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2007 News and Information
Pin Collectors’ Celebration Attracts International Participation
May 23, 2007RICHMOND – Pin collectors from across Western Canada and the United States will gather at the Richmond Cultural Centre on Saturday, June 2nd and Sunday, June 3rd to buy, sell, trade and collect lapel pins at the Pacific Pin Club’s annual West Coast Pin Collectors’ Celebration and the public is invited to attend.
“With less than 1,000 days to the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games the interest in pin collecting and the number of collectors exhibiting at our annual show is growing,” said club president Frank Zavarella. “Pin trading is recognized worldwide as ‘the unofficial sport of the Olympic Games’ and there’s never been a better time to start and build your collection.”
The use of lapel pins can be traced back to the 1896 Athens Olympic Games when cardboard identification discs, like badges, were given to Olympic athletes, judges and officials. The first time Olympic pins were sold to spectators was at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games.
“In addition to all types of Olympic and Paralympic pins, we have collectors that look for golf, police, hockey, transit bus, First Nations and Métis, ski hill, balloon, football, courier company, cartoon character, bird, city, media, province, guitar-shaped, Expo ’67 and many other kinds of pins,” adds Zavarella. “So why not come to the show and start your pin collection with the things you like!”
The 2007 West Coast Pin Collectors’ Celebration takes place on Saturday, June 2nd and Sunday, June 3rd at the Richmond Cultural Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate. There will be more than 30 tables full of lapel pins to trade, and collections to view. Show hours are from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on both days, and admission is free.
About the Pacific Pin Club:
Since EXPO ‘86, the Pacific Pin Club has encouraged people to discover the exciting pastime of pin collecting. Monthly meetings, regular newsletters, active volunteers, public events and our annual West Coast Pin Collectors’ Celebration have all sustained interest in the hobby of pin collecting, and our Club, for more than two decades.
Collector Categories:
There are many ways to start your Olympic lapel pin collection. Categories include:
Bid Pins – when a city makes a bid for the Olympic Games, it produces pins for this phase. Three cities were in the running for 2010: PyeongChang, South Korea, Salzburg, Austria and Vancouver, Canada.
Bridge Pins – commemorate an immediate past and the future Games host cities - such as Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 - on one pin.
Countdown Pins – commemorate how many days are left to the Opening Ceremony.
Days of the Games – commemorate each day of competition … 17 in total for 2010 !!
Department Pins – produced by each Organizing Committee for various internal uses.
Event Pins – produced by each Organizing Committee to mark various internal events.
Holiday Pins – commemorate holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Media Pins – produced by the various organizations providing print, radio and television coverage of the Games.
Mascot Pins – feature the Games official mascot(s) in various activities and situations.
National Olympic Committees –produced by the Olympic Committee of each country that has athletes competing at the Games. Some will be generic and some will be dated for the specific Games.
National Sport Federations – produced by organizations that govern sport in a particular country.
Sponsor Pins – made by companies that become sponsors and suppliers of the Games.
Sport Pins – commemorate the individual sporting events at each Games.
Retail Pins –produced for retail purchase in advance of and during each Games.
Venue Pins – commemorate the various competition sites of the Games.
VIP/Guest Pins – produced by sponsors and suppliers for guests and representatives.
Volunteer Pins – produced for the many volunteers who commit countless hours, skills, time and energy to the success of each Games.
