Pin Collecting: Perfect Compact Collectibles

Jamie ShawMay 8, 2024

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Pin collecting is a fun, affordable and engaging hobby that allows you to express your interests and personality.
There are pins available for every interest, from movies and TV shows to sports teams, musicians, and more.
Displaying your pin collection is easy – you can use pin boards, lanyards, jackets or bags to show off your favorite pins.
Connect with other passionate collectors online and in-person to trade pins, get advice, and make friends.

The Joy of Collecting Pins

Are you looking for a new hobby that’s creative, personal, and won’t break the bank? Consider starting a pin collection! Collecting pins (also known as enamel pins or lapel pins) is a fun way to decorate your belongings while expressing your unique personality and interests.

Pins make perfect compact collectibles. They don’t take up much space, are easy to display, and affordable enough to acquire lots of different pins over time. Best of all, there are pins featuring practically every topic imaginable – from movies, TV shows and bands to sports teams, hobbies, foods, puns, pop culture references and more.

What Exactly Are Enamel Pins?

The Pin Basics

An enamel pin (sometimes called a lapel pin) is a small metal pin, typically made from copper, iron, zinc or aluminum. The pin surface is filled with colorful enamel that is baked at high temperatures to create the design.

Pins usually have a metal plate or rubber clutch on the back that allows them to be pinned to fabric like jackets, shirts, hats and bags. Some pins have a simple metal pin post instead to be put on lanyards or pin boards for display.

Why Collect Enamel Pins?

Enamel pins have seen a huge resurgence in popularity in recent years, especially among younger collectors. There are many reasons why enamel pin collecting has become so trendy:

Affordable to start and build a varied collection
Decorative and expressive accessories
Compact size makes displaying easy
Available for every imaginable interest
High-quality, well-designed pins are miniature works of art

Choosing Your Pin Collecting Theme

Pick Topics You’re Passionate About

The most enjoyable pin collections revolve around topics that genuinely excite and interest you. That could mean choosing pins based on:

Movies/TV shows you love
Your favorite musical artists/bands
The sports teams you root for
Hobby or career-related themes
Animals, foods or other objects you’re obsessed with
Specific characters, franchises or fictional worlds

Having a unifying topic or two gives your pin collection a cohesive theme to build around.

It also makes it easier to hunt down and acquire new pins to add to your collection over time.

Consider Your Personal Style

What kind of aesthetic are you going for with your pins? Cute and cartoony? Minimalist and chic? Traditional or modern? Look for pins with designs that mesh with your fashion sense.

You can absolutely mix and match different art styles too. Just use your personal taste as a guiding principle when curating your collection.

Where to Display Your Pins

Pin Boards / Shadow Boxes

Dedicated pin display boards or shadow boxes allow you to arrange your pin collection as an artistic display piece for your home. These displays protect your pins while letting you get creative with how they’re arranged.

Look for pin boards with tight grooves, cork material, or fabric surfaces to securely hold pins in place. Shadow boxes with deep frames give you room to artfully layer pins inside.

Jackets, Backpacks and Bags

One of the best parts about pin collecting is being able to wear your pins out and about on jackets, backpacks, bags, hats and other accessories. You can put your favorite new pins on rotation as movable decorations.

Denim jackets and bags intended for pins have tight weave fabrics ideal for securely holding enamel pins. Make sure to secure pin back clasps tightly.

Lanyards and Binders

Lanyards are a classic way to show off enamel pin collections. Keep your pins organized and visible by sliding them along the lanyard cords.

Binders with clear plastic sleeves allow you to securely store and flip through pins too. The sleeves protect pins while letting you admire the full designs.

Shopping for Enamel Pins

Search for Pin Makers

There’s a huge community of independent artists designing and producing their own creative enamel pins. Search for “enamel pin makers” related to the topics you’re interested in collecting.

You can find incredibly unique, high-quality pins direct from makers. Many offer limited edition pins or take pre-orders to produce pins based on demand.

Browse Pin Clubs / Subscriptions

Another way to build your collection is through enamel pin subscription clubs and boxes. These services send you newly released pins on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Pin subscription themes cover broad topics like fandom pins, snacks/foods, plushies and characters. It’s an easy way to expand your collection with brand new pins.

Hit Up Conventions

If you attend fan conventions, anime conventions, music festivals or other events, be sure to check the exhibitors for pin makers and sellers. These are great places to score rare, exclusive pins you can’t find anywhere else.

Many independent artists will debut or sell limited edition pins tied to that specific event. Get them before they’re gone!

Pin Trading

How Pin Trading Works

Pin trading is a tradition where collectors trade duplicate pins from their collections. It’s a fun way to add new pins to your collection while bonding with other collectors.

Most pin trading happens at events like Disney parks, conventions, music festivals and meet-ups. But you can also trade pins online through communities, Facebook groups and Reddit forums.

The basic rules of pin trading:

You trade pins of similar value/type (no trading expensive limited edition pins for cheap pins)
Pins should be official, licensed merchandise (no fake/counterfeit pins)
Never trade away pins you aren’t willing to permanently part with

Pin Trading Events

Look for local pin trading events or clubs in your area. These are basically pin traders’ night out – a casual opportunity to trade pins, shop for new pins and meet other collectors.

Pin trading is also a huge deal at major events like:

Disney parks and cruises
Universal Studios parks
Fan conventions (Comic Con, etc.)
Music festivals

Be sure to bring plenty of duplicates from your personal collection and keep an eye out for anyone wearing pin trading lanyards or vests.

Where to Find Collectible Pins

Etsy and eBay are the two best options for finding collectible pins from independent artists and retailers. To see what both platforms are offering in the way of collectible pins, Click on the images below.

How to Connect With Other Pin Collectors

Facebook groups and Reddit forums dedicated to pin collecting are great places to connect with other passionate collectors. Join these online communities to trade pins, get advice, and make new collector friends.

Online Pin Communities

Facebook Groups

There are tons of active enamel pin collecting groups on Facebook, some with tens of thousands of members. These are spaces for:

Trading/selling pins
Sharing new pin finds and collections
Discussing trendy pin makers and topics
Getting advice about pin collecting and care

Here’s a couple worth checking out:

Reddit Forums

Reddit has a number of subreddit forums focused on pin trading, buying and collecting. These forums allow you to trade pins directly with other Redditors through moderated systems.

Some of the biggest pin-related subreddits include:

Just be sure to follow all subreddit rules and exercise common sense when arranging trades online.

In-Person Collector Meetups

Find Local Pin Collector Clubs

Check Facebook and Meetup.com for any local pin collector clubs in your area. These groups hold regular meetups for members to trade, buy/sell and discuss pins in person.

Attending these kinds of events is a great way to grow your local community of collector friends who share your passion for pins.

Connect at Pin Trading Events

Dedicated pin trading events are the perfect opportunity to trade pins with like-minded collectors in person. Here are some of the biggest events where pin trading is popular:

Disney Pin Trading

Pin trading is a beloved tradition at Disney parks and resorts worldwide. You’ll see park employees and guests of all ages wearing lanyards and vests covered in Disney pins.

Disney pins feature beloved characters, rides, snacks and more from Disney’s catalog of films and franchises. It’s common courtesy to only trade official Disney parks pins.

Disney hosts official pin trading events and has entire stores dedicated to helping grow pin collections. It’s an unforgettable experience for any pin collector!

Comic Con/Fan Conventions

Comic conventions like San Diego Comic Con and smaller regional cons are pin trading hotspots. Especially conventions centered around specific fandoms or franchises.

Artists, vendors and attendees bring pins featuring movies, shows, games and comics to buy, sell and trade. You’ll find unique limited edition pins you can’t get anywhere else.

Pro tip: Get familiar with any pin trading rules or designated areas the convention has set up.

Music Festivals

Music festival culture has wholeheartedly embraced the pin trading tradition in recent years. Major festivals now feature official pin trading zones and even have merch teams creating event-specific pins.

Trade for pins repping your favorite bands, album art, festival themes and more. It’s become a prime social event alongside the music itself.

Checking out pin trading at any of these major events is a must for avid collectors. You’ll walk away with cool new pins and amazing memories of geeking out over your hobby.

Displaying Your Pin Collection

Create Pin Boards/Bakers

One visually striking way to display your pin collection is to create decorative pin boards or bakers. These allow you to arrange your pins in artistic layouts while protecting the pins themselves.

For pin boards, you’ll need:

A flat surface to use as the board base (wood, corkboard, canvas, etc.)
Fabric, felt or foam to cover the base
Pins, velcro, ribbon or other materials to secure pins in place

Use your creativity to design themed pin boards featuring your favorite pins. You can even make pinboards in custom shapes like characters or logos.

Use Corkboards or Magnetic Boards

Regular corkboards or magnetic whiteboards also work great for casually displaying pins you rotate through. The cork or magnetic surface holds pins securely in place.

Consider getting a corkboard or magnetic board with a frame to give your rotating pin display a polished look.

Scan and Display Digital Versions

If you want to proudly show off your entire pin collection in one place, you can digitize things. Scan or photograph your pins, then print and frame the images as posters or photo collages.

Digital displays preserve your physical pins while letting you easily feature your whole collection at once. Get creative with photo editing software to design a striking digital display.

Protecting and Caring For Your Pins

With proper care and handling, your enamel pin collection can last for decades. Follow these simple tips:

Only purchase pins from verified, legitimate sources to avoid counterfeit/low-quality pins
Store pins properly in cases, binders or boxes when not in use
Gently clean pins with a soft cloth – avoid harsh cleaners
Be careful pinning onto fabrics, backpacks, etc. to prevent bending pins backs

Taking good care of your pins preserves their vibrant colors and crisp designs. It also maintains their condition for future trading, selling or passing down the collection.

Pin Collecting Pro Tips

Buy Multiples of Popular Designs

Whenever you find an awesome new pin you love, consider buying multiple copies if available. This allows you to keep one to collect and have extras to trade with other collectors.

Stay Organized From the Start

Things can get out of hand quickly if you’re buying pins faster than you can properly store them. Get organized early on with:

Pin binders, cases or boards for displaying
Secure storage containers for keeping pins safe
A spreadsheet or app for cataloging your collection

Smart organization makes it much easier to track, curate and appreciate your growing pin collection over time.

Learn About Trending Artists/Makers

There’s an entire universe of amazingly talented enamel pin makers and designers out there. Follow pin blogs, joining online groups, and attend events to discover makers creating pins you’ll love.

Keeping up with trending artists and product releases ensures you don’t miss out on adding popular pins to your collection.

Have Fun With It!

Most importantly, try to keep an open and playful mindset about your pin collecting hobby! It’s all about surrounding yourself with little artworks that spark joy and allow you to express your personality.

Don’t get too caught up in completing sets or chasing limited edition pins. Collect what you love at your own pace, and never forget how fun it is.

Conclusion – Collect What You Love

Collecting enamel pins is a unique hobby allowing you to surround yourself with miniature artworks representing your favorite things in life.

Unlike collecting fine art, antiques or high-end collectibles, pin collecting is very open and accessible. There are pins out there for every interest and price range. You can build an ever-growing, personalized collection over years without breaking the bank.

Best of all, wearing and displaying your pins puts a bit of your personality and passions Front-and-center for the world to see. It’s a relaxing, joyful hobby where you can get as casual or hardcore as you’d like. So choose a fun theme and start pinning your interests to your clothes, bags, shelves – anywhere you want to add a touch of color and self-expression!

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