins on eBay has strenuously countered that the pins are official. I am most certainly not the one to put an end to this raging debate. I just know that the pins are attractive and make a nice addition to a collection, even if only for the story behind them. I would place the value of this silver snowflake hockey pin at $20.00 USD, but fake or not I have seen this single pin sell for $50.00 USD. Do you have any comments or information to share about this pin?

Monday, October 3, 2011

2002 USA Hockey Rocky Mountain District Pin #2

This is the second USA Hockey, Rocky Mountain District pin produced for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. There were a limited number of 500 of these pins produced. This pin also has a value of $15.00 USD.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

2002 USA Hockey Rocky Mountain District Pin #1

This is the first of two USA Hockey, Rocky Mountain District pins produced for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. It has a value of $15.00 USD, but can easily be sold for $25.00 USD.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

1988 Generic Olympic Hockey Pin

This is an unofficial hockey pin from the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has a value of $5.00 USD, though I've seen it sell for up to $10.00 USD.