Across the Atlantic from Wall Street, there is a market that may be more interesting than the Paris Olympics. What commodity is its main focus? The answer is pins.
Paris has become a magnet for collectors from all over the world who come eager to start or add to their Olympic pin collections while sharing stories.
“Humans are inherently bartering. We humans want to barter,” says Craig Robbins, an avid pin collector from Los Angeles. “In life, if you can't barter, you're dead,” he says.
“Do you have a pin?” a Starbucks barista asked every journalist who came for coffee at the Palais des Congrès, the Olympic press center.
From bustling coffee shops to deserted streets, the same questions echo throughout the city, as Olympic volunteers, athletes, media workers, waiters, tourists and more all search for the same treasured accessory.
“You can really feel the madness this year,” said French pin collector Laurent Facy.
Pin hunting is an integral part of the Olympics, which of course adds to the excitement. “It has become a game; we trade pins like we used to do in the playground,” he said.
The Beginning of the Pin Craze
The tradition dates back to the first modern Olympic Games, revived by Pierre de Coubertin in 1896. In Athens, cardboard badges were worn by athletes, coaches and reporters as identification.
Over a century later, these badges have evolved into highly detailed, intricate, and sometimes technological pins, customized by participating countries, news organizations, brands, and even individuals.
“They’re like little works of art,” says Nicholas Wolaver, a passionate American pin collector and dealer.
According to many street pin dealers, the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics was a pivotal moment. That's where many of them started their collections.
“There were media pins, sponsor pins, athlete pins, mascot pins. They found a way to really monetize the pins for the public, and people went crazy,” Wolaver said of the Olympics.
Paris 2024 Olympic Pins
After two Olympic Games were held without spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic, the pin hunting frenzy returned to the Paris Olympics.
“The Paris Olympics are great for pin collecting after the pandemic, because you can’t trade pins as much in Tokyo and Beijing. That’s why people are so excited,” Wolaver explained.
The pins’ popularity has skyrocketed thanks to social media and the fact that Olympic athletes themselves have taken to collecting them. Serena Williams, a former Olympian, described herself as a “top-notch pin collector” in a video on the official Olympic Instagram account. She even has a favorite pin: “There are a few Thailand pins that I would never trade. I finally got a North Korea pin.”
Britain's Andy Murray, the recently retired tennis player in Paris, is also a big fan of swapping pins, according to former tennis player Laura Robson on Eurosport.
“There was an athlete from Liechtenstein, and (Andy) searched all over the athletes' village to try to find this poor guy,” he said.
One of the most popular pins at the Olympics is Snoop Dogg's, which features the rapper and correspondent NBC it is blowing smoke in the shape of an Olympic circle.
“What’s really cool is that Snoop Dogg is getting younger kids interested in pins, too,” Robbins said.
Olympic Pin Trading Qualification
The appeal of pin swapping lies in its affordability and inclusivity. While official Olympic competitions are confined to stadiums, pin swapping happens everywhere, even online. Pin courtesy of news agency Associated Press itself managed to sell for $30-50 on eBay.
Wearing clothes seems to be the only requirement for participation. Dealers and collectors adorn themselves, be it their badges, shirts or hats, with a mosaic of colourful pins, which sparkle in the Parisian summer light.
Traders can see each other from a distance, admiring each other's eye-catching collections. Seeing another collector's collection on display is often more than enough to start a conversation.
“Pins break down the walls between people, so they can start talking to each other,” Robbins explains.
“It’s just a fun way to meet people,” added Arr Alinsod, sitting next to him on the street.
And not only do the pins facilitate conversation between fellow fans, they also serve as a draw for curious tourists and Olympic newcomers.
“You get to meet a lot of people,” said Paul Ians, another American visitor and collector. “Not just other pin dealers, but regular people who come to the Olympics.”
“Everyone agrees that pins act as a bridge between individuals, opening up space for interesting encounters. 'Often these strangers will share new information with you,' Ians says.”
Sometimes those foreigners are a little more famous: In his 40 years of trading, French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach are some of Wolaver’s proudest customers.
In essence, each pin holds a story, and through exchange, people become storytellers, sharing pieces of their own personal stories, often Olympic stories. (rz/ah/rs)
