London 2012 Olympic Pin Frenzy Anticipated by ClassicPins

Over 150 pin designs available but will demand exceed supply

For Immediate Release

NEWTOWN, Conn./EWORLDWIRE/Jul 24, 2012 --- ClassicPins.com says it happens every two years, beginning with the week leading up to the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony and continuing for some time after the Closing Ceremony. "People come out of the woodwork and participate in the most popular collectible activity in the world - Olympic pin collecting and trading." 

To prepare for this phenomenon, ClassicPins.com has been stocking up on London 2012 Olympic pin inventory for the past six months. 

"We've been through this cycle many times," explains a spokesperson for ClassicPins.com. "Our first Olympic Games were the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and we were caught totally off guard. We stocked according to the demand we saw about a month before the Games - but as soon as the games began the sales went through the roof. We scrambled for more inventory; it was crazy. This year we are well stocked, with over 150 designs." 

London 2012 Olympic Pin Themes 
The current 157 London Olympic pins are broken down into eight categories: 

- Logo designs 
- Mascot pins 
- Event pins 
- London landmarks and icons 
- Oversized pins 
- Taxi designs 
- Venue pins 
- USA House Collection 

The London 2012 pin assortment brings together the culture and history of London through its landmark and icon pins. The Taxi designs, which celebrate various Olympic events, are replicas of the taxis seen on the streets of London during the Olympic Games. There are pins for most of the Olympic events and the oversized pins are extremely large, and some are limited edition. The USA House Collection was created for the USOC to be sold at the USA House in London; it is now also available at ClassicPins.com. 

Interesting Facts About Pin Collecting 
- 100 years ago (1912) Stockholm: The first commercially produced pins were available for spectators. Pins were also advertised in the Games programme as a form of fundraising. 
- Since Calgary 1988, when Coca-Cola sponsored the First Olympic Pin Trading Center and saw 17,000 people visit each day, pin trading has been described as "The Number 1 Spectator Sport at the Olympic Games." 
- In Barcelona 1992, over 2 million pins were traded by 500,000 pin collectors at Olympic Pin Trading Centers. 

Will Demand Exceed Supply? 
There is only one Olympic pin manufacturer in the United States, and ClassicPins.com has been the main distributor since 1999. The manufacturer is confronted with inventory issues but in a different way. When the Olympics are done, limited overstock for customers makes it possible to get the pins they want or need to complete a collection. 

"Since the manufacturer prefers to make the pins and sell them all before the Olympics are completed, the number of pins is according to what clients order well before the Olympics begin," states the company spokesperson. "The eventual outcome is sold out product for the late coming Olympic pin shopper - but the lack of availability creates the demand for trade and offers a great opportunity for sharp eBay resellers who got their hands on sold out designs." 

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