Disney pins are found throughout stores and shops in each of the Disney parks and in Downtown Disney. The pins range in price from around $8.99 all the way up to $18.99. There are some that cost even more, and if you check ebay, you'll see what I mean.
What do Disney Pins look like? Well, just about anything you can imagine. There are the normal Mickey, Minnie pins, and there are the more unusual Muppets, and Star Wars, and others. There are pins for special events (Holidays, races), and there are pins that can only be purchased by Annual Passholders.
As you can see in this small sampling, pins come in all varieties, shapes, and sizes.
Ok, so at this price, how realistic is it for my kids to be avid pin traders? Well, you can buy lots of pins on ebay. If you search for "Disney Pins Lot" you can buy groups of 50-100 (or less), and you should spend around $.50 per pin. At that price, it is not too big a deal to load up before a trip. We even offer pins rather than $$ to the kids for chores. So far this has worked well. It won't work forever, but my kids enjoy this, and for now, it is a win/win.
If you order a lot of pins from ebay you may get 1-2 of the group that you would like to keep. If that happens, you are doing well. The rest, you put in a bag or some other container, and carry them with you into the Disney Park. Don't worry. If you don't like the pins in the lot, you will have every opportunity to trade them for something you do like.
A lot of Cast Members (another term for Disney Employees) have pins on a lanyard or some other display on their person. If you would like to trade a pin with them, just walk up to them, ask to see their pins, and if you like one they have, trade. You can give them any of the pins you ordered for $.50 and take whichever pin they have that you would like. My kids do this over an over throughout the days when we are in the parks. They are talking to Cast Members who are sweeping streets, working in booths, serving food, or whatever. They trade a lot!
There are also some special and unique pin trading secrets and locations. For example, every park has at least 1 "pin board". The board may be an actual board, or it may be a stuffed pig (Ham from Toy Story) with pins stuck in it, or it may be a stroller with pins on it, or the list goes on. If you know where to look, you can see a variety of pins each day. Some of the most exciting locations are the pin boards that only appear at random times throughout the day. There is one in Innoventions in Epcot, but the largest is in the Pin Trading store in Downtown Disney. The pin board in the store is about twelve feet across and about four feet tall. It folds closed and only opens at random times. You have to get in line, and only are allowed to trade two pins of yours for those on the board. It is had to explain, but try and imagine the number of pins that you could fit on a board that size. It is pretty amazing.
Sometimes you will see people in the parks who are obvious pin collectors. Most, but not all, of these folks are very willing to discuss pin trading with you, and even entertain a trade if you have something that interests them. We found just such a person earlier this year. Check out his awesome vest absolutely covered with pins! The kids each traded with him, and really enjoyed chatting with him.
So once you have all these pins, what do you do with them? It kind of depends. Some folks have them on lanyards and walk around the parks displaying them. That is pretty cool. My kids each have a pin bag. They found that the pins would fall off the lanyards, and the bags have been easy for them to tote and manage. My kids had so many pins it was hard to see them all, so we got them framed peg boards. They simply put the pins on the board, and hang the board in their rooms. They have each organized their boards with "keeper" pins.
If you'd like to know more about this, or if you have questions or recommendations, please let me know. Happy Trading!!!!
