To start, let's define what a promo movie/dvd release pin is. You've seen them. When you go to Wal*Mart or Blockbuster you may have seen some of the workers wearing them. They are the official pin the movie studio approved to be given to retailers to help advertise/promote a new movie or DVD release. 

  Pin collecting is not a new hobby however collecting movie/dvd release pins or buttons is starting to grow in popularity. Why? There are a few reasons I've found true for myself.

  Mostly it's because I liked the movie. Maybe something significant happened in my life that was inspired by the movie. Maybe some event occured as a result of seeing the movie or I just have some good memories of the time period the movie was out. I also like the looks of the pins. Many times there are pictures of the movie's star or some appealing graphic. I think though a big reason is, it's a cheap hobby. Much of my collection was obtained free by going to video stores and asking for them. Some places would give me bags of pins while others would not give a single one.

  To be honest, the past couple of years was really good. Nowdays, many video stores, (including Wal*Mart), just don't get many anymore. That's good and bad. Bad because it makes collecting them much harder. Good because it makes what you have more desirable which equates to more valuable. Also, many employees, who at one time did not care about even wearing them at work, do so now and know that they could be sold on e-bay so they keep them. 

    Some pins come in sets, or in other words, there can be a few to several different pins for the one movie. Each pin will have a different character or scene from the movie. Some great examples are Shark Tale, (there were 8 different character pins), a couple of  Harry Potter movies, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Batman and Robin, Lord of the Rings, (there are three 12 pin sets. One for each movie).

  Some pins have special effects. One of my favorites, and the first effect pin I got, is for Men in Black. The picture is of agents J and K holding two big alien killer guns. The tips have a light that flashes red when the battery in the back of the pin is activated. This may be the first flash movie release pin made. Also, it was exclusive to Wal*Mart making it extremely rare. Although there are plenty of Wal*Marts, this pin was very limited. Some Wal*Marts did not get any. Another flashing pin is from Terminator 3-Rise of the Machines. The T-2's eye will flash red. I Robot has a two set pin. One of Will Smith and one of Sonny who's insides flash like in the movie when a robot was activated. Some pins have a lenticular motion effect. Disney made a few. There's one for The Fox and Hound, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, to name a few. Most of the time if there is a special effect pin there is a regular version of it too. Independence Day has a motion pin and also non motion version of the same pin, (The White House being blown up). Special effect pins are much more expensive to make and out number the regular version by quite a bit. 100 to 1 is not an unrealistic figure. Some pins are rare just because there were not many distributed. The Matrix Revolutions is a good example. There is a four pin set that is very hard to find.

  Movie theaters is another good source for pins but your best bet is to go to a large multiplex type,(the smaller theaters won't likely get any), and go early, even a week before a movie is due to be released. Pins from movie theaters, have so far, been totally different than the DVD release pins. Usually it's just one version though. A set of different pins for one movie would be rare and I can only think of X-Men I or II that had about a 20 pin set that were sent to theaters. A whole set of those would be a really great, rare, find.

  Another source for pins is trading with others. The problem is there is no resource for doing this. There are many pinback collector clubs but they mainly specialize in Disney, McDonald types. Almost anything but DVD/movie release pins. If I had the time I would setup a website for this hobby. I hope to do so after the holidays. If you know of any, let me know and I'll mention it in this guide but I can not set a link to it as that is prohibited by e-bay.

  Buying pins online is my last resort. I use online to fill in the holes of my collection. Cost is one issue. One person can be selling a pin for $5.00 that another is selling for .99 cents. Another problem that comes out of buying online is that you can build up a lot of doubles. Some people sell pins by the set, singly, or by a group that are not related to each other. So if you want one pin out of 20 a person is selling, you will likely have to buy them all. Most sellers don't want to get into, selling you one, another wants 2, and so on. A couple of cool things about buying online is you can find ones you might not get otherwise, especially older pins, and sometimes you can find pins released in other countries that are totally different than the U.S. versions. I bought a really nice 8 pin theater set of The Incredibles from someone in Canada. Be wary though. Some listings are touted as being DVD/movie release promo buttons when in fact they are new pins privately made by that seller. Likely you have an idea of what officially studio approved pins look like. They can come in all shapes and sizes. Some are cardboard, plastic, paper covered with a plastic film, or the most common, a thin sheet of metal over cardboard. Look at the sellers other items. If all of the sellers button auctions have the same appearance, they are likely homemade. Most homemade pins are usually only round and have several buttons, (any number possible), being sold as a set. They can be very nice looking but if you had the right machine, (which is relatively cheap),  you could make your own. 

    If you buy pins online, look at shipping costs. Some people charge a few to several dollars to mail one pin that should cost about 75 cents in a small bubble mailer. Probably even more than one could be sent as cheaply. Contact the seller and ask why the shipping is so high. Sometimes they will work with you, sometimes not. Also remember that as it is with most collectibles, condition is the key factor unless you find the only pin of it's kind ever made. Then condition is second to rarity. Who wants a pin with a big dent or scratch. Look at pictures very well and ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS! Many listings may not describe damage. I know because I've bought some before I knew better. It's not that the seller is trying to be deceptive, (although you and I know some are), they just may not think that matters or don't even think about it at all.

  This hobby is one of the most underrated there is. There are listings on e-bay and elsewhere for these types of pins but considering the amount of pins that are out there, the sellers are few and far between.

  There are many pin collecting clubs but they are mainly for the traditional pinback types, Disney, McDonalds, almost anything except DVD/movie release pins. If I ever have the time I would like to setup a website for this hobby. If you know of any, let me know and I'll include it in this guide.

  I'm always happy to trade pins.Let me know what you need and what you have to trade. I have many duplicates so I'm very generous if you have what I need.

  Remember, reading a guide is like reading about other's mistakes and misfortunes. We all learn from our mistakes. Those of us deeply entrenched in a hobby learn about the problems faster. We write these guides to help you aviod them.

    PLEASE CLICK ONE OF THE "WAS THIS GUIDE HELPFUL" BUTTONS BELOW.

Thanks and happy collecting!

Dennis