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What's YOUR Pin Story?

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What's YOUR Pin Story?

jprincess

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Hi! I would love to hear your pin stories. I know some people on here have been collecting a long time while some of us are newer. So my questions are:

1. What got you into pin trading?
2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?
3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share? (If not disregard this question)

Thanks everyone! Looking forward to reading your responses.
 
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Great topic! I don't think I've shared this anywhere yet, so here goes!

1. What got you into pin trading? I had been a DLR AP for 2 years but never knew what pin trading was. I eventually found out about it on Reddit but actually started when I received a pin from the Reddit Secret Santa exchange last Dec! Then, it just snowballed from there!

2. What was your first pin? My bf and I bought the "I'll be your Mickey/ Minnie" (#101738/101739) and a 60th anniversary DLR jeweled castle (#109193) to commemorate our time as APs.

3. Pin that means the most to you and why? I guess the ones from the previous posts, and I also treasure all the zaps I've received in my short time on this site!

4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share? (If not disregard this question) There was a week that was pretty difficult and I just received zap after zap from a ton of DPFers, and I really felt loved by so many strangers who became friends through this forum!
 
Once upon a time.....

1. I had a roommate who completed the Disney College program. I one day randomly asked her about how the whole pin trading worked. I had seen it around the parks but had no interest in it. She explained to me how it worked and how much fun it was! So shortly after that conversation I bought my first booster set lanyard!

2. My first booster set lanyard was the Princess Cutie lanyard with Belle and Aurora. 115533

However the first pin I traded for was-

Pin 75181 WDW - 2010 Hidden Mickey Series - Past Attractions - Swan Boats

3. One of my most sentimental pin is

Pin 107447 DLR - Annual Passholder - Drawn to Disney Set - Rapunzel ONLY

This was my first Zap ever. I was so overwhelmed by the kindness showed to me by Story. I was just starting my Rapunzel collection and had 0 Rapunzel pins. So this was also my first Rapunzel pin that began my collection.

4. I found a Limited Edition Maleficent puzzle piece on a CM's lanyard. I was beyond excited. I had never traded any LE's before as I had very few of them. I ended up being able to trade it for a Cinderella/Prince pin that means A LOT to me. I am so thankful for the person who gave that LE puzzle piece to the cast member. As it ended up blessing me a ton that day. So much joy!

....and I'm still trading pins Happily Ever After. 🙂



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I love threads like this, I might have shared some of this before but here goes! 🙂

1. What got you into pin trading?
I remember going to WDW Florida when I was around 11/12 years old. I couldn't help but be enchanted by the people I met at the parks who were adorned head to toe in pretty Disney badges, on novelty hats, shirts and lanyards. One day, my family came across a small stall where they asked the vendor questions about park tickets etc., this was the first time I saw Disney pins up close. The vendor explained to me all about pin trading and its growing popularity, and suggested Figment as a starting point when he realised my inability to choose a pin, once my parents had offered to buy me one.

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?
So my first pin was #433 Figment Standing (the one detailed in the above anecdote), but the first pin I traded for was a DSF Vanellope pin, which I subsequently traded to get my holiest of grails, the original Rapunzel PTD.

3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
Asides from the Figment pin that began it all, I have a few pins in my small collection with extra significance. Pin #58433 WDW-Enchanted Opening Day 2007 - Live Action Giselle is perhaps my most cherished, on account of the memory attached to it. This was the first pin I bought myself in one of the parks. I recall spotting Disney pins being sold under the now-removed Sorcerer's Hat at the then MGM Studios, and I asked my parents if I could quickly go and have a look. Normally I take a long time to decide on anything, but choosing that pin was instantaneous simply because I thought the princess was very pretty. Little did I know that Enchanted would later become my favourite film ever (a title it still holds to this day). I still have the receipt of that pin and it always takes me back to that merry holiday, which was actually the last time I went to Florida 🙁

4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share? (If not disregard this question)
This past Christmas I was fortunate enough to be included in docfish2u's Christmas Zap-a-palooza. Thanks to the docfishes and speedwaystar1, I received a most coveted pin of my childhood favourite Megara (#22732 WDW - Princess Premiere Birthstone). I never considered that I'd own this beautiful pin so I'm entirely grateful to them for making that dream a reality 🙂
 
I was hoping someone would start a thread like this! What a great way to share our pin love!

1. What got you into pin trading?
I've been going to Disney World since I was five years old and always admired those pretty pins in the gift shop. However, my mom thought they were dangerous and I wanted to buy Minnie Mouse plushes instead. This past April I went on the Star Wars Day at Sea cruise and my mom had gotten some of the LE pins. I instantly knew I wanted more of them and got some for my collection! Now I have a small (but growing 🙂) collection of fifteen pins! Another thing that has really grown my love for this hobby is the amazing people I have met in the community!
2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?
This is actually a funny story since there a multiple instances when I have gotten my first pin. My first actual pin was a Hidden Mickey pin (which I now believe is a scrapper lol) that my brother found on the street in Disney's Hollywood Studio a long time ago! He also found a Cheshire Cat lock pin on this cruise (he has a knack for finding cool things). The first pin I bought was the Cinderella coach pin. I have never traded pins so that first has yet to happen!
3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
All my pins have some value to them since they all have a funny story or association. However, a pin that means a lot to me is a Minnie Mouse dressed as Tinker Bell pin I recently bought. I have been collecting Minnie Mouse plushes since childhood and my Tinker Bell one is one of my favorites. So having a pin version of that means a lot to me.
4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share?
Last summer I was yard sale shopping with my family and my mom found this cute Minnie Mouse balloon pin. She knew I collected Minnie Mouse pins and asked the lady who was holding the sale how much she wanted for it. She sold it to my mom for ten cents! Later on I found out this was a rare cast member pin from a while back and it stills tickles me that I got such a great pin for a really low price.

Can't wait to hear everyone else's stories!
 
1. What got you into pin trading?
For me, it started back in 2002. We visited WDW for the second time and as part of our trip package we received complementary trading pins and lanyards from American Express (see pic below). We didn't do too much trading back then, it was more about buying/collecting pins as souvenirs/memories from each of our many many trips.

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?


First Pin



First Purchased Pin

3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
That's a tough one but I'm going to have to say it's my first purchased pin, the Wilderness Lodge pin. I had it on my hat for about 12 years and it can be found on just about every picture of me at WDW/DLR during that time frame.
 
1. What got you into pin trading?
Seen the pins on numerous visits to Disney and after starting a Haunted Mansion collection in 2015 (figures, prints etc), pins was just the next step. I did pick up a few in 2015, but was last year I went hard.

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?
Technically it was the portrait blind box pins in 2015, but the purchase that really sticks out in my mind is the box set of Haunted Mansion locks. Quite a shock at the price, but looks so beautiful. First trade was in here with TiggrMickey, still the only trade I've done so far.

3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
Either the Lock box set, as it truly kick started it all; or the Piece of History Haunted Mansion my other half got me for Christmas. It's genuinely a piece of history for me, as that ride is very special to me.

4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share? (If not disregard this question)
Already put this in the "how do you trade" thread, but I'll put it here too.
Whilst we were over in Florida last year, the Cast Member 45th Anniversary Beauty and the Beast pin was released. My other half loved it and having just been diagnosed with Bronchitis out there, wanted to try to get it for her. I still didn't really know anything about pins. I spoke to the guy on the sales desk in the Main Building of the Carribbean Beach Resort and asked how you could get a Cast Member pin. He explained it all to me and said he's off work tomorrow morning, he'll go to HQ and see if they have any left. Next night I go back and he says he managed to get the last one, "I can't take any money for it, but I can trade for it". I gave him about 6 blind bag Russian Doll Princcess doubles (my fiancée was picking them up) for it, just to try to compensate the value.
 
1. What got you into pin trading?
About five years ago, I went to Disneyland with two of my close childhood friends. Although I tend to go to Disneyland every few years, this was the first time I noticed people pin trading. My friends thought it looked incredibly dorky, but I was like "What?! That looks like the most fun thing ever." Fast forward a few weeks, I bought a lot of traders from eBay (Did NOT know about scrappers at the time - that was a wakeup call!) and returned to the park for my birthday. 🙂

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?
I spent my whole birthday scanning cast member lanyards for my favorite characters, and most of the first pins I traded for were all Chip & Dales. I remember the last stop of the day being Westward Ho, where I found #59026 (a Hidden Mickey Figaro) on the board. I was beyond excited; I didn't think there was any way I'd be able to find a Figaro for trade. 🙂 The first pins I bought (that same day) were 79388 (Figaro), 79386 (Flower from Bambi), and #70025 (Minnie on Tightrope.) My best friend bought me #72698 (a two pin Chip and Dale set) as a birthday gift. One of my first eBay purchases was a Gadget (Rescue Rangers) pin. It ended up being a scrapper, but as the real deal is an LE 25 and therefore impossibly HTF, I'm okay with it in my collection. 🙂

3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
Impossible to choose one. Every zap I've been given means the world to me. (Admittedly, there have been a few that didn't stay in my collection for whatever reason - either I already had the pin, or it just didn't fit. With these, I tend to "zap them forward" a better home, or use them to trade for one of my most wanted pins.) Irregardless, the initial joy of opening a parcel that someone sent you - just because - is one of the best feelings in the world - no matter what happens to be inside.

4. A story I'd like to share:
A little over two years ago, my big brother died of an overdose. Coincidentally, a day or two later, I received a "RAK Attack" (a box full of zaps (gifts) from different DPF members). I cannot express in words how much that meant to me. I have spent my life dealing with bipolar disorder, depression, and self-harm issues. That box saved me. Pin trading (and performing general random acts of kindness) is so much more than a hobby to me now. It is my happiness, and my peace of mind.
SaveSave​
 
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I first started pin trading because a friend of mine dragged me to DSF to help pull numbers. After seeing the pins being released, 2014 Christmas Jumbos, I wanted to keep them to myself. I pulled a good number, got a full set. Then my friend showed me how much money I can make off these pins I paid $20 a piece for. So it was more of a way to make extra money rather than collecting. After a few releases of making money, I started getting attached to pins. Now I hoard pins and trade for older hard to find stuff.

My first pins would have to be the Christmas 2014 Set from DSF. My first trade would be for a Stitch Invasion pin with Cheshire in a Stitch Magician Costume. I traded King Candy from the Christmas set for that pin.

The pin that means the most to me aside from all the Gomes and Up grails we have, would be the Cheshire Cat DSF LE 400 Train from the 2015 January release. Ill explain why that rather than our $$$$ pins in a bit.

So as Ive mentioned I used to resell pins because I saw a market in it. I started an IG account in order to reach out to pin traders for more customers. One of my customers tended to collect pins I saw interest in, Alice in Wonderland. for the Cat train release in January 2015 I was able to pre-sell Cheshire Train and Aristocats Train to a customer who didn't want me to ship it, but rather meet up in person for safe measures. January 18, 2015 I decided to go to the parks to hang out with some friends so I said, hey nows the best time to meet up with this customer. I messaged her to come and meet me so I can give her the pins she ordered.

Spontaneously she actually drove to the parks, bought a pass, and met me inside. YES SHE BOUGHT a pass. So instead of "heres your pin, ok bye" she asked if I wanted to ride some rides. After that night, we talked more, hung out more. and what do you know, This customer of mine has been a life changer, an impact, and a love in my life. YES! I met my GF through pin trading. We shared many common interest and kicked it off since then. We have been an IG sensation to many, and our collection has blow through the roof. our love continues to grow and I would have never known this could happen through pins. Theres more to it but I have to get back to work haha. If you don't know about us yet check us out on Instagram @rei_Disney and @whiterabbitpins
 

That's such a cute story!! I haven't traded on IG but sometimes browse around. I have seen your handle before but didn't know all this backstory!
 

Aw, I follow you guys on Insta but didn't realize you were on the forum, too. :wavey:
 
Well you know mine ,as I wrote you a book(letter)as we are pen/pin pals ,I owe you a letter now
I will start on it the coming week
 
What got me into pin trading? I suppose you could say it was my love of Disney, but I'd have to say it was all my older brothers doing. He is quite a bit older than me (12 years to be exact), but I just remember how protective he was of his pins. He never allowed me to get my grubby little hands on them. He would always say I would scratch them or bend the back or lose it altogether. Heck if he loved them so much and I pretty much idolized everything he did I was destined to get into them.

What was my 1st pin? This was also way before I started officially collecting on my own when I was 12 years old. My brother had an extra WDW 2001 Happy New Year #3440 pin that he gave. Of course I lost it as he predicted I would. 🙂

What pin meant the most to you? This is rather hard because 3 years ago I sold my collection to help pay for some car repairs so I am pretty much starting from scratch. My favorite on I had though was the Monorail Hat Celebrating Fifty Years Pin #48623.

Other amazing pin stories? This one also involves my brother as I was really just a toddler at the time of this Millennium vacation with my family. We entered the Epcot park bright and early and my brother raced to the Pin Station to get the First Day/Last Day Pin which now I know you could only purchase 2. I stood there next to the long line with my Mom and Dad waiting for him to get done purchasing which seemed to take forever and after he purchased the pins this lady came up to him and asked him if he wanted to sell one for $100. Of course he didn't hesitate and sold it. I couldn't believe that in one second my brother made $100 on a pin. Let alone I don't think at that time I had ever seen a $100 bill in my life.
 
1. What got you into pin trading?
I saw a pin, and I bought it. I was at Disneyland last January and saw someone post a photo of the new Snow White Tsum Tsum slider pin and thought it was the cutest merch I'd seen in a while, so I hunted it down at Westward Ho. As soon as I bought it, I knew I was hooked. I joined DPF when I got back from my trip, started trading on Instagram, and the rest is history.

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?
The first pin I acquired for a collection was the Snow White slider pin. The first one I deliberately traded for, as best as I can remember, was the Haunted Mansion stretching portrait with Cruella De Vil.

3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
#72812, Summer Nightastic. As much as I love all of my Snow White pins, this pin is special because it brings back very fond memories of the mother-daughter trips I used to take to DLR with my mom, particularly the moments when we watched the Magical Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show together.

4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share?
Last April, I took a short trip to Walt Disney World. I only had enough time to spend one day at Magic Kingdom, my favorite of the four parks, and my #1 priority was getting to see the Main Street Electrical Parade (since that was always the highlight of my trips to WDW as a kid and brought back some very nostalgic feelings). I was lucky enough to get to meet up with timeerkat for most of the day, and by the time we had finished watching the fireworks, it was raining pretty steadily. I braced myself for the possibility that the parade would be canceled, but the loudspeakers announced that it would only be postponed until the rain let up -- if the rain let up. Timeerkat graciously agreed to sit on the curb of the Hub with me and wait it out as it continued to pour and the park started to empty. We chatted with a very friendly CM who was on parade duty, I believe, and after quite a while, we heard the music started up and saw the parade inching its way down Main Street. It's difficult to describe just how excited I was that night, but suffice to say that I was crying and smiling and all kinds of happy as it made its way towards us. Better yet, the park had emptied so much that there weren't more than 50 people gathered along the sidewalks to watch the floats go by, so we got to interact with almost all of the characters -- which, during my Disney park travels, would have been absolutely unheard of during any other circumstances. When the parade was finished, the CM we had spoken to earlier approached us and said that he was touched by how happy the parade made me, and wanted me to have one of the pins off his lanyard. I chose a little Vinylmation Easter egg bunny (#73120), which I'm pretty sure is a scrapper but also happens to be one of my most treasured pins after that night!
 
Wow great stories everyone. Thanks for sharing!!!! So many special stories here. 🙂


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It's been great reading these! Sorry in advance for the large photos (no idea how to shrink them).

1. What got you into pin trading?

Pins are little pieces of memories I bring back home. Admittedly, I'm more of pin buyer than pin trader, although I'm hoping to do more trading.

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?

I bought 2 pins at the same time: Villains bad boys and Villains bad girls....this was back in 2001 or 2002. I really wanted something different for a souvenir, and saw these pins at the Disneyland Emporium. They were in velvet boxes, and I love villains! I still have them, and villain pins are still my largest theme in my pin collection.



3. Pin that means the most to you and why?

Like others, the zaps are awesome. The most recent one I received was from David/docfish2u from the zap-a-palooza.


Other pins that mean the most are my 1[SUP]st[/SUP] pins to a Disney place. The story above details my 1[SUP]st[/SUP] pins from Disneyland. What really kick started pin collecting for me was the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] pins I bought at WDW which were 6 prince pins from the Magic Kingdom princess ball event. I didn’t go to it, but they were released to the public afterward, and I bought all of them at Epcot. You can probably guess which 6 they are in my lanyard.



My 1[SUP]st[/SUP] time to DSF/DSSH, I bought their pin bag with logo pin.


My 1[SUP]st[/SUP] and only time to Star Wars Weekends at DHS was in 2010. Amazing experience – I tracked down every single pin that was available for that event in 2010 – the frame set, box set, TESB jumbo, and went way out of my shell asking strangers if they could buy me the AP pin and DVC pin, enticing them with extra cash. The strangers did not want the extra money and were glad they could get it for me since I was so excited/determined. I did it, and I love this collection.




4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share? (If not disregard this question)

Story 1: My partner and friends took me to Club 33 for my 40th birthday. They gave me the Club 33 logo pin as a physical reminder, and I kept the pen that they put with the bill. I, of course, then bought as much as I could from the case. As an AP, I'm fortunate to go to DLR often, but this is hands down my most memorable time at Disneyland, and although I don't need the pin to recall that day, looking at the pin makes me smile that much more.

Story 2: At the last D23, my friends and I (same ones from Story 1) were in line for the pop-up Disney store. I was in line but left to go get food, bathroom, etc. My friends made it in (I didn't get back in line), and we were texting about what pins they had in there. I had the cash so I told them to get me a Star Wars pin set and the Art of Jasmine pin set. I was waiting at the exit, and they surprised me with the Elsa Swarovski crystal pin! I assumed it was sold out already, and it actually was. One friend was looking for a bracelet, and the cast member went in the back to look. The cast member came back with the bracelet and other things in a basket to put back on the shelves. My friend saw the Elsa pin in the basket and asked if that was being held for someone. She said no as she just found it in the back in a pile of go-backs, and so my friend got it for me. I was screaming with joy!
 

Oh my goodness. Really like your Prince set. What was the set called any idea? I can't seem to make up my mind if I'm collecting a character or if I'm going to try to complete a set. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
 
1. What got you into pin trading? It's pretty simple even though I really haven't gotten into the trading aspect of Pin Collecting that much. What got me started was when I first picked up my 1st pin(Peter Pan Standing with Hands on Hips)in 2001. I just saw so many people in the Park having fun with the whole hobby.
2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR? The first pin was in 2001 when I picked up the Peter Pan with his hands on his hips pin. That was shortly followed by the Darlings flying pin.
3. Pin that means the most to you and why? Even though it is such a simple pin the Peter Pan pin I got first is my favorite on in my collection of 50 pins.
4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share? This also occurred in 2001 when I just started collecting pins and was 12 years old. I was really excited about my purchases and was showing the two pins off to my Mom and I suppose this Cast Member over heard my excitement about it. She came up to me and asked to see my new pins which I thought was really cool. She also asked if I wanted to look at her lanyard and I did. Then she said well would you like one of my pins and I said well I don't really want to trade my two pins and she said that is OK, just pick one. She didn't have a Peter Pan related one so I took a Mickey Mouse one, but thought that was really nice and something later I don't think she was allowed to do.
 
Oh wow. That's so special she let you have an extra pin!!! So cool. Thanks for sharing!!!! I think it is so great how so many kids get special memories at Disney.


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jprincess said:
Oh wow. That's so special she let you have an extra pin!!! So cool. Thanks for sharing!!!! I think it is so great how so many kids get special memories at Disney.


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Click to expand...
It was very nice of her and really thinking back on it she probably wasn't allowed to do it. It certainly was a memory I will never forget as a kid at WDW and possibly one of the reasons I still collect pins today.
 
1. What got you into pin trading?
I went to WDW for the first time back in the beginning of 2000. While I was there I bought a safari hat with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald & Pluto pins on it.

I bought two more while I was there, a tigger one and a Buzz lightyear one that I added to the hat when I was there. This is what got me started in pin collecting and then I joined Dizpins and Pinpics and started trading pins.

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR?
Heck that was 17 years ago, I'm lucky I can remember what I ate for dinner yesterday! 😕
The first pins I ever got were the ones on the hat that I mentioned above.
The first pin that I ever traded for is a good guess, I honestly don't remember.

3. Pin that means the most to you and why?
I only get to choose one pin? your making this hard. I would have to guess this pin because it took so dang long to get.
 
1. What got you into pin trading? Met an annual passholder who told me about it and decided to try it on my next trip to WDW (2015). I was hooked instantaneously... which was kind of inevitable given my love of Disney World, collecting things, and shiny objects. Until last week I'd only ever traded with CMs, but after a recent trip I decided I needed to find a way to keep up the fun all year. I turned to my trusty friend, the internet, and here we are! 🙂

2. What was your first pin OR the first pin you traded FOR? My grandparents took the whole family to WDW in 2000 for their 50th anniversary and mom bought me a pin which, amazingly, i didn't lose in the 15 years it took me to get into trading!

3. Pin that means the most to you and why? Well my Year 2000 pin of course! 🙂 I'm pretty sure it's worth about 50 cents but that's cool because I wouldn't dare sell or trade it!

4. Any other amazing pin story you would like to share? No, but the stories you guys have are all really great, so I'm gonna have to work on this one and get back to you! 😉

 
1. What got me into pin trading/collecting? Nothing really magical really. I have actually been going to Walt Disney World since I was 18 years old and have seen Pins for many years there, but it never really caught my attention much at all. This past vacation last September I with my partner, we love to try and go during the Food and Wine Festival if we can I saw a few Food and Wine Festival related pins and thought they were cute so I bought them. I kept them in the bag and brought them home only really looking at them a few times. Once I got home I began really admiring these pins mores and talking about them to my partner a lot. She told me why don't I start looking for other Food and Wine related Pins. That is how it has gotten started.

2.What was the first pin I ever bought?Actually it was 3 pins simultaneously. I purchased the Figment, Anna & Elsa, and Kronk & Yzma Food & Wine Pins from 2016.

3. What pins means the most to you and why? Since I currently only have 3 to choose from this is not very hard or is it? I suppose all of them mean the same to me because they all were my first purchase and will get the ball rolling to collecting more in the future.

4. Any other amazing pin stories you would like to share?​ Not that I have a pin story but more a question for myself. Why in the you know where did it take me so long to collect these great things. 🙂
 

Oh wow. What a pin you got there. I can imagine that was hard to get. Thanks for sharing your pin story!
 
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