1972 Soviet Union Hockey Souvenir Pin

This is a commonly found pin produced in the Soviet Union as a souvenir for the 1972 Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo Japan. However, it can be tricky to find this pin in good condition because of its age. The value range of this pin, depending on the condition of the item, is between $3.00 and $7.00 USD.

1994 Coca-Cola® Polar Bear Hockey Pins

These five pins were produced for the Coca-Cola Company by various manufacturers for the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

1964 Soviet Union Souvenir Hockey Pin

This is a generic souvenir pin produced by the Soviet Union for the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Its simple design incorporates the Olympic rings, the date, and a snowflake as the background to the hockey stick and puck depicted on the pin. The individual value of this pin is in the $3.00 to $5.00 USD range, though it can often be obtained for mere pennies (on a per-pin basis) if purchased as part of a group of several Soviet pins sold as a single lot.

2002 O.C. Tanner Hockey Pictogram Pins

For the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, a local company known as O.C. Tanner, which was formed in 1927, was selected to manufacture the 477 medals that would be awarded to participants of the Games. The front of each medal identifies the sport for which it was awarded, while on the back of each medal is depicted the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. Each medal is 4 inches high and 3.25 inches in width. The medals were made from gold, silver and copper mined in the State of Utah, and were formed to resemble river rocks found in Utah's many mountain streams.
O.C. Tanner also had Aminco, the official pin manufacturer of the 2002 Winter Games, produce several Olympic pins on behalf of the medal manufacturing company. Two such pins, below, depict gold, silver and bronze medals and ribbons, and each pin includes an ice hockey pictogram character. During the 2002 Winter Games, each of these pins sold for between $15.00 and $20.00 USD.

1980 USA Hockey Stamp Pin (Pewter Version)

This is one of several USA hockey stamp pins produced for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, USA. However, this is the only pewter version of which I am aware. In this pin, the Olympic rings are replaced by stars. and the official 1980 Olympic logo is absent. However, the classic goaltender stance and the USA hockey theme make this a collectible item to commemorate the United States hockey team's "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Winter Games. This pin is a bit more difficult to find than the painted versions, so I would value it at around $12.00 USD.

2002 Southern Company Hockey Goaltender's Mask

Unlike the Havoline pin featured yesterday, this Southern Company pin, also produced for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, is not an "official" pin. It lacks the official Salt Lake logo, and was not manufactured by Aminco, the official pin supplier. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorite corporate pins from the 2002 Games. I value this pin at $10.00 USD, though I have seen it sell for up to $22.00 USD.

2002 Havoline Hockey Goaltender's Mask Pin

This is a great looking corporate sponsor pin produced for Havoline during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. With the official Salt Lake 2002 logo and the stylish goalie mask and stick design, this was a highly sought after pin among sponsor and hockey pin collectors during the 2002 Games. The high value on this pin is probably around $18.00 to $20.00 USD.

2002 Olympic Spirit Store Hockey Pin

During the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, the United States Olympic Committee operated an "Olympic Spirit Store" in downtown Salt Lake City where this colorful hockey pin was available for $10.00 USD. There were a total of 2002 of this pin made.

1992 France Olympic Hockey Pin

This French hockey pin features the French rooster mascot and was produced for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. However, the pin lacks the Olympic rings and the official logo of the Albertville Games. In terms of value, this pin is worth around $15.00 USD.

1998 USA Hockey Crossed Sticks Pin

When this large USA Hockey pin was released for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan it was an instant classic. It bears the traditional USA Hockey logo, the Olympic rings, the official Nagano Olympic logo, and the date of the Games. There were 5000 of these pins produced, with each pin being stamped with an individual number (the pin shown is number 190/5000, and this pin is usually not too difficult to find on the internet. You can expect to pay between $10.00 USD an $25.00 USD for this one.

1980 Lake Placid 10th Anniversary USA Hockey Set

This is a very difficult to find set made in 1990 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the United States hockey team's Olympic gold medal at the Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Each pin is 18mm tall by 25mm wide, has a safety pin style closure and has no writing on the back side of the pin. I would value the set around $50.00 USD, but I have seen it sell for as much as $96.04 USD.

1984 Sarajevo Winter Games Hockey Dangler

This is a nice cloisonne pin from the 1984 Winter Games held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The pin lacks both the Olympic rings and any of the official symbols from the Sarajevo Games, but its prevalence and the fact that the manufacturer is actually identified on the back of the pin leads me to believe that it is probably an official souvenir pin from the 1984 Olympics. Given the age and quality of the pin, I'd value it at around $8.00 USD (though I've seen it sell for $15.00 USD). If you have any more information about this pin, please share with a comment to this post.

1988 Coca-Cola® & Diet Coke® Mascot Hockey Pins

Here are two Coca-Cola pins from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. In addition to the official Calgary Olympic symbol, each pin depicts one of the 1988 Winter Olympic mascots, Howdy, decked out in goaltender's gear. These pins are usually available on-line and routinely found in collectors' trader bags. However, it can be difficult to find these pins in good condition, as the epoxy face is easily scratched. You should be able to obtain these pins for around $7.00 USD per pin.

2010 Canadian Olympic Hockey Team Jersey Set

The Canadian Olympic hockey team first began producing player-by-player pins in 2002 and continued the trend in 2006. However, the pins produced for both 2002 and 2006 are of low quality (non-cloisonne). Indeed, I obtained the entire 24-pin Toronto Sun Team Canada hockey pin set for $14.00 USD.

In 2010, for the Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Canadian Olympic hockey team produced a better quality player-by-player jersey pin set, though still not true cloisonne pins. The full 23-pin set is difficult to come by, and buying each pin on a one-by-one basis is very time consuming. Generally, the value of each pin is approximately $7.00 to $10.00 USD. However, after Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in the Olympic gold medal game, I saw his number 87 jersey pin sell for over $105.00--incredible!!!

1988 Blue Cross / Blue Shield USA Hockey Pin

This pin from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada was produced by Blue Cross / Blue Shield in support of Team USA hockey. The pin is usually quite easy to find available on the internet, either on its own or even grouped with other Calgary pins, and has a value between $3.00 and $7.00 USD.

1988 Soviet Union Hockey Pins

Here are two Soviet Union Olympic Hockey pins from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. The pin on the left is the official Soviet Union NOC hockey team pin. The pin on the right in an "unofficial" hockey team pin. Both pins are difficult to find on the internet, and I would value each pin at around $15.00 to $20.00 USD (although I have seen the unofficial pin sell for as much as $33.00).

1972 Soviet Union NOC Olympic Hockey Team Pin

For the 1972 Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan, the Soviet Union produced this classically styled cloisonne pin. The pin depicted in the lower photos, with the vintage stick-pin style back, is the official 1972 Soviet Union NOC pin. However, recently I have also seen on the internet the screw-back styled pin depicted in the top photos, which may be an after-market adaptation to the pin. Both are beautiful pins which I would value at $20.oo to $35.00 USD per pin (though I have seen the stick pin sell for as much as $44.00 USD).

2002 Salt Lake City Hard Rock Cafe Hockey Pins

Similar to the Seattle Hard Rock Cafe in 2010*, in 2002 the Hard Rock Cafe in Salt Lake City, Utah produced a series of lapel pins highlighting several of the Winter Olympic sports, including these two hockey pins. Pins produced by the Hard Rock Cafe are usually very high quality cloisonne pins, and thus are a nice addition to any pin collection.

*See June 4, 2011 post, 2010 Seattle Hard Rock Cafe Pin Hockey Pin.

2006 Bosco Sport Russian Hockey Pins

In 2006, for the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, the company Bosco Sport sponsored the Russian Olympic team and produced a beautiful series of pins including four hockey pins: a goaltender's stick, a hockey skate, a hockey puck and a Russian Cheburashka mascot adorned in goaltender's gear. Individually, these pins sell for anywhere between $7.00 and $25.00 USD, and they are becoming more difficult to find on the internet.

1994 Kodak Hockey Pictogram Olympic Pins

These Kodak pins were produced for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Each pin features the official hockey pictogram used on several other pins for the Lillehammer Games, as well as the official Lillehammer logo in the upper right corner of each pin. The blue pin had a production rate of 50,000 pins. The official Norske Olympiske Pins 1952-1994 pin catalog does not provide production numbers for the orange pin. Each pin can usually be obtained for between $5.00 and $8.00 USD.

1992 Participating Nations Flag Pin

This pin from the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France is one of my favorite all-time pins. The rooster is the unofficial mascot of France, and here he has taken up ice hockey and is surrounded by the flags of each of the nations that participated in the 1992 Olympic hockey tournament. This pin took me three attempts to obtain because the first two pins I purchased over the internet each arrived in damaged condition. You do not often find this pin on the internet, and I have seen it sell for anywhere between $9.00 and $40.00 USD.

2010 USA Hockey Jersey Set

These USA Hockey home & away jersey pins were produced for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These pins were not very commonly found during the Vancouver Games. I would value the set between $25 - $50 USD.

2006 USA NOC Hockey & Sled Hockey Pins

These are the NOC team pins for the United States hockey and paralympic sled hockey teams for the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Both pins feature the official pictogram used in Torino for the respective sports, as well as the light blue six pointed symbol used on all Team USA NOC pins in 2006.

1998 Coca-Cola® Participating Nation Women's Hockey Set

In addition to the 13-pin men's 1998 participating nations hockey pin set I highlighted on May 26, 2011, Coca-Cola also produced a 6-pin set for the Nagano, Japan Winter Games to commemorate the teams that participated in the innaugural women's Olympic hockey tournament. Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Sweden and the United States were the original six women's teams to compete for Olympic gold on the ice in 1998, with the Americans winning the first ever Women's hockey gold medal.

More Deutscher Eishockey Bund Pins

In addition to the 1988, 1992 and 1994 German Olympic Hockey Team pins I reviewed on May 22, 2011, above are eight additional German hockey pins bearing the "Deutscher Eishockey Bund" symbol. The most difficult to obtain of these pins are the 1992 caricature and the 1998 pins.

1980 USA Lake Placid Tie Tac

This a rarely seen item on the internet and in Olympic pin collections alike. This pin is actually a tie-tac that highlights four Olympic sports from the 1980 Lake Placid, New York, USA Winter Olympic Games, including ice hockey.

2010 Seattle Hard Rock Cafe Hockey Pin

Seattle, Washington is near the northern United States border with Canada, and is the closest major U.S. city to the location of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 2010, the Seattle Hard Rock Cafe produced a series of Winter Olympic sport themed pins, including this hockey player. Though this is not truly an Olympic pin, the Hard Rock pin series was produced in celebration of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, so the pin qualifies as an Olympic hockey pin in my collection.

2010 Inukshuk Logo Hockey Pins

Above is the official logo of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The multi-colored symbol is an Inukshuk (or Inuksuk), which is a stone landmark used by various groups of the North American Artic region including the Intuit, Inupiat and Yupik peoples. Inukshuk symbols have been used as reference points in navigation, and to designate certain landmarks. Vancouver's Inukshuk Olympic symbol is named Ilanaaq. Of all the Winter Olympic logos over the years, this is my favorite. It is not coincidence, then, that a couple of my favorite hockey pins from the 2010 Olympic Games feature this unique Olympic logo.

The pin above, which I previously featured with various other Latvian Olympic hockey pins on May 2, 2011, is very unique among NOC hockey pins. The design incorporates the Vancouver Inukshuk symbol with a hockey stick extending from Ilanaaq's right hand.

Meanwhile, the above unofficial parody pin has given Ilanaaq a goaltender's stick and pads, and placed the Inukshuk symbol in a classic netminder's defensive pose. Again, this pin is often denoted as a fake* because it lacks the official Olympic rings and endorsement by the Vancouver Olympic Committee ("VANOC").

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*I really dislike the use of the term "fake" to describe an Olympic pin. I think that "unofficial" is more descriptive of this type of pin that lacks the traditional markers of an IOC-licensed or other formally approved Olympic product.

Olympic Hockey "Slider" Pins

Beginning in 2002, a new type of hockey pin was introduced to Olympic collectors--the Slider. So, what is a slider? A slider is a pin that has a channel cut into the "base pin" and then includes a "top piece" that slides along the channel. Thus, the following pins:
(1) This was the first Olympic hockey slider to appear in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games. It is a generic pin, and the yellow-jerseyed goaltender slides back and forth in front of the net.
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(2) This is the first of two Coca-Cola hockey sliders from the 2002 Winter Games. This pin, with the blue Coca-Cola lettering and the purple mountains was the more difficult of the two pins Coca-Cola sliders to obtain during the 2002 Games.
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(3) The second Coca-Cola hockey slider from the Salt Lake City games sported yellow lettering and blue mountains. Comparing the two pins, you can see the movement of the goaltender in front of the net.

(4) Visa also had a hockey slider pin for the 2002 Olympic games, yet the credit card company opted for a skater instead of a netminder.
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(5) After a hockey slider sabatical during the 2006 Torino Games, the hockey sliders made a comeback in 2010. Cold-FX produced this good looking goaltender slider for Vancouver Olympic pin collectors to chase after.
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(6) Coca-Cola produced this hockey slider for the 2010 Games. This pin is unique in that the skater slides in a top-to-bottom trajectory instead of a side-to-side path. This pin was available on-line a www.mycokerewards.com for a brief time before the 2010 Games began, but was then plentiful and easily found among pin traders during the Vancouver Games. It's lower quality construction made it less popular among avid collectors and novices alike.

(7), (8), (9) This trio of sliding goaltender pins, made in gold, silver and bronze tinted metals, was created by a collector and sold primarily over eBay (and is still available today). The designer used a witty five-puck layout bearing Canadian maple leafs to simulate the Olympic rings in order to get around International Olympic copyrights. Though these are not "official" Olympic pins, they are a nice addition to an Olympic hockey collection.
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The final hockey slider pictured below was the cause of a lot of controversy among pin collectors during the 2010 Olympic Games, and continues to be the subject of heated debate over the internet. The limited edition pin was made in both gold (limited to 100 pins) and silver (limited to 300 pins) and was originally touted as an official Czech Republic NOC hockey pin. However, it has since been called out as a "fake" created by a Canadian pin collector without authorization of the Czech Olympic Committee.

I have no idea whether it is real or fake, but it is a very good looking pin nonetheless.

1988 Canada NOC Hockey Pins

Continuing on with yesterday's 1988 Canadian hockey theme, above are three additional NOC pins from the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. There are several variations of the middle pin available, and the multi-sport pictrogram pin on the right is available in both cloisonne and fine enamel formats.