4 Lies Everyone Believes About Pin Trading at Disney World

For decades, Pin Trading has been a major part of the Disney World experience for millions of guests. However, despite that ubiquity, there are still some myths, urban legends, and downright lies surrounding the hobby.

From hunting rare pins to trading with Cast Members, many guests still believe these untruths to this day.

“Official Pin Trading has Been There From the Start”

While pins and buttons have been sold at Disney World from the start, and likely unofficially collected and traded by fans since, official Disney Pin Trading only came to be in 1999. The hobby — along with an emphasis on product, trading with Cast Members, and official trading and spots around the resort — was introduced as part of the resort’s Millennium Celebration, which lasted from late 1999 through 2001.

“Your Disney Pin Collection will Pay for Retirement”

Yeah, let’s be clear: Yes, some official Disney Pins, be they older, out-of-print designs or numbered limited editions, are quite valuable. However, like any other collectible – think comic books, action figures, Funko Pops!, or etc. — their value will often fluctuate, and in reality, the collection can only really be counted on to bring joy, not financial gain or security.

“Cast Members HAVE to Make Whatever Trade You Want, Including for Pins from Other Areas of the Disney Company”

First off, you can only trade a maximum of TWO pins per Cast Member lanyard or trading board, per day. This means that if a Cast Member’s lanyard or board has multiple pins that you want, you’ll need to be selective in choosing which ones you want to trade.

Secondly, 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).”

“You Can Trade a Cast Member Multiple Pins or a Set for a Single Rare Pin”

Speaking of Cast Member rules, there’s also a strict rule stating that only one-for-one trades are allowed. In other words, you can’t swap a full set of pins for a different full set or 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.

While Disney Pin Trading is immensely popular, there are still some untruths about the hobby that are often repeated as fact. Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney World myths and urban legends.

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Did you ever believe these Pin Trading myths? Let us know in the comments below.

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