Collectible Disney pins have always been popular items at the Disney amusement parks, but it wasn’t until the Millennium event debut of pin trading as the main park activity that the popular collectible actually escalated.
The pin trading frenzy is still going strong, with Disney fans purchasing and offering pins online in addition to at the Walt Disney World amusement park, Disneyland in California.
Even park-goers in the Disney parks in Hong Kong, Japan, and Paris have been bitten by the pin-collecting bug and they’ve made it possible for collectors from all over the world to get pins from amusement parks overseas that they aren’t able to visit in person. And you shouldn’t forget the Disney Stores either, since they frequently carry their own unique pins that can be traded with fans who don’t have a store to visit nearby.
Disney has launched thousands of pins over the years and many new ones each year. It is in fact very difficult to collect all of them so it makes sense for pin collectors to focus on particular types of pins instead of battling to obtain them all.
For instance, do you love Tinkerbell? Well, you’re in luck due to the fact that so does Disney and you’ll find that there are hundreds of pins featuring the tough little pixie.
Of course, that doesn’t even compare to the number of pins including the Disney icon, Mickey Mouse. There are many pins showcasing Mickey that you’d have a difficult time simply collecting them all, however, even here your collection can be limited to particular types of Mickey Mouse pins.
Some specific favorites are pins where Mickey has impersonated the Sorceror’s Apprentice, one of his more loveable incarnations. There are also great deals of pins matching Mickey with his creator, Walt Disney, and these are typically a few of the most collectible Disney pin products that the Disney company offers.
In addition to character pins featuring the most recognizable characters from Disney’s animated movies, there are all types of pins released including the park attractions and resorts.
A few of the most collectible park tourist attraction pins are minimal edition pins that Disney releases to accompany major destination repairs, such as the Disney World Haunted Mansion “Re-Haunting” pins that were released in 2007 when Disney debuted the updated Haunted Mansion attraction in the Magic Kingdom.
Naturally, any time Disney World opens a new tourist attraction, such as Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, you can be specific they’ll launch some limited edition pins showcasing the new trip.
If you decide you want to begin collecting Disney pins on your next visit to Walt Disney World, you can purchase them in the parks with costs beginning at around $6.95 and upwards. Some even cost as much as $125.
Some pins have even sold second hand for prices of over $ 2000 on places like eBay. However, most Disney fans debate the ethics of people who buy pins from the parks in bulk and then inflate the prices to sell later on to collectors.
Most Disney pins are enamel or enamel cloisonné with a metal base. The backs of each pin are very sharp and should be used with care by young collectors.
However, do not just buy pins and bring them home with you.
Disney Pin Trading Etiquette
Half the fun of collecting Disney pins is getting to trade them with others. You can trade a pin with any Disney cast member wearing a pin trading lanyard and you can likewise trade them with other visitors. Simply try to find other Disney visitors at the theme parks wearing pin trading lanyards of their own and go and approach them and inquire if they’d like to pin trade with you!
Disney has published a pamphlet on how to trade pins, and tips on Pin Etiquette. Among these tips include:
- To trade a pin with a Disney cast member, the pin must be made of metal and have a representation of a Disney character, park, attraction, icon, or other official affiliation. Additionally, the pin must have a Disney copyright on its back.
- Guests must trade with Cast Members, one pin at a time, with the pin back in place (pins have functional sharp posts).
- Guests can make up to two pin trades per cast member per day.
- Refrain from touching another person’s pins or lanyard, ask to see the pin so they can bring the pin into closer view.
- The pin that is traded to the cast member cannot be a duplicate of any pin they already have on their lanyard.
- No money can change hands on Disney property in exchange for a pin.
Note that this pin etiquette pamphlet is only a partial list of restrictions, and restrictions as indicated in the above section “Current Pin Trading” also exist.
Collectible Disney Pins To Purchase Online
Here are some Disney Pins you can purchase ahead of time so that when you visit a Disney Resort, you are well stocked and ready for trading. It is far cheaper to purchase the pins online than it will be once you get to the Disney Resort.
You can also get a surprise box of Disney Pins delivered to your doorstep each month. Check it out here!
Or, simply click on the collectible Disney pins/pin of your choice below to find out more. These are affiliate links, which means that I will earn a small commission if you decide to purchase any of these pins.
Wow, Disney pins and the world of pin trading is a lot more intricate than I thought. This is just what I needed ahead of my next trip to Disneyland. It was supposed to be this year but, with current events, we’ve had to postpone it indefinitely but, when the time is right, we’ll be ready to make sure we follow the proper etiquette when we try to trade. Thank you for this article, Michel.
When I saw this one pop up, I was thinking, I trade pins like this! It’s a whole long story but, this was a great read, I have been trading pins for almost 3 years now and I think these pins would work to trade as well.
I will send this link to my sister who really loves to read about pin trading and things like that. and I think she would love this link!
Now I have to tell you who reads this, Pin trading takes time to know when it’s the “Best pin” you can get ripped off to much by people if you don’t know what you’re doing the first time trading.
Hope this helps you out!
I actually like the idea of the whole collectibles Disney pin. It’s not something that I have really been into before but I see stuff like that online. I even saw a guy joke about having his Disney pins auctioned because he has a lot and that’s what made me curious enough to make a search, where I found this post.
Thanks for stopping by Aug. I also only recently came across the idea.
Hey Michel. Very interesting article. I am a big fan of Disney and collecting lot of things related to them but to be honest I haven’t heard before about collectible pins. Sounds like a great idea for starting new collection and from what I see online there is also large market of collectors to exchange pins. Thank you for reviewing this segment of Disney gadgets!
Only a pleasure. I wouldn’t mind a collection of Disney Princesses myself!
Hello. I like this article a lot. My daughters are very big fans of Disney movies I could only imagine if I showing them this it would be a top list requirement to add along with many other things.
I have three nieces who also love Disney and are currently studying so this will be using for them to use for their notes I’ll forward this on to my sister.
Great work and great article, keep it up!
Luckily there are Collectible Disney Pins for all the Disney movies. My niece has a collection relating to the Frozen movies.