How Long Have You Been Seriously Collecting/Trading Pins?

I've been wondering for awhile what the demographic of the DPF community is. So, here is the question:

How long have you been seriously collecting/trading pins?

Now, to define "seriously": This does not mean picking up one or two pins while on vacation. Seriously means that you are actively involved in pin trading and actively seeking out pins that you want throughout the year. Not just on vacation.

For me, less than a year. For the past 4 years i've picked up nearly every Chip and Dale pin i've come across while vacationing at the parks. I only traded with CMs because collectors intimidated me LOL, and I bought maybe 5-10 pins on ebay throughout those years - nothing major.

But it was only this past December that I started to expand my collection, joined the forum, and started actively buying and trading with people

I started about October of 2009 or so before my first trip to WDW in almost 10 years

Dec 1999,started when the Mill Series started at the Disney Store

since may 2009.

I've been wondering this myself. I've mentioned before, I got my first two Disney pins about 1991 after my Dad had a business trip that had him staying at the Disneyland Hotel. I purchased several on subsequent trips to Disneyland & WDW. Then when official Disney pin trading started all hell broke loose.

I started collecting in October 2009 around my birthday and was hooked right away. I saw UP and thought are there pins and there was and being new it was quite a shock to see how hard to get those pins where which I found got me to know my stuff sooner rather than later as the pins I was looking for were hard to get.

Never looked back

Hi Judy Us old timers Count me in 1999/2000 WDW and DS and still going strong, I just have tweaked my collecting a little. Especially now that
Disney started the vinylmations.

I do like the Orange Bird though

Dana
cruisepl@att.net

YES I like the Vinylmation pins and the Cruiseline,especially the Disney Dream pins,those are NICE!!

It didn't take long for us to become totally hooked!

Debby and I started in December 2009 trading with CMs in the park. I bought my first pin online in early March 2010, and discovered (unfortunately...lol) ebay later that month and DS.com in April. Debby began trading through PinPics in June (she just completed her 200th trade) and we attended our first pin trading event in September.

We enjoy the pins, but even more the people we have met through this hobby. Thanks to all of you!

The Kida and I just had our 2-year anniversary. We started about 3 years ago but as mentioned in the definition of SERIOUSLY we were only trading when we went to the park. As soon as we found out about pinpics and at the time Dizpins, we started to get more serious.

It'll be 2 years come June I think

Seriously got addicted when we first visited together in 2005 - I bought a few pins, just as a momento of where we had visited in WDW etc & then was introduced to a trader a DTD - we still remain friends today & that was it!! He ran me through the Cast Lanyard/Hidden Mickey pins & once he had told me that they were only available by trading with CM's the searchlight came out - there has been no stopping me since!!

Even after expressing a Complete Lack of Interest, my hubby ambushed me with pins on our first visit to WDW, January, 2008. He's been sorry ever since! :lol:

I started in March last year!!

I had a few pins before but in March I went full on!

I bought my first Disney pin in March of 1992 ( still have my first 3 original pins) but prior to that I collected MLB & Minor LB pins and buttons along with pins of different places I had been.

I started trading pins in 1999

I started collecting pins in 2008, during that DLR trip I only traded with CM. But once I got home, I immediately went into a research frenzy. LOL I joined DizPins and bought massive amounts of "good" traders, and it all avalanched from there.

Since October 1999. Started at WDW.

I think it was 2004, course when one gets as old and grey as I am one does tend to forget things..... what did you want to know?

I've been seriously collecting since the end of 2008, but didnt start trading until March last year. It's mad to think I've only been into this for such a short period of time. It's completely taken over my life!

i started collecting Disney pins after the UK mousemeets came to Manchester last year, but about 20 years ago i had (and still have) a large collection of badges, buttons and pins from everywhere so had a few Disney anyway.

It was 2003 and the first pin that started it all was a MSEP pin. From that point on, it was all over. I mainly collect instead of trade...but it's been a fun 7 years collecting what I have now.

Since 1999 as well, started after WDW when I was just 13. :B

I have been collecting for 6 years now. It has been a real love of mine and a habit I can't seem to break!

We started out with my dh actually buying a few pins from ds.com in a pin sale that he liked. I thought they were pretty cool but was shocked he was spending the money on them. I bought a collection that a lady was parting with that had about 50 older pins in it. I took them to WDW with us on our first trip and had a BLAST trading with cm's. This was before there were scrappers everywhere and we had so much fun looking all over the parks and resorts for pins. This is when it became an addiction for me. I had a huge collection going in no time. I remember joining dizpins and my signature said something along the lines of having a goal of 300 pins and I had about 100 at the time. It is funny to think of that now.

I had a really nice collection in a couple of years but I had a cancer scare and needed a biopsy so I was faced with a tough choice... I sold about 75% of my collection to have the biopsy done. It came back negative, thank goodness! I was so sad to have lost so many great pins I had worked hard to get though.

After a few months I came back full force, was pretty careless and got a cc that I ran up really fast. I missed my pins and wanted to be able to have a nice collection again. I would find so many "good deals" here and there and kept buying. I bought collections from 2 or 3 people who were getting out of it and such and was totally thrilled with the awesome pins I had.

Well, the rest you guys already know. Dh was laid off, went back to school, finished school and could not find a job. The bills were adding up, money was gone and I had a cc bill that was KILLING me every month so again I was faced with the choice of selling my collection which I did the first of January. I kept some things and have been lucky enough to get some things since then. I made a HUGE promise to myself not to get in too deep again, not to run the cc's up but to keep a small collection going that were all pins I loved and nothing "just for the heck of buying". I have had to work hard at that since my collection has been gone as I have had the urge to use the cc and buy what I want but I have done pretty well. I keep telling myself I don't NEED so many...lol

I don't think I will ever be able to just stop collecting. I love these shiny little things.