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Design Tips On How To Customize Your Baseball Trading Pin

Trading pins are a cherished feature of the youth baseball. Since 1983, the Little League made its first "official" pin available and ever since it's become a staple part of baseball culture. Pins mean far more than representing a team. Baseball trading pins unite players, parents, coaches and opposing teams as they share their love of baseball through them.  It's a fun way for everyone to get to know each other and return home with a unique collection of pins.

Custom baseball trading pins are a great way to express the team's loyalty and boost team spirit from the players in the field to the parents in the audience. It's important that the pins are well-designed to increase their value and make trading with other players more exciting.

Ready to design a winning pin for the best little league team?

Pre-Design Tips

Deciding on a pin design is a creative process and the perfect chance to create one that best symbolizes the team. Players and even baseball parents keep their pins for years so you need to make sure everyone loves the design.

Use this time to double-check the teams' roster numbers and names to correct any errors. It’s important to stick to a budget before designing the pin. Know which size to use, the preferred material and which add-ons your team want to jazz it up.

Decide What to Include in Your Custom Baseball Trading Pin

There are many features and factors to consider when designing your team's pin. Here's a breakdown of each aspect:

Pin Types
There are three types of trading pins: Soft Enamel, Offset Printed Pins and Quick Pins.

Soft Enamel: This material is a popular choice as it’s perfect for intricate designs. The painted enamel has metallic ridges to separate the colors which enhances the artwork. Soft Enamel is perfect if your little league team want add-ons such as glitter, spinners, and sliders.

Offset Printed Pins: The designer transfers your digital artwork onto the pin, making this a quick and cost-effective option. It’s essential that the designer uses high-resolution artwork to create sharp imagery for an eye-catching pin.

Quick Pins: These are the perfect option for last-minute situations.  These cheap pins are made by US manufacturers and are ready in time for your Little League tournament. Like an Offset Pin, the image is printed, but with a thicker base.

Team Name, State and City
Your team’s name is the first thing they’ll see, so you need to be creative. Decide which font best represents your team and whether you want to shout out your city and state.

You can add your city to the design. It could be its outline on a map, your city’s skyline or a small image that represents your hometown. This will help personalize your pin so opposite teams will know instantly that it’s yours.

Team colors
Not only is this the main feature of the pin but it’s your identity! To find the perfect colors, use our PMS (Pantone Color System) color scheme so our designer knows the exact shade. If you aren't sure which color, we could try a couple colors to find that perfect match.

Baseball Pin traders see hundreds of baseball pins so we suggest using bold colors to stand out.

Mascot
Got a mascot? Great, add them to the pin! Mascots are a great way to boost team recognition and make your pin stand out.

Continuing the mascot theme means your pin matches your jersey and hat so everyone knows you’re 100% about team spirit. Parents and coaches can also wear them to show their support.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a mascot. Let the team decide on a mascot and ask the pin designer to incorporate it into the artwork.   Remember to be specific. If you want a Panther, decide if you want it to be fierce or friendly.

Add Your Motto
Chances are you have an awesome motto. If there's a motto everyone chants during Little League games, add it to your pin. It doesn't have to be the whole phrase. Instead, pick the few words that best represent your team.

Roster
Add the team’s roster to your Little League pin to personalize it. Use numbers to ensure everyone fits on the pin. You can use bats, baseballs and even stars to show off your teammates.

Season-Specific Features
Instead of one design, order pins for each season. This will boost morale and keep everyone excited from the players to parents. Make it unique by adding the year and the team's names or numbers as they change every year.  Or incorporate the team’s accomplishments to the design. Add any Little League championships you’ve won or include the win-loss record.  Special features will make your pins rarer and increase its trade value.

Upgrade with Add-Ons
Let the team add their special flair and maximize the pin's trading power. Your team can choose from a variety of add-ons including:

Ready to Get Trading?

Custom baseball trading pins boost trading value so little league players can be proud of their team and form a one-of-a-kind collection. Trading pins have the power to unify players, parents and opposing teams who will hold on to these pins for years to come.

If your team wants high-quality trading pins for next season, contact us here.

So you want to start a baseball pin collection? Here is everything you need to know before you do.

A baseball pin collection is just about the most American thing anybody can own. It's a one-of-a-kind slice of Americana, steeped in nostalgia and fetching some incredible prices for the right pieces.

But how do you get started? Where do you trade these pins? And which pins should you collect?

These are all pertinent questions and, luckily for you, all ones we will be addressing in this blog piece. Join us, as we break down how you can start collecting the pins you really want, today!

How To Get Started

Pin trading is central to the Little League experience, as much a part of it as the games and tournaments. You'll see tents set up at the Little League World Series and Facebook groups flooded with people doing thousands of trades every year.

But where do you start if you want to make this hobby legit? Baseball pins are everywhere, making them one of the easiest collections to pick up. Supply isn't the issue, but is there a "right" way to get started?

Not to get too philosophical, but your first point of order should be looking inwards. Ask yourself: "Why do I want to collect pins?" Are you supporting or commemorating your team, or is this more for the love of collecting?

Answer this question and you can gear your collection towards numbers, rare items, or whatever makes sense for you. Once you know what you'll be collecting and why it's time to start collecting.

Choosing A Pin Type

In the world of baseball trading pins, there are four varieties of you can collect:

As with any collection, these pins tend to be traded for one of two reasons. Often, collectors will buy or trade pins based on their design, with more colorful, more intricate designs trading faster. Bold colors, limited edition designs, and eye-catching visuals go a long way, here.

Alternatively, there's always vintage items. These are valuable because of their age, not their design, as sometimes there are only a dozen or so of them left in circulation. The market for these can be great for the savvy buyer, but they are also an attractive option for nostalgic pin collectors.

Pin Values

As we've discussed, sometimes a pin collection is just a pin collection. You'll find boxes full of team pins from amateur locals, perhaps a few from your kids' big games. All of which is fine if you're just collecting for the sake of having a collection, in which case the value of the pin doesn't matter much.

But collectors also put a great deal of stock behind the value of many baseball pins. And, luckily, there are a lot of great resources online. As a collector, it's easy enough to research a pin's value on the Internet, either via articles or communications with antique dealers.

Conventions and Trade Shows

There's nowhere on this earth more important to a collector than the trade show and convention circuit. These meetups connect pin enthusiasts, collectors, dealers, and specialists with each other. Appraisers and pin dealers do great business at these events. But they also make their expertise available to help collectors gauge their pins' or collections' worth.

This is the promised land for an avid collector, bringing everyone from beginners to experts together under one roof. Spend the day indulging your passion for these pins, and you'll gain valuable insights, grow your collection and even find rare pins. What could a collector want more?

Where to Find More Pins

So you've cottoned on to the wonderful world of baseball pin collecting and now you're hooked. You've got the passion, and it's time to kickstart your own hobby, collecting pin after pin from your favorite teams. Or maybe you already have a collection, and you're just looking to expand.

Whatever your motivation, you'll want a working knowledge of where to get pins, and where to take the ones you do have to trade them.

At the Games Themselves

A love of baseball pins often starts in the stands at actual baseball games. You're likely to spend a fair amount of time watching your local team play baseball games, either at home or away.

This is a perfect opportunity to meet other collectors, and meeting other collectors is the best way there is to get trading. Ask around and see if there are any pin fanatics in the stands with you. You might be surprised by who you meet and how many trades you'll kick off in this manner.

As an added bonus, there's always the chance you'll jumpstart someone else's passion for pins in the process.

Events

Pin collectors often affectionately refer to themselves as "pinheads". Do your research and ask around for local postings about trading meetups.

These are specialized events where traders can start up or add to their collections, making connections in the process. It's an opportunity to meet people with your interests.

And knowing that everyone's there for the same reason makes starting conversations easier. You might even start your own smaller meetups with friends and collectors as a result.

Online

Collectors will also often trade pins on internet forums and auctions. Websites dedicate resources to connecting collectors with opportunities to find and sell pins. Social media channels, similarly, offer an expansive number of avenues in which to trade.

Get Your Pin Collection Started Today!

Whether you're an avid local baseball supporter or just wanting a piece of the collectible pie, anyone can start a pin collection. For more on these pins and the people who collect them, check out some of our other awesome blog content today!

 

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