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2009 News and Information

Pin Trading Fever About to Hit Richmond Olympic Oval

07 August 2009

Pacific Pin Club LogoPin collectors from across North America, Asia and Europe will descend on the Richmond Olympic Oval next week as the Pacific Pin Club hosts the 28th Annual Olympin Collectors Show from Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this free event to learn first-hand about the phenomenon of Olympic pin trading and collecting … just six short months before the world comes to town.

“Pins are really memories in miniature and each pin you collect will be a special reminder of a person, place, time or event,” says Pacific Pin Club co-president Frank Zavarella. “When you start to collect and trade Olympic pins, you become part of a worldwide tradition that dates back to the very first modern Olympic Games in 1896.”

When the Olympics come to town, it’s amazing to see how many people get swept up in the pin trading frenzy and involved in the hunt for those most elusive and collectible of pins. Pin trading also creates instant collectors and the hobby appeals to peoples of all ages.

Pin trading creates new friendships, bridges language differences and is lots of fun for everyone who participates. People will want to get their hands on a special Olympic memory and will trade and collect Olympic pins before, during and long, long after the Games are over.

It is estimated that nearly 10 million pins will be traded and collected during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games – from almost 500 different retail pin designs to the thousands of pins produced by the Games sponsors, suppliers and partners; and from each National Olympic Committee and participating team, each National and International Sport Federation as well as every broadcast rightsholder and media organization covering the Games.

“Pin trading is described as the “Unofficial Olympic Sport” and the “Official Spectator Sport” of each and every Games,” adds Frank. “We invite everyone come out and visit the Richmond Olympic Oval, meet and ask questions of all of the collectors, and learn more about Olympic lapel pins and hobby of pin collecting.”