Welcome to the Olympin Collectors Club

2021/2022 Member Pins
Club pins since 1983

Welcome to Olympin

If you are visiting our site because you are a collector of Olympic pins or other memorabilia relating to the greatest sporting event on earth, then you have found the right place. The Olympin Collectors Club is a non-profit group reaching some 500 members in over 30 countries. It is the oldest active pin club in the pin world, recognized for its integrity, reliability and quick service. We invite you to relax, surf around our website and then join us!

Shlomi Tsafrir: 2 Interviews in Sapporo

Shlomi Interview Olympin Club member, Shlomi Tsafrir, is interviewed by a reporter from China News Agency at his store in Sapporo, Japan during the Tokyo Olympic Games. Shlomi invites the reporter into his store to view many fascinating pieces of Olympic memorabilia including the 1964 Olympics official badges of which he is the only collector to have a full set. This 5:30 interview is conducted entirely in English and is wonderful publicity for our hobby!

In a second interview with CNN, Shlomi speaks more about pin trading and the lack of it at these 2020 Tokyo Games.

2021 Olympin Club Memorabilia Show, Atlanta

Time to make your reservations for this year's Olympin Club Memorabilia Show in Atlanta. The show is being held from November 4-7 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel located on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta. No charge to attend. A reception/live auction is planned for Friday night and a banquet for table holders and show attendees is planned for Saturday night. For more information, please visit the official Memorabilia Show website

Olympin member Shlomi Tsafrir interviewed on CNN

Shlomi Tsafrir CNN interview Olympin Club member, Shlomi Tsafrir, was featured along with a Japanese Olympic superfan in a CNN news piece broadcast yesterday evening (22 June 2021) here in the U.S. CNN visited Shlomi at his home in Nagano, in which, he admits with a little prompting, that in "almost every drawer, every cupboard you open ... something Olympic will pop up!" Shlomi's segment begins at about the 1:00 mark, however you'll enjoy the entire 3-1/2 minute segment: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/22/sport/japan-olympics-superfans-hnk-dst-spt-intl/index.html

June 2021 Newsletter

Sadly, this is normally an exciting time for about 100 members who normally attend the Summer Olympics. But COVID-19 won out, and most will be unable to attend the Games. While we will not reunite at the Olympics as usual, we do look forward to meeting in Atlanta in November for the 40th Olympin Festival. (The 39th was cancelled due to COVID.) Details on reserving hotel guest rooms and tables to sell or exhibit are found in this issue. You may also click the link for direct access to the show's website.

This newsletter is longer than usual, filled with interesting articles contributed by members. Ron Finnigan wrote about our upcoming member pins, new NOC logos and the Cortina 2026 logo. Pam Litz updated us on the Tokyo 2020 NOC and Media pins Authenticity Project headed by Steve Robie and Doug Todd. Mark Maestrone updates us about the AICO Web Olympic Show 2021. Plus, new members Matt Nelsen and Nicholas Wolaver contributed interesting articles about COVID-19’s impact on various Athletic Games and a new IOC pin trading concept.

To read this exciting issue, check your email box for our eBlast with a download link to this newsletter. You may also log into the Members-Only Area where all issues are available!

Brisbane set to be named host of 2032 Olympics next month (10 June 2021)

Brisbane 2032 It has just been announced that the International Olympic Committee's Executive Board has recommended that Brisbane, Australia be awarded the 2032 Olympic Games. It will be up to the full IOC to vote for the Queensland city at their upcoming session in Tokyo two days prior to the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

For more, please read the ESPN news item.

New York Times Article: "Their Olympics Are Already Canceled" (29 May 2021)

"The collapse of the pin trading market will hardly register amid the more than $15 billion cost of the Tokyo Games, but for avid traders, it’s a huge letdown."

In this New York Times article, Olympin Club members, Bud Kling and Sid Marantz are interviewed about the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games and how the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic will impact pin trading.

Read the entire interview by clicking here.

AIWOS 2021 - AICO Virtual Exhibition - Regulations

AWOS 2021 logo We are excited to announce that the Regulations for the upcoming inaugural AIWOS 2021 Exhibition are now available along with the Schedule for the event.

This will be the first time that Olympic and sports memorabilia and pin collectors, along with stamp collectors, will have the opportunity to exhibit their collections in competition.

Be a part of the history and heritage of the Olympic Games! As the Olympin Collectors Club is an AICO member association, all Olympin members are invited to participate by exhibiting their collections free of charge.

This information is also available on the AICO website: aicolympic.org/aiwos2021.
In the meantime, you may direct any questions to: aiwos2021@aicolympic.org.