Trading Pins at Cooperstown 2008

Located on the outskirts of the “Home of Baseball” (Cooperstown, NY), the Cooperstown All Star Village is the crown jewel of Youth Tournament Baseball. It welcomes all baseball teams, aged 10 and under, sanctioned, independent, travel and select. Teams compete in weekly tournaments (48 teams per week), and at the end, every team and player is inducted into the Cooperstown Youth Baseball Hall of Fame.

Exchanging trading pins are an integral part of the overall experience. It’s a fun way for players to socialize with other players, coaches and umpires.

Months before they reach Cooperstown, teams contact The Monterey Company to begin creating their trading pins. Generally, it takes three weeks to create and ship, however, teams that don’t have finished artwork may need to start earlier to develop their design.

“The bigger, the flashier and the more attractive the trading pin is, the more popular it is to trade,” said Paul Stark, president, The Monterey Company. “These pins are a great way to acknowledge your team’s accomplishments.”

The best way to make your trading pin stand out is to add accessories, such as danglers, sliders, spinners, led blinkie lights, wiggle head bobbers and glitter:

· A dangler is a secondary pin that hangs off of the main pin. Danglers are essentially a second custom made pin designed to accent the design. One popular dangler is a baseball with the year printed on it.

· Sliders are secondary pins that are attached to a main pin via a slot. It is able slide a short distance along the pin, adding movement to the design. Sliders are great for making a player slide into home base, for instance.

· A spinner is a secondary pin that is attached through a hole in the main pin and capped off, allowing it to spin freely. For instance, it can be used to create movement in the wheels of a car or a hurricane hovering over a team’s home state.

· Blinkies are a small light bulb (LED) that is placed on the pin connected to a hidden battery box attachment on the back. When turned on, the bulb begins to blink and attract attention.

· Bobble heads are the danglers of the future. A bobble-head is a secondary pin that is connected to the main pin using a spring attachment instead of a chain. The spring enables the “bobbling” action of the pin. It can be used in many designs ranging from making a player’s head bobble to having your team’s logo spring from your home state.

· With just the faintest hint of light, glitter adds an extra sparkle to your design. At .15 cents per color per location, it’s an inexpensive way to draw attention to your trading pin.