Every pin is
somebody's story.

Learn how to trade well, spot the real thing, and find your people — then pin up a memory of your own.

Learn the ropes

Four things that make you a good trader

None of it is complicated. Trading runs on courtesy and a little know-how — here's the whole of it.

Ask before you touch someone's lanyard or board.
Offer a pin for a pin — match the spirit, not just the value.
Cast Members trade too: most will swap up to two pins per guest a day, and they can't turn down a real Disney pin they don't already have.
It's about the connection. Trade for what you'll smile at later.

Read the back: official pins carry a clean ©Disney stamp and the pin's name or edition.
Check the enamel edges — bleeding or overflowing color is a scrapper tell.
Feel the weight. Real pins are solid; fakes are thin and tinny.
If a bulk lot online is impossibly cheap, it's almost certainly scrappers.

The lingo

The shorthand you'll hear at a trading board, in plain terms.

LE limited edition: Made in a fixed, numbered run — often stamped with its number.
OE open edition: Produced without a set limit. The everyday rack pin.
HM hidden mickey: Cast-distributed pins marked with a small Mickey. Traded, never sold.
Scrapper: An unauthorized fake pulled from reused molds. Lower quality, no value.
Completer: The final pin that finishes a mystery or collection set.
Mystery box: A sealed pack — you don't know which pin you'll get until you open it.
Chaser: The rare, hard-to-pull pin hidden inside a larger set.
Slider: A pin with a moving piece that slides along a track.
Rack pin: A standard pin sold off the shelf in park and resort shops.
Trading book: The padded book or board you carry pins in to show and trade.

Share a story

The best part of trading isn't the pin — it's the moment. Tell us about a trade you'll never forget, and we'll pin it to the board.

A name and a story is all you need. Keep it kind.

Name or handle

Where it happened

Your story

Add a name and a few words before you pin it up.

♥

Thank you — your story is in. It'll appear on the board after a quick review.