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What's So Special About Custom Trading Pins?

Custom trading pins have been part of the sports world for the better part of a century. From the Olympics to Little League, custom trading pins are a key segment of the sporting experience for millions of athletes young and old.

Trading pins trace their roots to 1896, when badges were introduced at the first modern Olympics in Athens, Greece, and used to identify athletes and officials. The first true pin - in Swedish blue and yellow - appeared in 1906. By the 1920s, Olympic athletes, as a symbol of international cooperation and camaraderie, were trading pins among each other.

The general public first really became aware of Olympic pin trading at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Little League introduced its first official trading pin in 1983, an event that triggered a pin trading frenzy that continues to this day at games and tournaments.

Major corporate sponsors of the Olympic Games, such as Coca-Cola, soon got into the act as well. Coke created its own Official Olympic Pin Trading Center at the 1988 Calgary Olympic Games, featuring Coke custom trading pins. Coke has maintained a trading pin center at the Olympics ever since.

The attractive designs of custom trading pins, combined with their affordable pricing and uniqueness as souvenirs helps increase their desirability at the Olympics and other sporting events. As Coke's website puts it, the pins "serve as cultural currency - sparking trades, creating personal connections and breaking down barriers among people of different backgrounds languages and customs."

Trading pins have gained an especially loyal audience in youth sports. From the beginning in Little League, pins have become a cherished part of the game. In some cases, trading pins with opposing teams and others can be a highlight of tournaments. At the Little League World Series, held each August in South Williamsport, Pa., the pins are so popular one newspaper described them as "almost legal tender" within the city.

And in recent years, other sports have figured out what Little Leaguers have known all along - trading pins are fun! We're now producing trading pins for hockey, soccer, basketball and other sports in addition to baseball and softball. Name your sport and we'll create a custom trading pin your team will be proud to claim as their own.

Just about everyone loves custom trading pins, and no wonder. With their brightly colored artwork and custom representations of teams and sports, they have visual appeal that will continue for many years.

Wholesale Trading Pins is your Number One source for top quality custom trading pins. We're committed to giving you the best service you've ever had. Artwork and revisions are ALWAYS free, and we NEVER charge a mold fee, regardless of quantity. We include up to 7 colors at no charge, offer FREE UPS Air shipping in the U.S.A., and guarantee our quality 100%. Call us TOLL FREE at 1.866.318.3636 or email us at pins@wholesale-tradingpins.com and we'll be happy discuss the great designs we can create together!