The Most Important Things to Know About Disney Pin Trading

The Most Important Things to Know About Disney Pin Trading

Anyone who is a Disney park goer or just loves Disney in general, has probably heart about Disney trading pins. There are so many different things to know, since these pins start from cheaper pins, to extremely pricey and details creations. While there are the basics of pin trading and understanding how to go about trading in the parks, there are many other details which are important to know when you are diving a little deeper into the hobby. We have already discussed some of the more basic information for a beginner, but someone who is looking to really learn everything they can about this hobby, really needs to take a step further to lean more and understand what it is all about.

Where and When To Trade

It is important to know when and where to trade your Disney pins, since you have plenty of options but knowing where to start isn’t always easy. Pins can be traded in the parks with cast members, but you can also trade with other collectors within and outside of the parks. You can always trade online in various social media groups, but for some this can seem a bit riskier than they are comfortable with, and so trading within the parks is a more secure option. Trading online can be good for people who don’t live close to a park, you just have to be sure to check the persons activity in those social media accounts and do their best to be sure they are trustworthy.

While there aren’t official trading days, except for special events, Thursday and Sunday are commonly the popular days for fans trading in the parks.

Epcot houses a great pin trading spot called Pin Central, where you can find cast members and guests ready to trade with you. At Disney Springs you should definitely check out Disney’s Pin Traders. There are numerous other places to trade in the parks, but the important thing to remember is always be polite and follow proper trading etiquette. Not only will this gain happier responses and more helpful cast members, it is just the right thing to do.

Edition Sizes

Each pins will have a different amount made, some ranging from very low edition sizes to rather large amounts made. It is important to understand the difference, since this does often affect the value of each pin and how rare it actually is. While it isn’t the end all be all of Disney pins, you want to be sure you are getting something fair if you are trying to trade with other collectors.

Open Edition or OE pins are ones that don’t have a limited number made and basically were mass produced until they decided to stop selling them. This often makes the pins less valuable, although some older OE pins can be a bit rarer. These can still be really cool pins to collect, especially if you want some easy pins to trade with cast members, ones that aren’t quite as expensive or rare.

Limited Release pins are created with smaller numbers and are a bit rarer than most OE pins. While some of these are harder to obtain, they aren’t usually that difficult. They can still be great traders or just fun pins to collect and add to your board or lanyard. They can generally be limited release for certain holidays or events, but what you really wanted to look out for is the limited edition pins.

Limited Edition or LE pins are made with a specific number and that amount is not exceeded in the creation process. While there are LE pins with higher numbers made such as 6,000-8,000, there are a few out there which are rather limited and rare. The higher LE pins can still be somewhat valuable and hard to acquire, especially the older ones. There are other limited pins which are released with 250, 100 or even a few with just around 15 ever made. The really low ones are nearly impossible to find or track down, but ones like the 250 just tend to surface with a somewhat high price tag on them.

The Different Types of Pins

There are often different acronyms used in the pin world, which can confuse some newbies when approaching this hobby. It can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but just take your time learning and before you know it you will be a pro. Here are a few of the basic phrases that are helpful to know as a first time collector, especially since some of these can be rather rare.

HM (Hidden Mickeys)

These pins cannot be purchased, they can only be traded with cast members in order to obtain. While they aren’t especially rare, they are really just done to be a fun way to trade and hunt down these sets as they come out. They are called hidden Mickeys’ because they have a little silver mickey head hidden somewhere on the pin.

PTD

The PTD pins stand for Pin Traders Delight and they are sold at the Disney Soda Fountain Store in Hollywood (DSF). These pins are sold accompanying a delicious sundae treat, and the pins themselves actually have some sort of ice cream design with the character enjoying them. They are limited edition pins and are actually rather hard to get your hands on, some collectors only focus on filling up their PTD collection and nothing else.

WDI

This stands for Walt Disney Imagineering, and this is where some of the absolute rarest and most desirable pins are sold. Most of the pins here can only be purchased by cast members, and this is a major reason why they are so rare. They come in low LE sizes and can often be resold for some truly high values. One of the more popular series are the Disney profiles which are cast member exclusives and are sold as WDI pins. These pins are not only rare, they are also truly beautiful and usually some of the more details creations (usually).

DSF

DSF stands for Disney Soda Fountain Store, which is in Hollywood and sells some of the more limited and hard to come by pins. While PTDs are sold here, there are many other amazing limited edition pins which are also exclusive to the DSF. These are often some of the more desirable pins, and are certainly ones you want to get your hands on if you have a chance. They make for excellent traders if they aren’t something you personally collect.

Cast Member Exclusive

This just means a pin that is exclusively sold to Disney cast members as a special perk for their hard work. It can often be a tough job for cast members and so as a nice little benefit they get to purchase some of the most sought after and limited pins that Disney sells.

Scrappers

These aren’t anything good and are often the exact thing you should avoid as a collector. Scrappers are fake pins made cheaply so that people can sell them, oftentimes on eBay. The unfortunate things about these pins is that cast members are not allowed to trade for them, but they don’t always recognize the harder to notice details that set them apart. Some cast members might not notice the fakes, and so they do often end up circulating in the parks.

Fantasy Pins

These are not scrappers, and are often designed by people who want to create pins which do not exist. The people who design and create these fantasy pins often make it very clear that their pins are not made by Disney and cannot be traded with cast members in the parks. They are fan made pins, mostly done as a way to create something inspired by Disney and have a little fun doing it. Much like other types of official Disney pins, these fantasy pins can have truly popular followings and some fans who only collect them.

While understanding these details is important, there is a great big magical world of Disney pin trading out there to uncover. Learning these pieces of information and important steps will help you get one step closer to being a pin trading expert. The most important thing to remember is to have fun with the process, and don’t get too hung up on the pins you miss out on.