Posts Tagged ‘pin trading’

The Power of Pin Trading

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Many people come across our site not knowing much about trading pins, just that a coach or parent has insisted that the team HAS to have them for their World Series or Softball Championship event.

Baseball trading pins are one of the most popular traditions experienced at every age level and organization across the nation. Custom pins with options such as blinking lights, spinners and glitter help to really cultivate a sense of value and uniqueness with the players, officials and many parents alike!

Generally teams will order baseball pins or softball pins at the start of their league, however many will order custom pins commemorating league championships or identifying the location where their World Series or softball tournament will be held. The higher your team advances in tournament rounds, the more desirable your trading pin will become. Just like with Major League Baseball, trading pins and collectibles from the best teams are usually the most sought after!

First time pin traders at a Little League World Series event may find it
to be an almost overwhelming experience, as young and old gather around exchanging trading pins and adding to the electric “buzz” in the air.

After making a trade or two and acquiring pins from Little League teams
across the country, most players become hooked! The main comment first time trading pin customers make when returning to order baseball pins the next season is “I had no idea these trading pins are so popular!”

Ever wonder how sports trading pins got to be so popular?

Monday, July 13th, 2009

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.

Trading Pin Highlights of the Week Jun 5 2009

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

More and more little league teams are wrapping up their trading pin designs and getting their baseball pins and softball pins underway! Make sure your team is not left out during pin trading day this season by getting your pins started soon!

Here are some teams that have finalized their custom trading pins during the last week.

The Ramblers Baseball Club uses classic red, white and blue colors for their team, which provides a great darker toned backdrop for their team name and ram mascot. This really allows the mascot to stand out as the focal point of the trading pin.

Custom Baseball Pins

The Baltimore Mustangs used a great mascot for a trading pin - strong, bold lines which provide a clean and clear image with a minimum of fine lines or small areas which are difficult to translate to the finished trading pins.

custom trading pins

The Keller Knights baseball team chose to use a polished silver metal pin base to accent the royal blue and black colors in their custom trading pin design. The white outline around the team name helps to accentuate this information and provide a buffer between the black text and blue state background.

baseball pin trading

The Tampa Terminators wanted their trading pins to stand out from the crowd, so they opted to include blinker eyes in the terminator skull on their baseball trading pins. The black state of Florida and the gray and silver tones of the terminator itself really create a great focal point from the red blinkers.

Florida terminators Baseball Pins

The Dallas Colts used a dangler to include the year on their trading pins, which allows the pins to gain value during pin trading sessions. Including this pin option also means that any remaining pins can have the dangler swapped out for a 2010 next year, potentially saving the team some hard-earned fundraiser money.

baseball pins

Making Your Trading Pins Stand out with Custom Options

Friday, April 24th, 2009

One of the most exciting aspects of pin trading is the competition between teams to outdo each other on trading day. The Oklahoma City Junior Blazers had a design idea which translated into a great trading pin.

By including a player dressed in their uniform and converting this portion of the hockey pin into a slider, they helped their custom trading pin to stand out from the crowd!

Custom trading Pin with Slider

Whether baseball pins, softball pins or any other sports pins, with the low cost of adding a slider, dangler or spinner option, your team’s trading pins can be the hit of the tournament too!

These various trading pin options, including blinkers or glitter as well, work perfectly for sports teams looking to make a splash. Make a baseball SPIN! A player SLIDE to home! Commemorate the age division or tournament year on a dangler!

There are an almost unlimited array of options and alternatives available to increase the value and desirability of your custom trading pins using these extra features. Contact your trading pin representative and let us show you how extraordinary your trading pin can be with a simple upgrade!

Making Trading Pins Stand Out at Tournaments

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Making Trading Pins Stand Out at Tournaments - Trading Pin Factory
Over the years as a custom trading pin artist one of the questions I get
asked frequently is “How do I make my trading pin stand out from all the other pins at my baseball tournaments?”, or “How do I get my pin the most trading power?”.

The most obvious things you can do is add options. Danglers, spinners, sliders, bobble heads and glitter colors are all guaranteed to make your custom trading pin stand out.

Trading pin size is also a factor. It is hard to ignore the trading power of a 3 inch soft enamel baseball pin. Another added benefit to the larger pin is detail, which is also an important element to any custom trading pin. The larger pins will allow baseball player numbers to fit neatly and legibly within a strong design and add an even greater custom touch to your trading pin.

As always, our entire sales and art staff are glad to help with recommendations in any area of pin design. With our years of experience, you can rely on us to help make your team’s pin trading day an event to remember.