PARIS– On the other side of the Atlantic, in relation to Wall Street, a market – more healthy than cruel – emerged in the Paris Olympics. The merchandise at the center of it all? Pins.
The city has seen an influx of collectors from around the world, each eager to start or expand their collection of Olympic and share your stories.
“People are linked to commerce. Human beings, we want to trade,” says Craig Robbins, a passionate badge collector from Los Angeles. “In life, if you can’t change, you die.”
“Do you have any pins?” — asks a Starbucks barista to all the journalists who arrive for a coffee at the Palais des Congrès, the main press center for the Olympics.
From bustling cafes to quiet streets, the same question has been echoing across the city as Olympic volunteers, athletes, media professionals, waiters, tourists and others seek out the same prized accessories.
“You can really feel the madness this year,” says French brooch collector Laurent Facy.
The search for badges has become an integral part of the Olympics, adding another layer of excitement to the Games. “It became a game; We negotiated a little like we used to do on the playground,” he says.
The tradition dates back to the first modern Olympic Games, revived by Pierre de Coubertin in 1896. In Athens, small cardboard badges were worn by athletes, coaches, and reporters for identification.
More than a century later, the badges have expanded and evolved into extremely detailed, intricate and sometimes technological pins, personalized for participating countries, news organizations, brands and even individuals.
“They are like little pieces of art,” passionately declares Nicholas Wolaver, a dedicated American collector and dealer.
Los Angeles 1984 It was fundamental, according to the many pin traders on the streets – that’s when many of them started collecting.
“You had media badges, sponsor badges, athlete badges, mascot badges. They found a way to really monetize pins for the public, and people were going crazy,” Wolaver says of these games.
After two Olympics held without spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic, pin pandemonium has resurfaced.
“Paris has been really good for collecting badges because after the pandemic, where it wasn’t possible to trade as many badges in Tokyo and Beijing, people are very excited,” explains Wolaver.
The popularity of pins has been driven by social media and the fact that Olympic athletes themselves are getting into the game. Serena Williams, a former Olympian, described herself as a “world-class badge collector” in a video on the official Olympics Instagram account. She still has her favorites: “There are some from Thailand that I will never trade. I finally managed to get the North Korean badge.”
Andy Murray, from Great Britain, the tennis player who has just retired in Paris, it’s also a complete pin trade, according to former tennis player Laura Robson of Eurosport.
“There is an athlete from Liechtenstein and (Andy) was looking for him throughout the village to try and find this poor man,” she said.
One of the hottest badges from these Olympics is Snoop Dogg’s, which features the rapper turned NBC correspondent blowing smoke in the shape of the Olympic rings.
“What’s really cool is that Snoop Dogg has gotten younger people interested in brooches too,” says Robbins.
The appeal of badge trading lies in its accessibility and inclusivity. Although official Olympic competition is confined to stadiums, badge trading takes place everywhere – even online. (Associated Press pins already sell for $30 to $50 on eBay.)
Wearing clothes seems to be the only condition for participating. Merchants and collectors adorn themselves – their badges, their shirts, their hats – with mosaics of multicolored brooches, shining in the Parisian summer light.
Traders can spot each other from a distance, admiring each other’s hefty collection. The sight of a fellow collector’s vibrant display is often more than enough to start a conversation.
“Pins break down walls where people can start talking to each other,” explains Robbins.
“It was a great way to meet people,” adds Arr Alansod, sitting next to him on the street.
And it doesn’t just make it easier to chat with other enthusiasts. The pins serve as an attraction for curious tourists and newcomers to the Olympics.
“You meet a lot of people,” says Paul Ians, another American visitor and collector. “It’s not so much the other badge traders, it’s the regular people who come to the Olympics.”
Everyone seems to agree that pins are a bridge between people, creating a platform for interesting encounters: “Often these strangers will tell you something you don’t know,” says Ians.
Sometimes these outsiders are a little better known: in their 40 years of trading, French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach are some of Wolaver’s proudest exchanges.
In essence, each badge contains a story, and through trading, people become storytellers, handing out pieces of their own personal, often Olympian, story.
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For more Paris Olympics coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
