Pin Trading has its roots at the Olympic games, where badges were given out to the athletes and representatives from various countries in the late 19th century. After the turn of the century, the first pin specifically designed in the colors of a particular country for its contestants was debuted by the Swedish team.
In 1924, athletes first began exchanging pins as a goodwill gesture among their peers. Pin trading was kept primarily within the ranks of athletes and officials until the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and the Summer Games of 1984 in Los Angeles. At these events, pin trading truly burst upon the scene and became a mainstream hobby among the general public.
The ability to collect fun and visually appealing momentos that also contain stories and fond memories translates perfectly to Little League Baseball, where many children have their first experiences in teamwork and comraderie outside a classroom.
The biggest day of any World Series tournament is the “Pin Trading Day“, when teams from across the country meet to swap pins and form friendships they will remember for a lifetime. By the time players graduate from Little League Baseball, their pin collection may number in the thousands. Years later, a certain pin can still spark a memory of a particular player or game that would otherwise be lost to time.