Pin Trading

When you look at the different events here at the Games, you won't see one of the biggest activities that involve the most people. That would be pin trading.

The trading of lapel pins is an obsession for many visitors. I visited the Olympic Superstore yesterday (in The Bay), where you can buy almost anything with the Vancouver logo on it, as long as you pay with either cash or Visa (no debit, no MasterCard or Amex as Visa is the official card of the Games). In the store Coca-Cola has set up a pin trading area. I met traders from Athens, Greece, Los Angeles, and Manitoba, who had hundreds of Olympic pins displayed, ready to trade. Some of these traders had thousands of pins in their collections.

I felt like a roman being thrown to the lions as these traders are pros. Apparently, there is a protocol - how you trade, how you signify your traders and how you interact with each other. One man had been to 14 Olympics and takes off work for a month each time. Serious trader.

Well, it is back to the Village after a few days off.

Location:E 1st Ave,Vancouver,Canada