When I was a kid, trading baseball cards was all the rage. Getting the latest pack of Topps, Fleer and Upper Deck was the weekend ritual. Nowadays it seems like hardly any kids even know what baseball cards are! It’s really a different day in time now. Fortunately there are even cooler collectibles and items that kids trade. One of these items is Trading Pins!  Kids all over are swapping trading pins every year during baseball season. Travel baseball teams even have their own pins designed and made so that they can hand out and trade their own teams’ logo pins at the tournaments.

Pin trading teaches kids valuable economic skills and the value of money. Many kids work very hard, participating in car washes, and other fundraisers to raise money to buy their own trading pins.

Pin trading has become a huge part of Little League baseball and youth softball sports. Many tournaments are centered around pin trading ceremonies, and get this, some kids and parents look at pin trading as a bigger part of the tournament than the game itself! Sounds crazy, right? Well, not really, trading pins are awesome! Sure baseball is fun, but you can play baseball any time, anywhere. You can’t always find a truly unique and awesome trading pin.

Softball Pin Trading

Some organizations such as USSSA participate in pin trading and organize events for kids to trade their pins. Cooperstown Dream Parks also participates heavily in pin trading, encouraging youth to be responsible with their trading and teaches kids a sense of fairness and mature sportsmanship.

Destination Imagination

Now while pin trading is huge in baseball and softball, there are other youth activities where pin trading rules. One of these events is Destination Imagination. DI brings youth together from around the country (and world) to compete in activities ranging from creative science to agriculture. DI pins are extremely unique, and teams use their creativity to outdo each other every year. DI pins are usually large and feature a themed character depending on what the theme is for that year’s events. DI pins are very collectible and fun for kids and adults alike.

Pin Trading is Universal!

Another event that brings pin trading to light is Odyssey of the Mind. OOTM participants trade pins that represent their teams. Teams usually design their own pins to compete for the coolest design at the pin trading ceremony. Kids have a lot of fun trading their pins at these events, due in part that they’ve put a lot of effort into the design of their own pins, making them truly unique and very close to the heart.