26/4: Top Pin Trading Locations in London

In the run up to the Opening Ceremony, I plan to publish a series of short articles written by a guest blogger. With experience of previous summer and winter Olympic Games, they will share some of their experiences with new pin traders or those who are not familiar with London.

Over the next 10 weeks, they will highlight 10 top places in and around London where you will have the opportunity to meet collectors and trade pins. Hopefully these pointers will make your trading just a little bit more successful.

In no particular order, we start this week with...

Public Transport

The London Underground - what is the first thing that springs to mind? Maybe quiet commuters, nose buried in a newspaper or a book? Nobody talking, everybody trying not catch each others eye? Well think again! During the Olympics the tubes will not be packed with commuters, but with spectators, day trippers, tourists, volunteers and Olympic enthusiasts!

In Athens and Beijing the newly-built metro systems were a prime location for swapping a pin or two. Everybody takes public transport during the Olympics, and many people will be sporting newly acquired pins on their lanyards, uniforms and maybe even their hat.

The tube or the bus are a great place to ask the person sitting or standing next to you whether they would like to swap the pin they are wearing for one of yours. So make sure you are wearing a few pins at all times - or at least carry a few handy in your pocket - you never know when you might bump into somebody who would be willing to trade that rare pin you need for your collection.

We wouldn't suggest that you ride the underground round and round just for the sake of trading a pin - but when you do use public transport then take the opportunity. The Olympics is the biggest festival a city ever gets to host - so lets take that friendly spirit into the Underground and get trading.