31/5: Pin Swapping - QEOP - 8 June 2014

As part of the Commonwealth Games baton relay, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is hosting a Festival of Sport on Sunday 8th June. Click here for details. The day runs from 9.30am until 5pm and one of our number has managed to arrange a pin swapping area. A few collectors will be there throughout the day hosting a small 'show & tell' of London 2012 Olympic pins as well as swapping pins with visitors.

If you fancy catching up with some collectors, seeing some London 2012 pins or trying your hand at swapping pins then come along.

I'm not sure where we will be based, but I'm told it should be in the south of the park in the vicinity of the stadium. Keep an eye on Twitter (@londonpins and @markkasspins) and Facebook (London Pins) on the day for news and location.

As usual when we get together, there is no selling of pins and there is no obligation on either party to swap pins.

Hope to see as many as possible there.

1/4: Pin Meet - Saturday 5th April - Olympic Park

It looks like we have more than a handful of people that are interested in meeting up in the newly  opened south section of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park this Saturday.

The weather looks ok-ish. Should stay dry if a little cool.

I suggest that we meet up at 'The Podium' near the Orbit. From what I can tell, this is the venue that houses the shop for the Orbit and where you can buy food and drink. I don't think we'll be able to take up tables/seats at the Podium itself, but hopefully we'll find a patch of grass nearby. It looks like it's in the same area that the Coca-Cola pin trading centre occupied - it's a sign!

My original suggestion was a picnic and pin trade - I'll let you decide if you feel like the picnic!

I suggest we meet at 12pm, to give people time to get there. The park opens at 10am, so it'll give a chance for any queues to disperse.

Click here to take a look at the QEOP news page describing the opening on Saturday.

Click here to view the latest park map - you can see 'The Podium' marked at the bottom of the map near the Orbit.

Please remember that we're only there to trade and swap pins - no selling!

Hope to see lots of you there on Saturday.

25/2: Potential Pin Meet - Olympic Park 5th April 2014

Who's up for an open air pin meet on the day that the south part of the Queen Elizabeth Park opens to the public - Saturday 5th April 2014. Read more about QEOP here.

Rather than go to a specific venue, I was thinking that we could meet up at an agreed location (for example at the Orbit) and then find some benches or a patch of the park, and set out a few bags of pins.

I think we'd mainly trade between each other, but you never know, if there's some interest, we could think about going back a month later or so. As the park opens that day, there should be some good footfall and maybe some press interest.

So, who fancies coming along with their pins, a rug, some sandwiches and an umbrella (essential British travelling items).

I suggest we meet at 12pm at a location to be agreed and then take it from there.

Please 'sign-up' by way of a comment below and leave any suggestions as to where would be a good meeting point - easy to find but fairly specific please.

If we get enough people, then I'll post something here nearer the date with specifics.

10/11: November Meet Report

We held another pin meet yesterday at the Railway Tavern in Stratford. Despite the bad weather, the turn out was good if not quite as large as port-Games last year. A few key faces could not be there, but there was a steady flow of trades though out the day.

Thanks to Tragars Collectables, everyone there received 2 free Coca-Cola retail pins from a choice of 5 designs and those with children each took again set of Coke bracelets too.

It seems that collectors had been busy since the last meet as we saw a number of new designs which hadn't appeared before from sponsors, media and internal pins.

A few of us discussed a schedule of meets for next year, and the plan is to get together in late March, late July (to coincide with the 2nd Anniversary of London 2012) and then mid-November - an approximate 4-month schedule. Watch this space for new of the next pin meet.

Our thanks to Jan and the team at the Railway Tavern for hosting us free of charge once again.

8/9: Next Pin Meet - 9th November

Following on from the two trading events in the summer, I'm pleased to say that a number of people contacted me about arranging another pin meet before the year was out.

So, I've arranged for us to have another meet in November, here are the details...

Date: Saturday 9th November 2013
Time: 2.00pm - 6.00pm
Venue: The Railway Tavern, 131 Angel Lane, Stratford, E15 1DB
Cost: Free

Once again, Jan has let us use the pub free of charge, so please buy some food and drink while you're there.

As always, the invite goes out to regular pin traders as well as anyone who is just starting out collecting or swapping pins having caught the bug at the Games or perhaps the Anniversary Games in July.

There's no need to register to attend, just pop by and see if you can fill any gaps in your collections. If you haven't been to a meet before, then we'd love to meet you. Many of the 'first-timers' say how friendly the events are and most people come again.

If you want to email me - info@londonpins.co.uk to say your coming it will help me gauge numbers - but there's no obligation or register for freebies this time.

Look forward to seeing lots of you there.

24/7: Pin Trading at the Anniversary Games

UPDATE 26/7: a busy day at the Olympic Park today. Lots of interest in the pin trading, but once again not many had brought their pins with them. 

Many of the visitors had a chat about pin collecting, and many plan to come again over the weekend. 

So, if you're coming tomorrow, come along and see us in the Spectators Village. 

This week sees athletics return to the Olympic Stadium and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sainsbury's are hosting the Anniversary Games from Friday 26th until Sunday 28th July.

The organisers have provided a pin trading section in the Spectators' Village, and each day up to 6 pin traders will be there to swap pins with ticket holders.

The pin traders will be in the British Athletics Village marquee within the Spectators' Village. They will be adjacent to the British Athletics merchandise stand.

According to the British Athletics website, the doors open as follows...

4pm on Friday
11am on Saturday
12pm on Sunday

...each day, approximately 3 hours before the sport starts - plenty of time to try some pin trading!

So, if you have tickets to the event this weekend, bring your spare pins with you.

Unfortunately, if you don't have event tickets, then you will not be able to access the pin trading area.

Note, the British Athletics website and the OEQP website links above show different door times!

21/7: Pin Trading at Go Local

A few of us went to the Go Local event in the Olympic Park last Friday. The weather was great and helped to rekindle the memories of last summer. The organisers had given us a great central location in the main arena.

There was lots of interest and a few trades made. Unfortunately, despite the organisers best attempts to publicise the fact we were there using social media, lots of people had not brought their spares with them to trade.

However, it was great to meet lots of people - most of the GamesMakers to have a chat about pins and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Thanks to Bill for the photos...

20/6: Anniversary Games - Pin Trading

For those of you that wanted to take part in the pin trading at the Anniversary Games in July, but did not have event tickets - Good News!!

I've had it confirmed that pin collectors/traders who would like to sign up to take a trading space, but do not have event tickets, WILL be able to get accreditation to the pin trading area and therefore get inside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

You'll still need event tickets to get into the stadium, but essentially it's the same set up as last year - collectors/traders can get into the park once they are accredited but only to the stadium if they have event tickets.

So, if this news now means you would like to take part in some pin trading on Friday 26th July - Sunday 28th July, then please drop me an email to info@londonpins.co.uk. As well as your name, please let me know what day(s) you would like to attend.

It's not quite the pin meet and picnic we planned, but it will be a fantastic chance for lots of us to get together and relive the summer of London 2012 (well for 3 days!).

10/6: Anniversary Games - Pin Meet - Details

Thanks to the hard work of a fellow collector - Mark Kass, I'm pleased to confirm that as part of the arrangements for the Anniversary Games, there WILL be a designated area for pin traders.

At the moment, we cannot confirm the size or specific location for the area, but here's what we do know...

• the area will be in the "Spectator Village" (I presume close to the Stadium)
• at the moment, this area is accessible to Anniversary Games ticket holders only
• the area MAY be opened up to non-ticket holders - waiting for details
• accreditation may be required to be a designated trader (like the Coca-Cola centres during the Games), but it looks like anyone can turn up to the tables and trade if they can access the area
• Pin trading will take place on all 3 days of the Games

I appreciate that there are still some unanswered questions, but if you're interested in taking a table/space/seat, then we're collecting names to register your interest. There may be security checks or forms to fill in, we don't know.

At this stage, it's just a matter of collecting names regardless of whether you have tickets for the Games or not. As soon as we know more, I'll post it here.

If you'd like to be on the list then send your name to info@londonpins.co.uk.

Please also indicate if you already have tickets for any/all of the Anniversary Games days.

Remember, I can't take any credit for arranging this, I'm merely communicating the excellent work done by Mark.

9/6: July Pin Meet - Updated Information

Now that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (QEOP) have published details about the activities in the park around the weekend of July 26-28th, it looks like the planned 'picnic and pin meet' will not be able to go ahead.

The north park is being opened with the Open East Festival that weekend and as this is a ticketed event, it seems there will be no part of the QEOP open to the non-paying public. This is different to what was implied after the Games.

The stadium area is only accessible to those with tickets for the Anniversary Games, so there's no common area in the park that we can all get to without paying.

I'm waiting to find out if there may be an area within the Anniversary Games site that we can have a pin trading area - as soon as I know more, I'll publish it here.

So, in summary, at the moment, it doesn't seem that we can find a place where everyone can get to easily that is free and still allows each of us to go to the Festival or the Anniversary Games if we have tickets.

Keep an eye on the blog and as soon as I know more, I'll post here. I suppose at the worst, if you're in the area, bring your pins, wear a lanyard to identify yourself and see who you bump into! We may be able to use email and Twitter on the day to arrange a 'flash pin trade' event.

Hopefully, better news soon...

16/5: Pin Meet in July

I wanted to give you an update on the potential pin meet in July.

There is no definite details to share yet, however I wanted to let you know that one of the collectors has been working hard to secure us a location for some pin trading some time over the weekend of the Anniversary Games in July.

I think there are still logistics to work out on how much of the Olympic Park is open, what access is available to ticket holders vs. non-ticket holders etc.

So, in other words, no news but to tell you that it's being worked on.

21/4: Latest Pin Meet Report

We held our latest pin meet yesterday, and I'm pleased to say that despite the long gap since our last get-together, the enthusiasm (and attendance) was as strong as ever.

There were lots of regular faces but also a large number of new collectors that had caught the bug during the Games and decided to try out a pin meet.

From the feedback I received, it seems that there were a number of very successful trades made with all of us managing to fill gaps in our collections.

A lot of the conversations centred around pins that were not seen during the Games, prices on eBay and how to display collections as well as thoughts towards Sochi and Rio.

Someone from EDF came along and was trading a pin none of us had seen before. It combined the EDF logo with the tagline 'We helped London 2012 shine brighter'.  Whilst it did not contain the London 2012 logo it did use the typeface. There are no back markings on the pin.

Thoughts turned to the nect pin meet and the plans are still to gather in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (the permanent name for the redeveloped Olympic Park) on Saturday 27th July - the anniversary of the Opening Ceremony. Plans are in their early stages at the moment, but will depend on the access available on the day and the number of collectors who plan to attend the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games in the stadium that day. Keep reading the blog as I'll post more details when they are confirmed.

Finally, on a personal note, I'd like to thank everyone there yesterday who were part of my gift. I was really touched by the thoughts and sentiments expressed and appreciate your kind words. 

13/4: Next Pin Meet - Next Weekend

Don't forget - one week to go...

The next pin meet takes place next weekend on Saturday 20th April 2013 at the Railway Tavern in Stratford. We start around 2.30pm and will finish between 5 and 6pm. There will be freebies of P&G Team GB and Team Ireland pins for those that do not have them yet.

As always, everyone is welcome regardless of how much or how little you have to trade. I've had emails from some 'new faces' who hope to be there, so if you're not sure it's for you, then why not turn up, take a look and maybe trade a pin or two.

Hope to see you there.

5/1: Pin Meet - April 2013

Happy New Year to everyone, and to kick the blog off this year, I'd like to announce another pin meet. 

Date: Saturday 20th April

Time: 2:30pm - 6:00pm

Venue: The Railway Tavern, Angel Lane, Stratford, E15 1DB

As usual, there's no cost to attend as the pub has kindly let us have the room for free.

The free pins from P&G will be handed out to those who attend.

I know it will have been a few months since the last one, but hopefully it will give everyone time to find a few new trades!

As always, everyone is welcome. Whether you're an old hand or a novice collector I'm sure you'll enjoy the afternoon.

There's no need to register for the freebies, but if you want to drop me a line to info@londonpins.co.uk it will help me to gauge how many people we may get.

25/11: Pin Meet 12

Thanks to everyone who came along to the Railway Tavern yesterday and made the latest pin meet a success. I think we had between 25 and 30 collectors there at the peak with a mix of old and new faces. The free Lloyds TSB pins were popular and we would like to thank Lloyds TSB for offering them to us.

Thanks too to Jan and the team at the pub for making us feel welcome as always and allowing us to use the room for free.

I think most people there made a few decent trades and felt that the journey was worthwhile.

Talk turned to the next meet and I think we can probably manage one next Spring and then one at the first anniversary of the Opening Ceremony on Saturday 27th July 2013.

Keep an eye on the blog for details of dates and times.

10/11: Pin Meet - 24th November - Free Pins

I'm very pleased to say that one of the most supportive London 2012 sponsors - Lloyds TSB has offered us some pins for the next meet on Saturday 24th November.

Everyone who can make it there will each receive both pins LLY0041 and 42. These were pins issued during the Olympic and Paralympic games. There's no need to sign up to get them, just ask on the day. Obviously the supply is not limitless, but there should be enough for everyone based on previous attendance.

Don't forget, we are at the Railway Tavern in Stratford, but with an earlier start time than usual. We begin at 12.30pm, so you may want to combine the meet with some lunch.

Hope to see lots of you there.

23/10: Next Pin Meet - November 24th - UPDATED TIME

STOP PRESS: The time of the meet has been brought forward to 12.30pm due to a function in the pub conservatory later that day. However, if we want to continue after 4pm, we can move into the bar (space permitting).

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It's only 5 minutes since we had the last pin meet, and already the next one is in the calendar!!

I asked for feedback at the last pin meet (both on the day and via the blog), as to when we should aim to get together again. A few people thought early next year would be good and would give everyone a chance to find new traders. However, the overwhelming majority thought we should ride the wave of enthusiasm and have a mete this side of Christmas.

So, I've approached the Railway Tavern again, and they have kindly offered us the venue on Saturday 24th November 2012 starting at 2.30pm. Thank you Jan and the team.

I'm not going to bother maintaining a sign-up list any more, as the chances of us getting freebies is zero, but if you want to drop me an email to info@londonpins.co.uk to confirm you'll be there, it will help me gauge numbers and enthusiasm - it' up to you.

So in summary...

• Date: Saturday 24th November 2012
• Time: 12.30pm - 4.00pm
• Venue: The Railway Tavern, 131 Angel Lane, Stratford, E15 1DB
• Cost: Free (but please support the pub by having a drink or two)

I hope that lots of you will be able to make it and that the new faces that came last time will want to come back for some more.

14/10: 11th Unofficial London 2012 Pin Collectors Meet

Yesterday we held our 11th pin meet and it was the first time we have gathered since the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was great to see so people there, over 50 this time, as well as so many new faces. Around 70% of the people who came were new to one of these meets.

There were lots of trades carried out and many people were able to fill gaps in their collections. Many people were very focussed on certain themes and I spoke to collectors looking for NOC, media and sponsor pins as well as those trying to find some of the elusive retail designs that did not appear during the Games.

Lots of people I spoke to caught the collecting bug whilst attending an Olympic or Paralympic event and wanted to know more about the hobby. Hopefully they found the group welcoming and will want to come back to future meets.

We would like to thank Jan and the staff at the Railway Tavern for hosting us once again. They let us move the furniture around to make it more open for everyone and looked after us brilliantly - thank you.

Opinion was divided on when to hold the next get-together with some thinking that we should keep interest going by meeting in late November, whereas others though that early next year was a better time to allow people to find some more pins to trade. I'd welcome opinions from readers either by a comment below or by email.

One thing we did agree on is that we should hold a '1 Year' trading event in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park when the first phase opens next year on Saturday 27th July. People felt that a picnic/pin trade event would be a good idea. So if you are interested, keep the date free in your diary. You can read more about the park and the timescale for opening here.

Thanks again to everyone who came along and enjoyed the day - hopefully you'll be able to make it to the next one.

29/9: Next Pin Meet - 2 Weeks to Go

Don't forget that if you would like to come to the next Unofficial London 2012 Pin Collectors Pin Meet, we get together in two weeks - on Saturday 13th October.

We are meeting from 2.30pm at The Railway Tavern in Stratford. Click here for the original invitation and details.

I'm pleased to say that at the moment we have 34 people signed up to join us, that's the biggest pre-registration we've had. Not only that, but almost 60% of these are 'first-timers' who got the pin collecting bug during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

So, if you're still not sure if a pin meet is for you, rest assured there will be plenty of people joining us for the first time, so why not come along and try it out. If you're able to join us and have posted here or on the message board, why not come and try to enhance your collections with a little pin trading?

Hope to see you all there.

27/8: Next Unofficial London 2012 Pin Traders Meet

I'm pleased to say that following feedback from those that replied, I have arranged the next pin meet, here are the details...

• Date: Saturday 13th October 2012
• Time : 2.30pm
• Venue: The Railway Tavern, 131 Angel Lane, Stratford, London, E15 1DB
• Venue Website: http://www.railwaytavernhotel.co.uk
• Cost: Free
• Nearest Transport: Stratford Station (National Rail, Central Line, DLR)

We would love to see as many collectors there as possible, whether you're an old-hand or started collecting during the Games. Please come along and meet other collectors and try your hand at some pin trading post-Games. Don't worry of you haven't got much to trade, you'll be very welcome.

I've had lots of emails from new collectors in the weeks leading up to the Games and during the Olympics, so I really hope that many of you will be able to come along to this pin meet.

If you would like to come, then drop me an email to info@londonpins.co.uk and I'll add your name to the list. Whilst there's no obligation to email me (you can just turn up), I keep a list of names that register, so that if we have any freebies to hand out, they are distributed in a first-signed up, first-served process. So the earlier you email me, the more chance you have of getting any free pins.

As usual I will be inviting licensees and sponsors to join us, so we will see who is able to come.

As for the previous meets, the pub is allowing us to use the conservatory free of charge, so please consider buying some food or drink while you are there.

Let's see if we can get the biggest turn out yet for a pin meet in London and hopefully make this the first of a regular pin meets post London 2012.