Time to brush up on the rule book pin fans.
Official Pin Trading has been a major part of the Disney World experience for nearly 25 years. Over that time, the hobby has built up a large and dedicated fanbase who know the ins and outs of the system, including some of the more obscure rules that apply to pin trading.
There’s a Daily Maximum
When looking to trade pins with Cast Members, whether from their lanyard or on a pinboard at a retail location, be aware that you can only trade a maximum of TWO pins per Cast Member or trading board, per day. This means that if a Cast Member or board has multiple pins that you want, you’ll need to be selective in choosing which ones you want to trade for.
Cast Members Have SOME Control
Generally, the main criteria for trading a Disney pin with a Cast Member is that the “metal pin bears a “©Disney” mark on the back—representing an official Disney event, place, location, character or icon.” However, cast members have the discretion to decide whether to trade for a pin “from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (e.g., ABC, ESPN).”
One At a Time…
Only one-for-one trades are allowed, meaning you can’t swap a full set for a full set. You also can’t offer multiple pins in return for the one “rare” pin you’ve been hunting for, nor try getting a haul of multiple pins back in return for the “holy grail” of your collection.
The ins-out-outs of Disney World’s Official Pin Trading culture can take some time to learn, however, these obscure rules are some of the first you need to know. Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney collecting tips.
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Are you a Disney pin collector? Do you trade? Let us know in the comments below.
I was a performer in DAK in 2019, and now an avid pin collector and trader. Whenever I was performing, I saw several character attendants and greeters actively trading for “fake” pins. Come to find out, if you discover that you have been traded a fake pin, most cast members will have a couple spare pins they keep to trade with you in order to get the fake pins out of the field. Not every cast member does this, but most will have an extra pin or two at least.