Pinhead Guide: How to Find Weird and Unique Collector Pins

Enamel pins have come a long way from their officious origins. Enamel pins were originally known as lapel pins and were frequently given out as symbols of accomplishment.

Political parties are particularly prone to handing out lapel pins to show one’s allegiance. The ever-popular American flag collector pins are a great example of this.

In recent years, enamel pins have gone from being an obscure niche for memorabilia collectors and punk rockers to being a fully-fledged industry. Even large-scale design houses are earning up to 30% of their revenue off of enamel pins.

Like all things collectible and fashionable, the coolest enamel pins can be tricky to track down. They can also sell out in the blink of an eye, only to return for several times their going rate on resale platforms like eBay.

To help make sure you don’t miss out, here are some places you can look for collector pins. Get pin-spired!

Where To Find Collector Pins

One of the greatest things about the Internet is the ability to find pretty much anything, at any time. It also can require intense amounts of digging and bargain-shopping, however. That can get tedious after a time.

We won’t limit our tips for collecting pins to the Interwebs, however. A lot of the fun of being a pin collector is the hunt and the thrill of the chase!

Flea Markets

We’ll start off our guide with an old-school classic. Flea markets can be an exquisite source for finding weird pins from all eras. They often cost a fraction of their online retail price, as well, as there’s less competition.

Pin aficionado Caroline Mills started her pin obsession at flea markets and antique stores in Northern California, as she told Racked. She went on from her scavenging fascination to become a liaison between Target and upcoming pin designers and makers.

Sometimes great things have humble origins, much like enamel pins themselves.

Etsy

Etsy remains the main haven of up-and-coming makers and designers throughout the world. Although many other online marketplaces have sprouted up since Etsy first hit the scene, it remains the most well-known. It’s an indispensable stop for everything from cute pins for backpacks to vintage political badges.

There’s a lot of sellers and designs to pick and choose from on Etsy, due to its popularity and reputation. Use the site’s filters to find the most relevant search results. Browsing the ‘Special Offers’ and ‘Free Shipping’ sections is an excellent, fast-and-easy way to find great deals on collector pins!

Disney

Disney is one of the OGs of the pin collecting game, right alongside the political lapel pins. Disney’s theme parks have offered collectible pins for a long time, frequently in limited editions. A vibrant pin collecting community has sprung up around these rarities, which is hardly surprising considering the fervor of a lot of Disney fans.

There are over 60,000 Disney enamel pin designs in existence. That’d definitely give you someplace to start. If you love Disney in any way, shape, or form, you’re sure to find something that will strike your fancy!

Instagram

Instagram is one of the main driving forces behind the new-found popularity of pins. Instagram is particularly well-suited for rising makers and designers, as it’s still relatively democratic and tailor-made for high-quality images and graphics.

To start, find a few relevant hashtags and start browsing. The #pinheads hashtag is the first and most widely used for pin collectors. #Pinstagram is another good to take a look at.

It’s a fast and easy way to find a bunch of pin designers to obsess over! It’s also one of the only foolproof ways to make sure you don’t miss out on limited editions or one-off collaborations.

Aggregate Websites

With so many pin designers on the market, it’s hard to find the time to wade through them all. Word-of-mouth recommendation is particularly useful in the world of pin collectors, as a lot of the best designs never even make it to a storefront. By the time you’d have heard of them, it would be too late.

Enamel pins are particularly popular with younger folk, from teenagers to early 30-somethings. That means a lot of the best designs are hiding out on social media aggregator sites like Tumblr or Pinterest.

Due to how young a lot of pin collectors are, many of the coolest enamel pin designs hang out on aggregator sites like WeHeartIt. Don’t overlook these sites, especially if you’re getting enamel pins for teenagers or early 20-somethings.

Dedicated Pin Websites

As the enamel pin resurgence has been going on for a few years now, a number of enamel pin designers have extensive websites to browse and get lost in.

Check out MondoTees’ pin collections for the horror/SF lovers out there. StrangeWays is a great source for snarky punk rock quotes and bright, colorful designs.

If you’re thinking of getting started as a pin designer yourself, you can find custom enamel pin shops like www.thepinfactory.com.au for some of the lowest prices on high-quality enamel pins. You can join in the fun for less than you spend on lattes in a month.

Who knows, maybe you could even start trading with some of your favorite designers?

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