Trading Sports Pins - How It All Began?

Trading sports team or tournament pins is considered a very normal part of any tournament or sports game. This exchange of pins used to take place between sportsmen from various competing nations but today these trading pins are exchanged by fans. Collection of sports pins has been an age old hobby and it first started during the early Olympic Games. At major sporting events like these, collectors from all over the world would gather and look to exchange or buy and sell pins of their favorite sporting events, countries or teams.

Baseball pins were first in the form of press pins. They were made for The World Series in 1911. After a gap of about 27 years these press pins were made of the "annual mid season exhibition". These press pins were name label pins whereby the members of the press could enter the press box. These pins were big and they were made in a lavish ways. After the First World War and all the cost cutting which followed, these pins were reduced in size. From 1964 onwards, professional trading pins manufacture companies came into existence. Sports teams started ordering these pins along with their team uniform and other sports equipment and gear.

In this day and age of the internet, collectors no longer gather in huge numbers at major sports events to exchange and buy pins. Today even the pins and their trade or exchange has gone online. You can trade your trading pin or even buy and sell them via the internet thanks to avenues for these exchanges. Exchange of these mementos has been going on for a very long time and collectors who are very passionate about collecting pins will pay any amount of money for the pins that they do not own.

Owning and wearing a team sports pin is considered a matter of pride. Fans show their loyalty and support to their favorite team by wearing the pin and they also seem to think that seeing so many fans wearing the official pin of the team, boosts the morale of the team members and thus they are motivated to perform better. Sports teams make it a point to always order some extra pins so that friends and family members of their team members can all have these pins and wear them to important games and tournaments.

Trading sport pins is considered a serious hobby like collecting currency of many countries or even collecting vintage cars or any other fashion accessory. Teams always order their trading pins along with their uniform and they do this every season, sometimes giving their pins a new and snazzy look. The sports team is identified with these pins and they have to express the tag line or the strength of the team.

The more unique and glamorous the trade pin of any team is, the more popular it is with people but some collectors will simply collect them just because it is a major hobby with them or simply because they are ardent fans of the team.