Pin Collecting

Pins are popular as collectibles. They also offer an additional advantage of not taking up much room. Pins come in many styles and themes. Some of the most collectible themes are Disney characters and sports teams. The first rule that should guide you when collecting pins is to specialize. If Mickey Mouse stirs you, start pin collecting with souvenir pins that celebrate him. Remember, just because a theme is popular doesn't mean you have to collect it. Be creative and collect what you enjoy. Pins can have a theme based on modern entertainments, but many pin collections are centered around election campaigns. Buttons are similar to pins and are collected by many of the same people. Advertising pins for businesses and services are also extremely collectible. You can display your collection in different ways. Pins can be shown off everyday in a personal way. When you wear a jacket with lapels, a hat or a vest, you can wear a few of your favorite pins. Show off your pins on tote bags, purses, and fanny packs. As your collection grows, you will find that you have too many to wear the entire collection. Another display idea is to cover a bulletin board with a plain piece of fabric, like dark blue velvet, to make a backdrop for a pin collection. The pins can either be pinned into the cork of the bulletin board or attached directly to the cloth. You can also display and store pins in a notebook. This method works well if you wish to take some of your pins to an event and do some trading with other collectors. Make the notebook with sheets of hard felt or craft foam. Either punch holes in the side so they fit into a binder or attach the pins to the pages then slip the pages into page protectors. Binders that zip closed are the best to use for pin collecting. Sometimes pins get scratched because they hit something. This is especially true if they are stored in a notebook arrangement where they hit each other. Scratches can be smoothed over with a tiny bit of liquid car wax. Future scratching can be avoided by using page protectors in notebook collections. Pin collecting is a very popular hobby. You can probably find a group of likeminded people easily. This makes pin collecting a hobby that is not only personal but helps people make friends.