I’m a huge fan of Disney pins. I could argue that pins are a part of my Disney obsession which I did not start myself-before my trip in 2002 my brother and DSIL gave me some pins for my birthday. However, given that I have since willingly procured pins on my own beforehand for every Walt Disney World trip since then. I have no one to blame but myself, LOL. 
On my trips in 2002 and 2006, I liked trading pins, but I had a few problems. The first was what kind of pins I wanted to trade for-in 2002 I was trading willy-nilly, in 2006 I went with a theme of Figment and Disney cats pins.
However, I was having two problems with my pin collection. The first problem I had was that I was unsure where to put my pins-I went with the strap of my park bag. This led me to my second problem-the cute Mickey head pinbacks my pins came with did not do as good a job holding my pins on as I would have liked, I lost a few pins that way.
Ergo, before my trip in 2007, I hit my Disney planning boards looking for a solution t this dilemma. I decided to go with a lanyard, which also made it easy for me to access my ticket, room key and Photopass card. For my issue with pins falling off, I now swear by the locking pin backs sold by DisneyPatriot on eBay. They keep your pins secure, but are easy to pop off when trading. I did make one fatal mistake when I went researching, though-I discovered the wonder of Cast Lanyard/Hidden Mickey pins.
Not only are these wonderful pins unique and cute, but they also give you a chance to interact with cast members in a great way. When trading for a Fozzie bear pin at a Disney Outlet last year, I learned the cast member had grown up in the town where I work. I also like that hidden mickey pins often have a little touch of nostalgia or adult fan friendliness-the first example that springs to mind is the Horizons license plate pin.
I find that pin trading in general is adult fan friendly, though. I usually stock up on trader pins from either Disney Shopping or an outlet. I, personally am worried about the possibility of getting fake (paticularly the Sedesma pins( or low-quality pins through eBay, although my DSIL loves and swears by her eBay seller.
Are you a pin fan?
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1 Pressed pennies… | Walt Disney World: It's Not Just for Kids // Jul 5, 2010 at 9:43 am
[...] somewhat self-conscious about engaging in the more conspicuous hobbies of autograph hunting, or pin or Vinylmation trading, the limited interaction which comes with a pressed penny may be more your [...]
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