Olympic Games Pin Trading Fever in London

Men, women and even some children from around the world have gathered during the Olympic games. Many are partaking in what some would call a hobby,

 

[Doug Kaplan]:

“My friends think I'm crazy,”

 

but others would call sport requiring years, even decades, of dedication.

 

[Frederico Garcia]: 

“I started when I was a child in Barcelona in 1992.”

 

Olympic pin traders have descended to London to trade each other a part of history.

 

An Olympic tradition, pins from the games of the past and present are traded between collectors. Pin collecting dates back to the 1896 games, then traded between Olympians, but it has bloomed in the past few decades.

 

As with all things collectible, there are certain pins which are highly prized: rare pins, and some athletes pins.

 

Doug Kaplan reserved a two-hour space in the official trading center, though prospective collectors also often meet at the Games’ various venues. He began his collection back at the Los Angeles games.

 

[Doug Kaplan]:

"Oh at home, I have probably a couple of thousand (pins). I have towels, like beach towels from each Olympics with the logo on them and then I fill it up with my pins from that games and other games, so all my walls at home are covered with these beach blankets full of pins.”

 

For others, it is their first time participating in what Coca-Cola has dubbed “The No. 1 Spectator Sport of the Olympic Games.”

 

[Jennifer, New Pin Collector]:

“I've only been to this one but it's kind of like capturing a piece of history, seeing these different places that other people have gone (to), it's fun.”