Most pin collectors are always on the look out for that rare
gem of a pin. That being said what constitutes a rare pin. That being said the
Pin Collectors Site will rate each Vancouver 2010 none souvenir pin with a
“1-10” rating, which should help you focus your efforts.
Every pin that is produced by the Official Olympic Partners,
Sponsors, Suppliers and Licensees come in different quantities and have
different designations i.e. Internal, Promotional Mailer, Promotional Event
Give Away (at official functions or events related to the Olympic Games). While
trying to trade or acquire each classification of pin presents their own
challenges.
The Internal Pin is usually a very hard pin to get your
hands on. They are usually produced as a direct correlation for the number of
employees. That means if a company has 1,000 employees, that company will
produce 1,000 pins. In most cases they produce anywhere from a 10% - 20% over
run for new employees after the fact or to present to valued customers. They
have a 9-10 rating.
The Promotional Mailer pin is produced in much higher
numbers and their purpose as a promotional give away. These pins usually fall
under the Marketing, Sponsorship or Corporate Communication Department or
Divisions of a corporation that has aligned themselves with a particular games.
These usually have a 5-8 rating depending on production run and the willingness
for the corporation to mail them.
The Promotional Event Give Away pin, produced for specific
events leading up to or during the games themselves. These usually have a
rating of 3 -8 because you have to be at host city and you have to be at that
event. The other stumbling block could be pin availability at the event i.e.
the first 5,000 visitors will receive one pin.
Any or each one of these pins is highly coveted by
collectors, depending on the production run. For instance for the 1988 Calgary
Winter Olympic Games, Petro-Canada had a production run of a particular pin of
200,000+ pins. At those same games the Boy Scouts produced a pin of which there
were only 350.
On a scale of 1 -10, “1” being the lowest and “10” being the
highest, in terms of difficulty to acquire. That being said a pin of which
200,000 were produce would be classified a very common and would rate a “1”.
The Boy Scout pin would have a difficulty rating of “10”
The following Vancouver games pins are some of the hardest to acquire:
1. A Promotional Event Give Away pin. It is an oversized
Government of Canada. It was produced specifically for the Torino Olympic Games
You had to be at the Games to get it. There were less that 250 produced. It was
produced in January 2006. Rating 10
2. A Promotional Event Give Away pin. The Workopolis Domed
pin, which came on a backer card in its own plastic zip lock bag. It was
distributed at the three year to go celebrations in Vancouver and was only
distributed to staff members of Vanoc and VIP’s. It was produced in February
2007. Rating 10
3. Internal Pin. The Royal Bank’s Three Year To Go
Paralympic pin. This had a production run of 1,000 or less and there are some
seasoned veteran collectors in the Vancouver area that still don’t have this
pin. It was distributed in Feb 2007. Rating 8
4. Internal Pin. Panasonic Mascot pin. It was produced for
the Two Year To Go celebrations in Vancouver in Feb 2008. There were only 500
of each pin produced and as soon as they were produced they were shipped to
Japan. When the Panasonic corporate contingent came over for the celebrations
they brought the pins with them. When they left they took what was left back
with them. Rating 10
5. Promotional Mailer Pin. TeckCominco’s early version
single logo pin. They only made approximately 2,500 of these. They were produce
in the February 2007. They have run out and have developed a new design. They
are very hard to come by. Rating 6 (but climbing) |
