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Hey there, Mouseketeers!

Hey there, Mouseketeers!
Sithathoriunet

Sithathoriunet

Super Active DPF Member
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Provo, Utah, USA
I've been collecting Disney pins since the mid 90's, but only started trading in 2018, and here it is 2022 before I discovered the Disney Pin Forum!
Reading through a few posts here also introduced me to PinPics, so today I've been working on getting pins added to my collection, wants & trades boards there. My username over there is Sithathoriunet.
I'd love to get some feedback on something you wish you knew or understood when you first started on DPF, there's so much to see!
 
Welcome!

When I started collecting I wish I knew about fakes/scrappers. My first trading experience was with cast lanyards so the first time I tried to trade with collectors I just had junk :(

I also wish I knew the difference between a really cool pin I’ll never come across again and a really cool pin I’ll see a dozen times so I could better know whether a trade was “worth it.” Still learning that one lol.
 
Welcome to the forum :)

My tip is that some of the older pins even though they weren't "Limited edition" are more desired that some of the Limited pins because they aren't available anymore and people who started collecting later on really want them to complete their collections but have no way to get them. So don't discount the value of a pin just becuase it isn't "limited". Another wish i knew is that its okay not to trade ;) When i first started i felt like i had to buy "lots" of pins to trade and then i would decide i liked them but still trade them away because i wanted to "trade". Later i realized if i wasn't sure i didn't want a pin it was better to keep it in my collection than to trade just to trade.

As far as the forum, there is lots of fun to be had. The "Anything Goes" section of the forum is easily overlooked but its a fun spot for everyday chit chat. Also there are threads around where people will make banners for your forum signature. You just send them a list of a few of your most wanted pins from pinpics and they will make a graphic that you can make your signature on the forum. That way when you post others will see the pins that you really would like to find.

Last tip Pinpics doesn't always have all the pins in their database and so if you are looking for one and can't find it they might just not have added it yet. They do have most of the older pins though. :)
 
maiarebecca said:
Welcome!

When I started collecting I wish I knew about fakes/scrappers. My first trading experience was with cast lanyards so the first time I tried to trade with collectors I just had junk :(

I also wish I knew the difference between a really cool pin I’ll never come across again and a really cool pin I’ll see a dozen times so I could better know whether a trade was “worth it.” Still learning that one lol.
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Aren't we all? I shudder to think how many awesome pins I've missed out on because I didn't know what I was looking at. I'm looking forward to learning more here on the DPF!
 
noone said:
Welcome to the forum :)

My tip is that some of the older pins even though they weren't "Limited edition" are more desired that some of the Limited pins because they aren't available anymore and people who started collecting later on really want them to complete their collections but have no way to get them. So don't discount the value of a pin just becuase it isn't "limited". Another wish i knew is that its okay not to trade ;) When i first started i felt like i had to buy "lots" of pins to trade and then i would decide i liked them but still trade them away because i wanted to "trade". Later i realized if i wasn't sure i didn't want a pin it was better to keep it in my collection than to trade just to trade.

As far as the forum, there is lots of fun to be had. The "Anything Goes" section of the forum is easily overlooked but its a fun spot for everyday chit chat. Also there are threads around where people will make banners for your forum signature. You just send them a list of a few of your most wanted pins from pinpics and they will make a graphic that you can make your signature on the forum. That way when you post others will see the pins that you really would like to find.

Last tip Pinpics doesn't always have all the pins in their database and so if you are looking for one and can't find it they might just not have added it yet. They do have most of the older pins though. :)
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your wonderful insights! I have indeed run across a few pins already that PinPics doesn't seem to have on file. I don't know how to find out the pins' numbers, so I'll check back periodically to see if they've been added. Thanks again!
 
Welcome to the forum! :lgm:

Lots of good advice shared above. For more recent pins, check out pintradingdb.com They are a bit of an opposite of PinPics - light on older pins, but great at staying on top of more recent ones. You will find most of us use both.
 
Great question about what I should have understood about DPF when I joined. This community is wonderful... I do think I understood this from the start, but seeing it in action over the last 6 years really drives home what that means.

I also feel my ability to make trades has improved within this community. I look back at the early years of trading... not understanding how to value pins and overvaluing pins or undervaluing pins. I still do this (not sure my trading will ever be perfect), but I trade with much more confidence and have fewer "did I just do that?" moments.

In a more tangible way... I didn't play the DPF pin games early on. Now that I have discovered the pin games, I have gained so many pins for my collection and also some amazing traders by playing the pin games. I am ISO many older pins since I didn't start buying or trading pins until 2014, so I have gained quite a few older pins by participating in the games. (Note: some are free and some cost $$.)

Welcome
 
Ajk said:
Welcome to the forum! :lgm:

Lots of good advice shared above. For more recent pins, check out pintradingdb.com They are a bit of an opposite of PinPics - light on older pins, but great at staying on top of more recent ones. You will find most of us use both.
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Ooo, thanks for the tip! I wasn't aware of pintradingdb.com!!
 
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TheMickeyMouseRules said:
Great question about what I should have understood about DPF when I joined. This community is wonderful... I do think I understood this from the start, but seeing it in action over the last 6 years really drives home what that means.

I also feel my ability to make trades has improved within this community. I look back at the early years of trading... not understanding how to value pins and overvaluing pins or undervaluing pins. I still do this (not sure my trading will ever be perfect), but I trade with much more confidence and have fewer "did I just do that?" moments.

In a more tangible way... I didn't play the DPF pin games early on. Now that I have discovered the pin games, I have gained so many pins for my collection and also some amazing traders by playing the pin games. I am ISO many older pins since I didn't start buying or trading pins until 2014, so I have gained quite a few older pins by participating in the games. (Note: some are free and some cost $$.)

Welcome
Click to expand...
Thanks for all of your great feedback! I'll check out the pin games for sure!!
 
Hi and Welcome! We're so glad you've found us!

I've actually been collecting/trading since the early 2000s (not so much recently, really should get back into that), but what I wish I knew when I started pins: don't just collect something because it's a limited edition shiny piece of metal with a pointy back attached. Seriously. When I started collecting pins, I was advised by a few well-meaning collectors and cast members to pick up every single limited edition pin because it would make a 'good pin,' either in my collection or as a trader. And everything spiraled out of control. Now I have more pins than I know what to do with. And it is taking me far too long to get everything sorted so I can return to active trading, they're in that much of a mess.

If I had it to do over (and I always give this advice to new collectors), I would narrow my collection to a few characters/themes and just stick to those. Remember a theme can be defined as narrowly or broadly as the collector sees fit. But I would only have pins in my collection that I truly love, not pins that I bought because they would 'be good traders' (some are, some ... not so much).
 
Welcome, welcome! You've gotten some very good advice already, so I will just second that at least for right now, using both PinPics and pintradingdb.com (which you will sometimes see abbreviated PTDB) seems to be the best way to keep track of everything. It would be nice if we had one site that was current on both past and present, but we make do.

I glanced at your PinPics and will take a closer look this weekend. I think I have at least one pin you're looking for, so expect a PM from me, probably on Sunday. :)
 
Thank you so much, I'm excited to get your message! I just finished getting all of my pins on to PinPics (minus the 20 they don't seem to have listed) so I'll get started on PTDB this weekend. I am loving this community!
 
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dancecats said:
Hi and Welcome! We're so glad you've found us!

I've actually been collecting/trading since the early 2000s (not so much recently, really should get back into that), but what I wish I knew when I started pins: don't just collect something because it's a limited edition shiny piece of metal with a pointy back attached. Seriously. When I started collecting pins, I was advised by a few well-meaning collectors and cast members to pick up every single limited edition pin because it would make a 'good pin,' either in my collection or as a trader. And everything spiraled out of control. Now I have more pins than I know what to do with. And it is taking me far too long to get everything sorted so I can return to active trading, they're in that much of a mess.

If I had it to do over (and I always give this advice to new collectors), I would narrow my collection to a few characters/themes and just stick to those. Remember a theme can be defined as narrowly or broadly as the collector sees fit. But I would only have pins in my collection that I truly love, not pins that I bought because they would 'be good traders' (some are, some ... not so much).
Click to expand...
I'll echo this one. There's what, 150K pins on PinPics? And they are missing a lot. You can not collect everything. Decide the category(ies) you want and focus there. They can change over time, but will give you some focus.
 
Ajk said:
I'll echo this one. There's what, 150K pins on PinPics? And they are missing a lot. You can not collect everything. Decide the category(ies) you want and focus there. They can change over time, but will give you some focus.
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It's so hard to stay focused as I see what other people have in their trades, but I will be strong! :)
 
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firechief18 said:
Lots of great friendly people here willing to help. The biggest thing I wish I knew was about scrap and counterfeit pins and how to spot them.
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Thanks for the warm welcome and advice. On the subject of scrap & counterfeit pins, what is the best thing to do with those when I end up with them? (My mom just gave me one that she didn't realize was inauthentic.) I don't want them getting back out into circulation, so is it best to just throw them away?
 
Sithathoriunet said:
Thanks for the warm welcome and advice. On the subject of scrap & counterfeit pins, what is the best thing to do with those when I end up with them? (My mom just gave me one that she didn't realize was inauthentic.) I don't want them getting back out into circulation, so is it best to just throw them away?
Click to expand...
There is a member here who takes them and makes them into bows and other projects.

 
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