Pin Collecting is $erious Busine$$

Olympic pin collecting means different things to different collectors. For me, I collect Olympic hockey pins. It is my hobby . . . a simple past time . . . though admittedly it borders on an obsession. However, it is also a serious business for many people. The table of pins pictured above are a few of the "high value" pins that I have seen sold recently. (I've included the price and date of sale for each of the pins, which price includes the posted shipping costs.) But I must emphasize that I use the phrase "high value" cautiously. Take for instance the Canadian hockey pin pictured in the upper right corner of the above table that sold on August 19, 2010 for $98.97. It is a nice NOC pin, though not a true cloisonne--more of a fine enamel finish. I was really glad to add one to my collection while I was trading pins in Vancouver, which is an interesting story. While standing in line to enter the curling venue I was behind a lady that was wearing a 2010 Austria Olympic Team pin. I commented to her that it was a pretty pin and in turn she insisted that I have it--she even refused to take in return a pin of mine from one of the hundreds in my trader bag that I had with me at the time. She explained that she had a friend on the Austrian Olympic team, that she could get another one, and that she was not much interested in pins anyway. I graciously accepted her gift, and we continued to have a nice chat about various Olympic events while we waited to get in to see the curling match. The next day, I was wearing my new Austrian Olympic Team pin when I was talking to a pin trader who had the 2010 Canadian NOC pin pictured above. After looking through my bag, the trader was most interested in the Austrian pin on my lanyard and so we made the trade. I did not cherish giving up the Austrian pin because it represented a neat Olympic moment for me, but I also knew I was getting a pretty decent pin in return so I thought the trade was fair. During the remainder of the day, I had several people offer me up to $200 for my new 2010 Canadian hockey pin . . . and I quickly realized that I had to remove the pin from sight so people would stop inquiring about it. To me, the pin is now part of my Vancouver Olympic experience and holds great value because it conjures up good memories of the Olympic spirit I felt while at the Winter Games; but would I have paid $100.00 or $200.00 for it? Not a chance. So, you may ask, what is the most that I have ever paid for a single Olympic pin? Well, after a little research I myself learned that the most I have ever paid was $39.00 on February 14, 2003, for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic hockey pin pictured below.

I was in Park City, Utah at the O.C. Tanner store when I saw the pin in a display case discounted from its original retail price of $130.00. It is a solid 14K gold pin created by O.C. Tanner for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. For those that may not be aware, O.C. Tanner is a high-end jewelery company that made all of the gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals awarded to the winners of the 2002 Olympic Games. During the 2002 games I had seen this pin many times, but I simply was not willing to pay $130.00 for it--even if it was 14K gold. There are a handful of pins in my collection that I have paid $20.00 to obtain, but only a few on which I have spent more than $20.00. To me, pin collecting is not about obtaining a pin at any cost. Thus, in placing a value on a pin, in my humble opinion I would counsel new pin collectors to be careful of what other people may tell you a pin is worth. There are several web sites and catalogs that estimate a value or range of values on a pin, and to me that is exactly what those valuations are--estimates. Only the individual collector can decide the value of a particular pin at a particular time. In the end, you should just feel good about your acquisition, and enjoy the spirit of Olympic pin trading.