27/1: Police Pin Update

I've found out that the police/London 2012 pin on eBay is NOT issued by the police in connection with the Olympics.

Apparently it was issued some time ago internally to support a charity and has absolutely no connection with London 2012. The letters in the rings represent traffic garages in London. I've therefore removed it from the listings and added it to the unofficial page so that future readers will know a little more about it. I think it's an interesting curiosity, but not part of the catalogue.

18/1: eBay Round-Up

Seems like most of the interesting pin activity is happening on eBay at the moment so here's a quick round up.

An Adecco pin (ADE0001) went over the weekend for £51. I think this is the top price paid so far for one of these pins and (someone please let me know if I'm wrong) I think the top price paid so far for a sponsor pin?

The Metropolitan Police Olympic Rings pin that went at New Year possibly came from the traffic division. I'm on the trail of more information to confirm this and will report back if I can. I'm holding back adding this one to the inventory until I get more details.

Finally a new Visa Europe pin has appeared - VSA0009. A rectangular gold pin with the 2012 logo and Visa Worldwide Partner. Again I'm trying to find out more details. I'll add this one to the inventory as it appears genuine.

If you have any news you think should be shared, please drop me a line.

Is this the mini-logo pin ?

We have heard the rumours about the mini-logo pin and also (probably) seen the 6 logo pins being offered on eBay. Are they one and the same?

I was sceptical about the 6 logo pins on eBay (especially after buying another set of pins from China which were of poor quality and, in my opinion, possibly fake). I was also sceptical because the seller told me the pin numbers were 20 - 25. Why would LOCOG issue the 4 colour logo pins, the Paralympics logo pin and the Union Flag logo pin again with different numbers.

Curiosity got the better of me, the price came down, so I jumped in and bought a set.

They arrived today and on closer investigation I'm impressed. If they're fakes - they're good. The quality of the enamel is spot on, and if you rub your finger over the Union flag pin, you can feel where each colour has been printed - just like the original pins. The most noticeable difference though is the size.

(Click on the picture for a close up view)

As a comparison..

The pin on the left (original)

• Pin number 11
• 38 x 25mm
• Reverse markings - 2012-11, <=100000, (R)(C) LOCOG 2008, Honav

The pin on the right (New addition)

• Pin number 25
• 23mm x 20mm
• Reverse markings - 2012-25, <=20000, (R)(C) LOCOG 2008

Note there's no manufacturer marking on the new pin although it does have the triangular pattern on the back. They came in plastic bags, no backing card - no surprise.

Note, also, that the gaps between the 4 numbers in the logo are not punched through like the originals but filled with a 'frost effect'. Would fakes go to that trouble?

Also, each pin in the new set is marked as an edition size of 20,000. The original 5 pins (4 colours and Paralympics) had no edition size.

So, what do you think we have here - a new set (the numbering is in the correct sequence), the mysterious mini-pins, a set of fakes?

Let us know your opinions.