How pin trading became the 'unofficial sport' of the Canada Games

The Canada Games bring the best athletes from across the country together in competition, but there’s another game being played: pin collecting.

At this year’s Canada Winter Games on Prince Edward Island, collectors have travelled from as far away as the United States and Vancouver, B.C., to get a shot at some of the games' rarer pins.

Barry Taman, vice president of The Pin People, has been making pins for 30 years, including for the last 10 Canada Games.

“Pin trading is really the social part of the games,” said Taman. “The unofficial sport, we like to call it, and it is, basically, the old barter system. It's a great way to meet everybody across Canada."

Taman said it takes about a year and a half to develop the hundreds of designs for the games -- for teams, sponsors, volunteers, and sports.

Provincial and territorial teams give their athletes pins and encourage them to make trades.

“We made some archery-specific pins for the game, and I knew I wanted to trade a bit, and then, we’re standing in the lobby yesterday and got swarmed,” said Morgan Lipford, an archer with Team Nova Scotia. “It just went from there, and it's surprisingly fun. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it this much."

Pins have been around almost as long as the games themselves, and the pin-trading culture has slowly developed over years.

Collectors see each other at every event they go to, and some make the trip just for the pins.

The most dedicated traders have been doing it for 30 years or more, while the rookies haven't wasted any time getting into the spirit.

“I feel like it just brings good vibes,” said Alana Serhan of Team Saskatchewan. “I definitely wanted to trade up for the blue jay pin. That was a big win for me."

For some, they will just be keepsakes, while others will turn this pastime into a lifelong pursuit.