When I started collecting pins, I knew nothing about them.  I must honestly say that I now know only slightly more - like many hobbies, there is alot to it for the serious collector.  But I have managed to learn enough about pins to guide me in future acquisitions and enhance my enjoyment of my collection.

The first thing I learned is that, while there are literally thousands of pins made for each Olympics, there are really just a few basic types of pins, such as sponsor pins, sport pins, country pins, special edition pins, and general pins that simply commemorate the Olympics.  I also learned that a purchase isn't the only way of acquiring pins:  you can also trade with other collectors, or even get a pin for free!  And finally, I learned what contributes to the value of pins:  sponsor pins, country pins, and special event or commemorative pins are generally more valuable than those that are widely available.

A word about logos:  Pins which commemorate a particular games often have the logo of those games.  But the logo which appears on the official Olympic memorabilia is not the one they start with.  Each city which bids to host the Olympics has a "bid logo" which is changed once the host city is chosen.  Bid pins, which contain this first logo, are among the most valuable - and among the hardest to find.

Now that you know as much about pins as I do (!) you are now ready to begin the tour of our pin collections.  Enjoy yourself!

The tour is 7 pages long
Click here to begin...

...or return to Kelly's Olympic pin page

This page updated on July 5, 2003 by Kelly A. Jefferson.