The Pacific Pin Club, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Pin collectors descend on Olympics, scouring Beijing for that next big find

THE CANADIAN PRESS

BEIJING - There's a cardinal rule when it comes to the art of pin trading at the Olympic Games - if it catches your eye, pursue it at all costs.

On a muggy day just outside the Olympic Green, Canadian Ron Finnigan has set his sights on one special pin, the equivalent of a gold medal in the world of pin exchange, a Cayman Islands Olympic team pin.

After a spirited effort and offers of two or three pins in exchange for the one, the 46-year-old father of two is rebuffed by an apologetic Chinese woman, who says she's particularly fond of it, too, and won't part ways with it.

"They (Cayman Islands) probably have like two athletes so its a really rare one," Finnigan laments, explaining only a select few really understand the value attached to a pin.

"It's too bad because that pin will probably end up in a drawer somewhere in a few weeks. I'll probably never see another one like it."

Welcome to the sport of pin trading, where it's all about finding that one elusive piece to add to your collection and finding the right combination of bounty to snag it.

There are literally thousands upon thousands of transactions taking place all over the city, whether at official pin trading centres or wherever an enthusiast has plunked down his or her collection.

Finnigan, a Burlington, Ont., native whose foray into the obsession started at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, hasn't been able to walk away, driven by the friendships forged and that next pin.

"It's the No. 1, unofficial Olympic sport," says Finnigan, who is in Beijing along with sister-in-law Mary-Ellen Prentice, who says his wife and two kids back home are at peace with the pin-obsessed patriarch of the house.

Finnigan's collection consists of 10,000 pins and he has a special affinity for media pins. News organizations and broadcasters routinely put out a special commemorative pin for the Games and those are the ones he's constantly seeking.

Beijing is Finnigan's seventh Games, with previous stops including Los Angeles, Calgary in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Salt Lake City in 2002 and Turin, Italy in 2006.

Finnigan travels around Beijing with about 3,000 pins he's willing to peddle. He's also fitting in some Olympic events between transactions.

"It takes a lot of perseverance and you've got to have a lot of patience. The perfect pin isn't always immediately available, sometimes it'll be several days before you track it down, if you ever do," Finnigan said.

"A lot of the times you'll see a pin and if you really want it you have to do your best to get it because you may not see it again."

Many deals are made at pin-trading centres at Olympic sites, and there are two such sites at the Beijing Games. That's where two buddies from California, Mitch Telson and Gary Anderson, are working the crowds in search of just one more pin.

"We went to the L.A. Olympics in 1984 and were given a handful of pins by the sponsor that invited us, and we started trading them with other people and we got hooked on it and have been to seven of the Olympic Games," said Anderson, who estimates his cache of pins is north of 10,000 or 15,000.

It was in Los Angeles where Anderson and Telson were handed a fistful of 7-11 pins, pulled off their first deals and became obsessed.

"I traded my first pin and I was hooked," affirmed Telson, who estimates he also has in excess of 15,000 pins.

Finnigan says part of the thrill is the chase and that will likely take him back to the next Games in Vancouver in 2010. But there are a number of nice perks along the way.

"It's also the friends you meet and the people you meet in the pursuit of pins, you get to know these people and you sometimes see them from Games to Games," he said.

What is the Pacific Pin Club?

The Pacific Pin Club is Western Canada's premiere organization for lapel pin collectors and traders. Founded in 1986, the Club is entering its 25th year of generating awareness and interest in pin collecting and promoting the hobby in British Columbia, across Canada and around the World.

Last updated: 01 January 2009