A History of Little League World Series Baseball Trading Pins
Little League World Series baseball trading pins have been around for decades. But where did they get their start? Click here to learn more.
Where It All Began
Most baseball fans and pin collectors might assume that trading pins began with the advent of baseball itself, back in 1846. But, just as the history of baseball's beginnings is slightly murky, so is the start of pin trading.
Interestingly, the earliest links to athlete pins date all the way back to 19th-century Athens, Greece. At the first Olympic games, athletes began wearing cardboard discs to identify themselves.
Many historians agree that trading pin history really kick-started with the modern Olympics. The approximate date was 1896.
Like in Athens, the first pins were made out of cardboard. Olympic officials and players wore them as a simple way to identify themselves. It's likely no one at that time would have considered them suitable (or desirable) for collecting.
During the 1906 Olympic games, however, things began to change. The Swedish team showed up with pins decorated with their national flag colors. These blue and yellow lapel pins made an impression, and soon other nations imitated these flashy badges.
21st Century Pins
The year was 1920 when a small bakery in Rochester, New York, started making pinback buttons. These buttons were sold in packs of 4 pins each. Every pin featured the image of a local baseball player.
Upstaters loved them and began buying them to trade. Of course, the combination of local pin trading and pin trading on the Olympic scale only added fuel to the fire/
By 1924, the tradition of wearing decorative "badges" or pins had taken over. The 1924 summer Olympics were held in Paris that year, and many athletes lived in the Olympic village.
As athletes were able to interact more, bonds between nations grew. Athletes and officials began enjoying swapping pins as a show of friendship and good sportsmanship.
Soon, spectators noticed the tradition and wanted in on the action. Officials were forced to limit the number of Olympic pins produced so that they could remain "exclusive."
By the 1952 Olympics, 218 different pins were created and traded. This vast number of other pins launched pin trading into a new world.
Major Businesses Take Notice
Following 1952, some significant businesses began jumping on the bandwagon and cashed in on the popularity of pin trading. 1960 saw several corporations producing their own pins for trading.
Trading pins history shows Coca-Cola set up an official pin trading center at the 1988 winter games in Calgary. (Remember the Jamaican bobsled team?) Coca-Cola's participation in the 1988 games marked the first time spectators arrived to collect and trade pins in Olympic history.
Some "spectators" didn't even watch the actual Olympic games!
A common joke now is that since Coca-Cola pushed for pin trading, trading pins have become "the number one spectator sport of the Olympics."
Of course, Coca-Cola was not to maintain a monopoly on this great tradition. Disney soon got their trading pins or spoon in the pot you could say.
The Disney Millenium celebration in 1999 introduced exclusive pins for trading at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Shortly after that, Disneyland California did the same thing.
This marked the first time a corporation outside the sports arena became involved in pin trading. The hobby has grown exponentially since that time. Disneyland goers worldwide are still collecting exclusive Disney pins and trading them today.
Little League World Series Baseball Trading Pins
As you may have guessed, with the increasing popularity of pin trading, it was only a matter of time before Little League Baseball trading pins hit the market.
1983 marked the first year Little League Baseball began producing and distributing official baseball trading pins.
Kids were signing up to play baseball just to get a team pin. Once this caught on, other youth leagues didn't wait long to get in on the action, and trading pin history was made.
Today, many collectors, or "pinheads" as they are affectionately known, prize early pins from baseball teams of generations past. The most valuable pins are still often the most difficult to find.
This baseball tradition has not faded. Many youth leagues today still produce official team pins for players to trade following a game. They often serve as a literal badge of honor indicating which opponents a team has played or which opponents have been defeated.
Today baseball trading pins come with unique add ons like sliders, spinners, bobble heads, and glitter enamel all of which adds to the trading power. It is to the point that even if you can't beat the other teams at the actual game, you could beat them at pin trading by creating the biggest and best custom trading pins.
Soft enamel trading pins are the preferred type of all the pin styles out there. They are economical and durable and allow you to create the perfect trading pins.
Affordable Trading Pins
60 million youth play sports every year and trading pins are part of many of these sports. But with all this pin trading going on where do teams find custom lapel pins? The answer is easy, they have them custom made by pin companies that dot the internet.
A simple search for trading pins will result in multiple companies that offer these services. Pin companies will take your rough sketch and offer free artwork, free molds and free shipping.
For 100 qty - 1.5 inch soft enamel pins you can create custom pins specific to your sports teams. It can include your team name, team colors, team logo and just about anything else you want to add - even that bobble head feature. You can expect to pay less than $3.00 per pin plus any add ons. Check out CustomPinsNow.com for best pricing.
Becoming a True "Pinhead"
Today, pin trading is not exclusive to athletic endeavors. Scholarly activities, competitions, business events, and even family reunions see groups designing and creating their own pins to mark the occasion.
Trading pin history is still in the making as thousands of Americans continue to participate in this fun hobby. Today, Little League World Series Baseball Trading pins are among the most loved and popular. They mark an all-American tradition honoring the all-American pastime.
Of course, you don't have to be an athlete to enjoy collecting these unique pins. Expert traders and novices alike participate in and enjoy the thrill of finding the "perfect pin."
Even still, becoming a true pinhead starts with only a single pin. The more fans collect, the more options they have to barter and trade with. The beauty of this hobby is anyone can participate, and individual collections range in size.
Part of the fun of pin-collecting is that each person's collection becomes a window into the collector's personality. Many young athletes are known for making a game of pin-trading during the Little League season.
The goal is to see how many different pins you can collect within a given season or year of baseball. Sometimes you can judge the year of the Little League pin based on similar trends in style and color schemes.
What to Do With All Those Pins?
Understanding the history of Little League World Series Baseball Trading pins brings this fun hobby to life. There is real history, tradition, and even meaning behind this centuries-old tradition.
For many, this tradition has become more than a hobby. First, it is a way to express pride in the teams or organizations that represent you. It is a method for building bonds and strengthening friendships. Finally, it is a fun way to create lasting memories for a lifetime.
Additionally, it's a way to build good sportsmanship and wholesome traditions. You could say, custom pins connect people in a unique and different way.
If you're ready to join the fun, check out our perfect trading pin bag. It's the ideal way to display and protect all the wonderful and unique pins that give others a glimpse of who you are.
