PinSpective: A Personal Pin Trading History

Hello All!! This is my PinSpective: Personal Pin Trading History... I hope you enjoy and learn some things that you can put into yours....

In late 2001, is when I caught the Pin Trading, or should i say Pin Collecting bug. My family and I went to Walt Disney World, the week after Thanksgiving for the first MAJOR trip to Walt DIsney World... Before that we went a few times, like when i was five and we went to Chef Mickey's, when it was where Rainforest Cafe is today, and I screamed my head off. ANd went a few more times after that but nothing really major. So we went, not just my dad and mom and I, but my Aunts, Cousins, and Uncle also went, it was a family trip, in the beginning of December to see my cousin sing in the Candle Light Processional and we had just bought our first Annual Passes to the Vacation Kingdom.

So when we went there was a few pins for Thanksgiving, and pin 8236 (WDW Thanksgiving 2001) caught my eye. I was eight and only really liked Mickey. So my Mom bought it for me and it made me the happiest in the world. Then if you all remember, in the beginning of December 2001, started the 100 Years of Magic promotion for Walt Disney's 100th Birthday, so WDW has a giant celebration for that, and what came with it... PINS. So when we went back a couple of weeks later to see my cousin sing and this was when my WHOLE family tagged along. We did all the Christmas festivities at WDW from the Christmas Around the World, to the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights (at that time it was still on Residental Street, boy do i miss those houses). At this time all the 100 Years of Magic pins were out and out in full swing, and they had new Passholder pins for the 100 Years of Magic, representing each park's new parade, so we bought them. Our families first major "event", though not so good, in Disney Pin Collecting happened later that night as we where walking around the Spectacle of Lights, my aunt, who was with us, lost her new pin, 6821 (WDW-100 Years of Magic-- Hinged), but she didnt realize it until we were almost out of the park... She was like "Oh well! it was just a piece of metal"... THen the next day we went to Epcot, and saw the Pin Central and we saw the pin again on the rack so she was going to buy it... She went up to the counter and was about to pay for it and the CM said to her "That is a really nice pin! I just bought this one too!." Then my aunt responded by saying how she lost it, last night." THen the cast member did the first Disney Magical thing I saw, she just gave the pin the my aunt and she didnt have to pay for it... It was so nice...

Then came 2002 and the real big Pin Trading year. With our newly bought Annual Passes we had gone about every month at least twice to WDW through January, Feburary, and March rolled around and we went to Disney- MGM Studios for the day. And an event was going on, On with the Show Pin Event and they had a Pin Pursuit going on. We took the board and answered the questions and made our way around the park getting the stamps, and of course the pins. THen at our final destination we got the Completer Pin, pin 10610, for free and we put all the pins on our map. Then a couple of months later we found Dizpins.com for the latest Disney Pin News and saw about the Cast Lanyard Pins, so the next time we went to WDW we searched for them, and found most of them that were out including the hard to find ones like the Pooh on the Train, pin 10996. THen on the rest of our trips we found the rest, it was a fun challenge. In September 2002 rolled around and we attended our first event and met friends there that we still talk to today and trade with and meet up at every event. We got many pins and walked around and traded with a few people but mostly talked and such.

In 2003, this was our first MAJOR year in Pin TRADING. We still went to the park about twice a month and we attended our first paid pin event, Mickey's ToonTown of Pin Trading, which we never stepped foot in ToonTown, but thats another story. We had so much fun eating Breakfast in Cosmic Ray's and trading pins with people in the TimeKeeper building. Also, at the event i got my first REALLY GOOD pin off the pin trading boards, and Artist Proof of pin 16853 (DCL- Happy Halloween 2002 Minnie Dangle), i was so excited, i still have that pin in my collection today, though i dont collect Minnie, or DCL and dont even like Halloween, i still have it. Another big thing happened at the event for me, i got a Scoop Pin from Scoop himself, and it was different i got one with a blue background. In September 2003, we attended another Pin Trading event, Pin Celebration 2003 Journey Through Time Pin Event. We had fun and searched for new Cast Lanyard pins. After those two event we have gone to almost all of the Disney Pin Trading events, all except the Happy Haunts Balls, Disney Cruise LIne events, and Pirates events.. We have had so fun.

In 2005, with the Happiest Celebration on Earth celebrating Disenyland's 50th Anniversary, i became a true Disney Fan... I learned so much by reading and such and now i am a True Disney Nerd by knowing as much useless knowledge i know... And from there i hope to be employeed my the Mouse. Another great thing that happened to me was in 2007, when i turned 16, we went onthe Backstage Magic Tour, it was so fun and learned so much... Today i know so much about Disney and Pin Trading... Not until March of this year did i actually start Pin Trading online using PinPics.com... ANd now i have made some great trades including almost completeing my Hidden MIckey 2008 Alphabet Series...

That was my Personal Disney Pin Trading History... IF you would like to send me your PinSpective please send them to me at gdpinvestigator@gmail.com Thanks... I look forward to reading yours...