Pin traders on the Vancouver streets are driving hard bargains to land elusive collectibles in the final days of the Olympic Games.
At the heart of the hunt is a pin produced by Japanese network TV Tokyo. It features furry yellow anime character Pikachu and four maple leafs over the words 2010 Vancouver.
The inch-wide pin is selling for as much as US$192.15 on online auction site eBay.
Olympic visitor Antoni Papio pulled out one of the treasured pins safely tucked away deep inside his backpack.
“For my collection,” the Andorran proclaimed in broken English. “This is the premier television cartoon. Pikachu is a big pin.”
Travis Vance, a trader stationed near Robson Square, let the coveted pin slip through his fingers without knowing its value. “I had it for about 10 minutes and then I traded it,” he explained. “I didn’t know it was so special.”
In return for the pin, Vance received a gold-coloured CTV pin valued at $30 on the street.
The price of pins can skyrocket in value depending on the source, such as media networks or national Olympic committees, or the number of pins produced, said Peter Koula who’s been trading since the 1988 Calgary Winter Games.
Collectors are also coveting a shield-shaped pin by the NBC television network with a sliding top that reveals a second logo underneath.
Liam March didn’t know the pin was valued at more than $300.
“I traded for it,” said the nine-year-old. “I don’t really know how I built up my collection. I just get free pins from media.”
March had left Granville Street by the time Vancouver police showed up asking traders to move a few blocks over to the library because they were vending without permits.
“I’ve been to Beijing, which is in a communist country, and not even they kicked us out,” Koula said. “I’m shocked. I don’t even know how to react.”
