Why Pin Trading?

You can find the official Odyssey of the Mind Pin Trading Rules here.

Short video: Pin trading at WF explained by a division III student, Aine Devins.

Pins are an important part of the World Finals experience. How many pins you purchase is really up to your team. You know best your kids and the financial situations of their families. Some teams want every child to have the same pins for trading; others let the individual families determine their budget/interest. Most kids really love pin trading and it becomes the activity of choice while at WF. There are a very few kids for whom it has little appeal but the great majority of them will be begging to go pin trade. A full pin towel is an amazing souvenir of the experience. As pins are traded one-for-one (generally set-for-set), ask what you'd like to have on your towel when you return to Texas. Generally about 30-50 pins (either from this year or previous) will net you pins from a fair number of other states and countries. One thing that will not trade well is non-Odyssey of the Mind pins. It is also considered wrong to try and pass off a non-Odyssey pin (like from a city or state) as an official Odyssey pin.

Pin trading is not for students only. Coaches, parents, even Officials get caught up in the trading fever. Be mindful to only trade in permitted locations (NOT on competition sites).

Pin trading at the World Finals resembles a giant marketplace but without money. Everywhere you look, except for competition venues, kids will be eagerly trading pins. Pins are supposed to be traded one-for-one. Most kids want to trade full sets though, so at Odyssey of the Mind - Texas, we are selling our WF pins primarily in sets. We have sets of different numbers to match what other states do with their pin sets. Generally, for example, you might consider trading a two-pin set for a two-pin set and a five-pin set for a five-pin set. The exception is mechanical or blinkie pins (which are more expensive), they generally count for two pins each or match up with another state's "special" pin (a blinkie or other mechanical pin).  People may ask you to break a set or trade individual pins from your sets. If there's a pin you want, you might decide to break up your set and trade the pins individually. But then know it can be hard to trade the rest of the individual pins in the set. There is a marketplace for single pins, but it is less robust than the one for sets.

No one can predict in advance which pins will be popular and which will not be. Throughout WF, a "currency" is established, and certain pins become the hot ones for that year. It is better to buy a wider range of pins than to put all your budget into a single pin or pin set and have that one be the least desired pin set. Many people find that buying a mega set gives them trading options as it includes entire sets.

Our Texas pins have been very popular and sought after over the years. One reason we make as many different pins as we do is we send a LOT of teams to the World Finals. If all of the kids on all of our teams were trying to trade the same five pins, they would find it harder to find people to trade with who didn't already have those five pins. By having a lot of different pin options, our OMers are generally able to acquire any pin they want, with patience and persistence.

Remember that a good trade is one with which both parties are happy. Different kids like different pins. It is never a bad trade if you get what you want. The most important advice I would give you to share with your kids is that it is okay to say no to a trade. Some kids have a really hard time walking away. But if it's not what you want, there are hundreds of other kids just eager to trade with you. Don't ever feel pressured into a trade.

Team pins can be hard to trade (it just depends). That said, if you are creating your own team/school pin, make sure you get the design approved before you produce it and understand you bear all responsibility for following copyright laws. Please contact preorders@txodyssey.org who will forward to the Directors for approval.

( Important note: team pins are restricted at WF effective 2024.)

Laura Dew, Pin Queen

How many pins should we get?

Many ask how many pins you should get for your kids to trade – the answer is as many as you can afford! A good measure is to start with 20-30 pins. For those who have older pins, those are welcome to be traded at the World Finals too!

For most teams, especially in elementary school, pin trading becomes all-consuming. While it seems trivial on the surface, the real value of pin trading is that it’s an icebreaker for kids who don’t know each other to talk. It’s also something of a universal language when kids speak different languages. No matter how many pins you buy for your kids, they will want more.

Karen Benson, Veteran Coach and Pin co-designer

How can I organize my pins?

Most traders pin their pins on a towel or collection binder so that they are available for display and immediate trade. Use a thicker terry towel to support the weight and roll/fold them with the pins inward for storage. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PIN TOWEL HAS YOUR TEAM NAME ON IT. If you misplace your pins, immediately contact the OM Information Desk at WF.

Set one side of your towel with the pins that you want to keep (including the pins you receive) and the other side with pins that you are willing to trade. If you have multiples of a pin, you do not need to set them all for display, keep them in your bag and when someone is ready to receive it in a trade, use the one from your bag, instead of the one that is pinned on your towel.

Sometimes you should be prepared to trade received pins against other pins, received pins are not necessarily one-way.

Important Note About Pin Availability:

We hope to have enough pins on hand to meet everyone's orders. But, we do not have the luxury of making our order after you submit yours. We estimated demand and ordered pins months ago. It is possible that we could run out of certain pins. If that happens with your order, we reserve the right to substitute pins of equal or greater value for the ones you ordered. We don't anticipate that occurring, but it is possible.