NASCAR Lapel Pins

If you live in the South, you’ve always known NASCAR.  But over the past ten years, NASCAR  has become a household brand across the country. Nowadays, almost anybody can identify NASCAR as those guys racing at 200+MPH around an oval track. 

It’s a pretty extreme sport, and the drivers are usually great sportsmen and celebrities in their own right. As with any popular sport, memorabilia and collectibles are important to the fans. NASCAR is no exception.  NASCAR fans aren’t shy about showing their lovel of racing.  You can find shirts, hats, posters, and of course, lapel pins that feature favorite drivers for this beloved sport.

NASCAR collectible lapel pins (like the one shown here) are gaining in popularity and are a great idea for any lapel pin collector. You can focus on collecting a pin for each driver, and even past drivers, which could make for some more valuable collectibles.

In fact, lapel pins have been the linchpin of the NASCAR Foundation’s fundraising activities.  Each year, the foundation creates a new pin, making the pins a great collectible item.  The foundation offers official NASCAR Day pins (NASCAR Day is May 15th)  in exchange for a $5 donation.  The pins are sold at events and online as well as at select retail locations.

The NASCAR Foundation, is a non-profit organization that seeks to raise funds and increase volunteerism to support nonprofit charities and charitable causes throughout the nation.  Their emphasis is placed on initiatives that affect the ability of children to live, learn and play. 

Celebrities likw Will Ferrell, Kelly Clarkson, and Kevin Costner have all contributed their star power as spokespeople for the NASCAR Foundation.  The NASCAR Foundation began in 2004, and has already raised more than $6.5 million for the Children’s Miracle Network and other children’s charities. 

Looks like it’s not just NASCAR race cars that have lots of power; so do lapel pins!

The Magic of Pin Trading

Collectible lapel pins have been popular Disney souvenirs for decades, but it wasn’t until October 1999, to mark their Millennium Celebration, that The Walt Disney Company introduced the now wildly popular phenomenon of Disney pin trading.

Not surprisingly, when Disney does something they go all out. They have thought of everything for this theme-park-inspired sport, including an official pin trading etiquette guide!

To join in the Disney pin-trading fun, you have to start with something to trade. If you don’t already have a Disney collectible pin, you can get started with a handy starter set, a lanyard and four collectible pins. Pin traders wear the lanyards around their necks, using them to display their pins. Others secure their collectible lapel pens to hats, vests or sashes. Pins not intended for trading can be attached with secure screw-on locking backs which prevent them from becoming accidentally dislodged while riding the attractions or walking through the park. Pins for trading are best left with the original backs, which are easily removed.

To execute a trade, you simply approach another pin-displaying guest or a Disney Cast Member and make your request. Guests at the park can decline a trade, but Cast Members cannot refuse. In fact, they are required to make at least two trades per day!

Trading pins are available at kiosks in the park, at Disney stores, in the resorts, and online. Thousands of pins have been produced since the trading program began, featuring everything Disney—from characters to movies to theme park attractions. They range in price, style and availability, including special limited-edition pins. Each one bears a stamp on the back that details important collector information such as the limited edition number and copyright.

There is an entire culture around pin-trading and lots of terminology specific to Disney pin trading. For example, there is a limited edition “surprise” pin known as Wet Paint. Only one thousand of these pins, depicting the wet paint sign used at Walt Disney World were produced. They were introduced as a “surprise” at certain kiosks and store and they are highly coveted. In fact, it is referred to as the Holy Grail and it typically sells for more than $200 on sites like eBay.

Another pin highly coveted by traders is the “Continuing the Pin Trading Tradition” pin. This pin cannot be purchased. It is awarded to guests by Cast Member Leaders at Disney resorts when they witness positive Disney Pin Trading etiquette or when they see a guest promoting the spirit of Disney Pin Trading. Disney has indeed worked its magic, creating an entire kingdom of faithful subjects who are devoted to the thrill of pin-trading. You can learn even more about the Magic Kingdom of Disney pin trading by clicking here.

20 Reasons for Lapel Pins

I love lapel pins because they an unobtrusive and tasteful way to make a statement about your beliefs, affiliations, and values.

These hard-working little metal billboards are one of the most low-cost, yet effective ways to deliver a message. They’re also excellent conversation starters, instant builders of camaraderie, and strong visual messages.

Looking for a reason to wear a lapel pin? I’ve got plenty for you.

You can wear a lapel pin to:

20. Dress Up or Decorate Your Lapel
19. Brag About Receiving Special Employee Recognition or a Prestigious Award
18. Identify Your Membership in a Fraternity or a Sorority
17. Demonstrate Your Affiliation with a Professional Organization
16. Support a Charity or a Cause
15. Cheer for a Sports Team
14. Show Your Holiday Spirit
13. Commemorate an Anniversary
12. Celebrate Your First Parachute Jump, Kayaking Adventure, or Yoga Retreat
11. Show That You’ve Joined a Club
10. Break the Ice at a Networking Event
9. Promote Your Business
8. Create Awareness About Breast Cancer, AIDS, Autism, etc.
7. Prove That You’ve Been to a Museum, the Hard Rock Café, Disneyworld, etc.
6. Encourage Pin Collectors and Traders to Trade with You
5. Promote a Sale, a Special Promotion, or an Upcoming Event
4. Identify Yourself as a Conference or Trade Show Attendee
3. Show Your Loyalty to a Branch of the Military or a Civic Organization
2 Advertise Your Interests, Hobbies, and Beliefs
1. Show Your Patriotism

So what are you waiting for? Give me a call and we’ll help you design your own personal lapel pin billboard today!

McFred and his McPins

Prick Fred Huebner with a pin, and you’d surely find McDonald’s flowing in his blood. Huebner, a McDonald’s franchise owner based in Garner North Carolina has worked for the fast-food giant since he was a student in high school. He financed his way through college working as a part-time swing manager for the chain, later accepting a full-time position with the company. When he became an operator in 1986, Fred had already been working with McDonald’s for fourteen years.

Although Huebner owned a small collection of McDonald’s award pins from his early days with the franchise, it wasn’t until his coin and stamp collections were stolen during a home break-in that he decided to shift his collector’s passion to McDonald-themed pins. Huebner says: “I figured I should work on a collection that people wouldn’t want to steal, and if they did, I’d know exactly where to find it”. He adds: “I also liked the idea that the pins were small, so I would be able to collect a bunch of them.” “A bunch” is a bit of an understatement:

Today, the McBurglar would have a difficult time sneaking off with Fred’s collection of almost 30,000 pins neatly displayed in cases that line the walls of his corporate office. His collection also includes over a half million duplicate pins that he uses for trading or for sale. The collection spreads to every room in the building, except his wife’s office. After living with Fred’s growing collection in her home for years (it took up three entire rooms), she wants all of her space to be lapel-pin free!

There is little doubt that Huebner owns the world’s largest collection of McDonald’s-themed pins: about 10 years ago, there were 3 other collectors in the United States who were contenders, but Fred, unlike his colleagues, has taken full advantage of the internet to further expand with his own website. Still, Fred insists that there are a few pins missing from his collection: “I’m still trying to get a regional award pin from Albany, New York. It is shaped like a Buccaneer ship with five canon holes. McDonald’s employees or owner/operators used to receive the pin as their first award, and then, each time they earned an additional award, the canon hole would be filled with a precious stone. I have a Buccaneer ship with 5 rubies in the canon holes, but I’m missing one with 5 diamonds. Most people don’t like to get rid of awards pins.”

Fred’s stories about his lapel pins are fascinating, even if you’re not a part of the McDonald’s family. He considers the crown jewel of his collection to be a 100,000 Club 10-carat gold pin with a slashed arch logo that Ray Kroc (McDonald’s founder) used to give as an award to restaurants in the 1950’s for selling 100,000 hamburgers in a month. “I would have easily paid almost $500 for that pin”, explains Fred, “but I was lucky to find my first one for just $75.”

In addition to collecting pins, Fred has also been inspired to design lapel pins over the years. He has created a “Fries Pin Collection” for his team of employees that is very meaningful to him, and he is the wit behind many of the most comical pins in recent McDonald’s history. For example, during the infamous O.J. Simpson trial, one of O.J.’s alibis was that at the time of the murders, he was in the drive-thru at McDonald’s. In response, Huebner created a pin that reads: “I saw O.J. at McDonald’s!”.

The Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal inspired Huebner to create a lapel pin that says: “I never touched her fries!” And, a few years ago, when Burger King introduced its so-called Stealth Fries in attempt to seize the “Best Fries” title from McDonald’s, Fred cheered on his company with a flurry of lapel pins that imagined what celebrities would say about McDonald’s fries. From “I’ll be back—for fries” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to “The fries have left the building” (Elvis), the entire series is inspired.

Huebner will readily trade any pin  for which he has multiples. As for the future of his collection, he imagines that one day it will end up in the McDonald’s museum archives near Chicago. Until then, Fred plans to keep on collecting. As for me, I’m planning a visit to Exit 312 off of I-40 where I plan to eat some delicious McDonald’s French fries and marvel at McFred’s McPins in person!