Beginner's Guide to Olympic Pin Collecting-Categories

Although there are numerous sub-categories of Olympic pins, I like to break them down into about six main divisions. In my own mind I compartmentalize every set or pin into Games Mark, Sports, Sponsor, Mascot, Commemorative, or Countdown. Some collectors look for pins of a specific type. These types can be in sets or individual pins.

Games Mark pins have a version of the official logo of a particular Olympics somewhere on the pin. The Games Mark helps identify a unique Games and usually reflects elements commonly identified with the host city or region. For instance the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing uses a stylized version of "Jing". Jing comes from Beijing and the figure in motion reflects the ancient Chinese art of calligraphy. In many of the Candidate City and Bid pins Jing had the five colors of the Olympic Rings. The Official Games Mark has Jing in white on a field of red, which is the color of the National Flag of China. Beijing 2008 usually appears on this type of pin and leaves no doubt about the Olympic edition it represents. Usually there are more Games Mark pins produced than any other type.

Sports pins are devoted to the different sports competed in a particular Olympic Games. Most often the pictograph chosen to depict that sport is the prominent feature of the pin. Pictographs are graphic depictions of individual sports. They vary somewhat from Olympics to Olympics, but you can usually tell the sport from the pictograph. As more sports are added, pictographs are created for the sport and new pins are made for it. I site the Judo pictograph on some 1980 Moscow pins as one of the hardest to identify. Some Winter Games skiing pins are also unclear in defining the sport or discipline within the sport. The official Games Mark is often included on sports pins, as is the Mascot.

Sponsor pins are produced by corporations that either sponsor or supply an Olympic Games. As the world-wide popularity of the Olympics continues to grow, more and more sponsor pins have been produced. The corporate logo is usually prominent in designing these pins. Some sponsors produce whole series of sets and individual pins. Some only produce a few. Often the official Games Mark or Sports Pictograph accompany the corporate logo. From a very few simply designed pins produced for sponsors before 1984, this category of Olympic pins has grown exponentially.

Mascot pins have become very collectible the past few years. To those unschooled in the Olympic Movement, names like Misha, Sam, Cobi, Izzy, Phevos, etc., mean nothing. To many Olympic fans and pin collectors, the names immediately identify the Olympic Edition and the image of the characters come to mind. Besides the Games Mark nothing is more closely associated with a particular Games. The mascots are sometimes shown participating in an Olympic sport, with the Games Mark, or together with a corporate sponsor or supplier logo.

Commemorative pins are almost always issued by an Olympic Committee. These pins are often sold to raise money to support the nation's Olympic Teams. The national flag, indigenous animals, famous landmarks, and National Olympic Committee name are popular themes. The Olympic Rings are usually prominent. I put Historical pins in this category. These pins might honor a nation's past Olympic teams, past host cities, or past Olympic posters. There were many commemorative pins issued for the 1996 Atlanta Games. Since these Olympics celebrated the 100th year of the Modern Olympics, an abundance of historical series were produced.

Countdown pins do exactly what they say: They count down to an Olympic Games. Early countdown pins are usually issued soon after a host city is chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). There are series that count down by years, months, and days. Another popular theme is even numbers, starting with 1000 and counting down by 100's. The Games Mark or Mascot(s) often appear on countdown pins. Sometimes individual sports are featured. Day pins are similar because they count the days during an Olympics. The days are counted from the Opening Ceremonies to the Closing Ceremonies. Some very elaborate day pins have the pictograms of the sports competed on that day.

There are Paralympic, holiday, IOC, NOC, Candidate City, bid, bridge, multi-sport, folklore, flag, welcome, Torch Relay, Cultural Olympics, etc. pins produced for most Olympics. If it's Olympic there are pins for it. Happy collecting!