1/17

THERE'S A NEW PIN IN TOWN…AND IT IS MAGICAL!


 

I know, I know, a new pin is released every fifteen minutes now. But this one is really different. It's kind of like a Continuing the Tradition (CTT) and Champion Pin Trader all in one. It's the symbol of a true Scooper Trader! And it can only be found on Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom.

It's the SCOOP SANDERSON PIN TRADER PIN!

Scoop has made a lot of Pin Pals over the years, and being a Pin Addict himself, he knows one when he sees one. So The Big Cheese wanted him to have a pin of his own to share with his Pin Pals. If you love pin trading, then this pin is for YOU!

It's a Magical Moments pin in the spirit of the CTT produced in a LIMITED EDITION of 750. Like the CTT, it will not be given on request. It will not be used for guest recovery situations (to make up for a mistake). It will only be given by Scoop to create a Magical Moment for Guests and Cast who show extraordinary enthusiasm for pins.

Each pin is individually engraved with its own serial number, and the background and inscription are rendered in colorful, hand-applied soft enamel by the one and only Scoop Sanderson. This gives each pin a distinctive look, with an extra added touch of TLC from Scoop himself. Each recipient will be noted in Scoop's official register so he can personally vouch for the authenticity of every one of these personalized treasures. Scoop's PTP is a beautiful badge of honor any Pin Trader will be proud to obtain.
And only a lucky few will!

Join Scoop for the One O'clock Pin Talk EVERY DAY EXCEPT FRIDAY & SATURDAY at the EXPOSITION HALL in Town Square at the Magic Kingdom. Learn how pins are made and how to trade, and play games like Secret Pin Trader.
Scoop's seminar has something for everyone, and there's something new & different every time. And YOU just might be the next SCOOPER TRADER!

It only happens at the Magic Kingdom, so stop by and meet Scoop on his Main Street beat, along with some other friendly Citizens of Main Street USA. They could offer you a glimpse of this new Walt Disney World Pin Trader Pin in person.

Go soon and go often. Because when this pin is gone…
IT'S GONE!
__
_###_
............ScOOper Trader
>*<

July 9, 2002
What IS the Scoop?

Or more like WHO is the Scoop?

People frequently confuse me for Scoop Sanderson on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. Hmm, wonder why? Must be my names… um, I mean, OUR names.

I got an email from Diane telling me she would have stopped by with her daughter to see me…um, I mean, HIM had she known about us. Um. I mean. Oh, whatever.

Scoop Sanderson lives and works on Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom. He can show up anytime and anywhere on or around Main Street from, oh say, Town Square to the Castle Hub every day EXCEPT Friday and Saturday. There’s no rhyme or reason to when he’s around, but if you check with City Hall, they’ll know his “scheduled” appearances. I can tell you from personal experience, you are better off NOT looking for him. If you are destined to meet Scoop, you will. (However checking his schedule does improve the odds.) Even people with good pin karma sometimes have trouble finding him, so don’t fret. Scoop is sometimes easier to hear than he is to see. Either way, he’s hard to miss.

He is often found riding the trolley cars and those new-fangled horseless carriages, or just walking his toy dogs, Butterscotch and Licorice. He plays marbles sometimes, and every once and a while does a little fishing down in front of the Crystal Palace. If the Rhythm Rascals or the Dapper Dans are around, they’ll get together with him and try to entertain each other (and even sometimes you) with a little musical interlude.

Things are kinda slow in the early 1900s, so Scoop gets real excited about the Honorary Parade Grand Marshals, and will often escort them down Main Street and around Town Square trying to get everyone as excited as he is. When he’s done, in front of the Harmony Barbershop is usually your last chance to catch him for the day.

EXCEPT Thursday. Some of the biggest excitement on Main Street usually comes Tuesday through Saturday at about half past four (that’s how they’d say 4:30 back then) right after they vacuum up the parade route. It’s then that many of the citizens of Main Street come out in front of the Emporium at Center Street for a big “Hoohah”! And on THURSDAY, Scoop gets to join in, along with Miss Victoria Trumpeto the Town Voice Teacher, or Miss Penelope Prose, the Mayor’s niece.

What’s great is Scoop has a real passion for pins. If there’s some other REEEEEEALLY important news, like a birthday or an anniversary, he kinda does a live, on the spot report for the Main Street Gazette. But he loves his pins and all his Pin Pals, and he’s going to take a moment now to do a little shameless plug. I mean, I am... For him.

As if this hasn’t already been enough of a plug, I still have to tell you about his pin seminar. He calls it “The One O’clock Pin Talk” where you can “learn how pins are made and how to trade.” Here, you can see firsthand the step-by-step manufacturing process for each different type of pin. Dabblers in Pin Collecting need stay only about fifteen minutes to get the meat and potatoes of manufacturing. But the Trading Tips that follow are a buffet of pin trading goodness guaranteed to leave you drooling for more. Before you know it, your lanyard will be dripping with pins. At least that’s what people tell me about their trading experiences AFTER they utilize his info and tips.

It’s a crash course in a circus environment, but Scoop tries to be adaptable to any audience. If there’s a lot of kids, you’re getting the Pindergarten class. If you want to remain sane on such days, come back another day, or see if Scoop can stick around to chat. The kids usually don’t want to stick around too long anyway. Scoop loves kids, and they get a lot out of the seminar, but if Scoop wanted to be a School Teacher, he would live someplace that has a school. And you didn’t pay all this money to bring the kids to the Magic Kingdom just to have them wind up back in class. If you MUST make them suffer through a learning experience, take them to Universe of Energy.

Scoop can only take the Pindergarten version for about twenty minutes anyway, so it’s entirely likely he will answer any questions you have after class is dismissed. But you have to ask! So many people just hover around, he won’t know you’ve traveled all the way from Pokeepsie just to meet him if you don’t say so.

Any other time of day, if you run around Main Street wearing pins and looking like you’re having fun, Scoop will likely approach you to play Secret Pin Trader. He doesn’t like approaching peevish looking people to play his pin games because they always wind up thinking that Disney has put this strange man out on the street to scam them out of pins so they’ll buy more. Little do they realize, they WILL buy more, and they don’t need someone snarfing them for it to happen. The fact is, guests have won pins like the WDW and DL Pin Trader Pins, and even one of the first Champion Pin Trader pins playing Scoop’s games. And it’s a fact of life that nice people are lucky. Since Scoop lives in turn-of-the-century America, he is fond of polite conversation, and good manners go a long way with Scoop. Scoop does not HAVE to play, and sometimes CANNOT play, so don’t take it personally. If people poke or prod, there most certainly won’t be much time for playing. Remember it’s just a game, and they’re just pins.

Whatever you do, remember where you are, and WHEN you are. We’re not in Tomorrowland any more, Toto. Scoop’s still stuck in yesterday, when people’s cell phones didn’t ring in the middle of a conversation with you. Children were seen and not heard. Scoop enjoys the company of the youngest of ladies and gentlemen. But if your kid is wired for sound, turn him loose on Tom Sawyer Island, and then let him nap through the One O’clock Pin Talk. Kill two birds with one stone!

Enjoy a visit with Scoop. He loves just looking at pins. Or whatever. Whether it’s pondering the difference between a Pea-Flicker and a Flea-Picker or a Flex pin and a Mex pin, Scoop is only too happy you’re with him on Main Street USA. He wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Peace, Love & Pins!

 _###_
            ScOOper Trader
>*<

July 1, 2002
I’ve never been a morning person.

Ever since that first year of non-stop trading, when I spent almost every single day, including my Wedding Anniversary, at Walt Disney World, I now try to take weekends off. My wife makes me. She is a founding member of “Pin-a-non” the support group for members of the P.T.A., Pin Traders Anonymoose. As part of the five step program, I am only allowed to go out and play on Friday nights at the Contemporary, closely chaperoned by my five year old daughter, Natalie, whom I frequently try to ditch. Typically she passes out before I do, so I will drive us home, and one of us will carry the other into the house sound asleep often well after midnight. My wife stares at me and tries to hide her mild concern for the lifeless child I’m cradling, whom I plop down to cuddle in Mommy’s arms. Then while they drift off, I’m off to the computer to find stuff for next week’s pin meet.

Anyway, I don’t get out to trade nearly as much as I’d like and last weekend I did something about it.

Recently here in the Sunshine State we’ve been enjoying what Disney might call “Monsoon Mornings!”, where the sun never rises; it just sort of soaks until it’s time for a nice midday steambath, when all of a sudden it explodes onto the scene so the sweltering can begin again. That’s the kind of day it was Saturday when I sprang out of bed and snuck out of the house at 7:30am to go snarf lanyard pins at the Animal Kingdom.

If a “Shark” unloads an inferior pin on an unsuspecting fellow guest, is it any different when we unload what the dealers call “trash” for Lanyard Series and other pin treasures on unsuspecting Cast Members? I think of it as a softer form of sharking I call “snarfing.” Everybody does it. When you want to make a morning of it, ask your Pin Pals if they want to go “snarfing”! Doesn’t it sound fun? We all do it, and I think “snarfing” is what we should call it. The cheaper the “trash” you leave behind, the bigger a snarfer you are.

I’d heard they have lots of good pins on the Cast lanyards at Animal Kingdom, so I made sure to arrive early before the gates were open. On this gloomy morning I thought, “there’s no way people would brave these conditions to go pin trading. And there won’t be any lines for pins! Look at me! I’M NOT IN LINE!” As much as I’ve waited in lines for pins, I can look at even the longest attraction line now and just laugh!

Still, I wasn’t taking any chances. I ALWAYS have more fun trading when I have a leisurely pace. This day I was by myself and determined to have fun, so I just took my time. I sat in my car dressing two lanyards while the rain pounded. One lanyard was to wear and the other was for any REAL trading that might happen. That’s the lanyard I pulled out for actual Traders, who on that particular day were absent except for two. The “Real” Traders (I think they were Lee and Rick) had a couple of decent pins on their lanyards and bags on their shoulders, and a Prince Eric’s dog pin, which I had to have for a little girl who’d done me a big favor. All the other “snarfers” were hitting cast lanyards either right before or right after me, and it didn’t take long to see who they were. Most were in such a hurry that they missed some good stuff I snarfed, which was: Disney Store 2K Walt and Mickey #101; WDW Skyway LE 3500 Commemorative; several ABC-TV Dinotopia, a dozen or so Lanyard Series, plus ALL THREE different AK Lodge CM preview pins. (Extra credit if you know which is which!) The Walt & Mickey and the Skyway pin were both on the same lanyard, and finding them reminded me what it feels like to hit the Lanyard Lotto!

The lanyard I wore had mostly common stuff so I’d look “touristy”, and maybe find the kind of mercy and nurturing for lame little lanyards I try to give others. Plus, I was on a mission, and having done this a few million times, I wanted traders at my fingertips as I smashed and grabbed my way through the concrete jungle. I don’t think my “trash” is as trashy as some. I try to leave a trail of decent stuff behind, especially when the Cast Member is nice. I save the Silver 2000 Flex pins for the ones who have the nerve to ask me for something good, like it’s a big insult to them if I don’t offer them one they like.

I got the scoop from a couple of Cast Members that the jungle trails have lanyards along the way. It was at the entrance to the not-yet-open jungle trail that I discovered that things were becoming a bit competitive. At first, everyone’s all casual. Just hangin’ around... Ho hum… “Hi, how are ya?” . And then… Nobody wants anyone else’s trash, and I’m not pulling out the REAL lanyard in this rain. ---- Ho hum… Then, ah… More rain…! “Scuse me , sir, is this open yet?” “Nope, not till 9:30,” comes the answer… Then…a quick monsoon. And there we stood, five of us. No line; just all the squishy fun of a line!

Actually, Animal Kingdom is lovely in a light rain, and it did rain lightly here and there that morning for at least a minute or two. When I was indoors. But I know there is NO ONE on earth so desperate to observe gorillas or whatever was on that trail that they will stand in that kind of rain to hike OUTSIDE with NO UMBRELLA. Unless they’re SNARFERS! Some were “Secret Snarfers” One couple wore pins; the other couple did not. The couple wearing pins chatted with me; the covert snarfers did not. And they did not have an umbrella. Watching them get drenched was my Magical Moment that day. When the Attraction Host finally gave the go ahead, I could have sworn I heard a starter’s pistol fire. “And they’re OFF!” When we got under the shelter mid-trail, and tore into the ponchos protecting the guides and their pins, it was every snarfer for himself.

We each got a “Cast Lanyard” pin, which I like because they get back to the basics of nice, cheap little oddball pins. But couldn’t they spend the same money on a commemorative type pin so they really mean something, and use THOSE for “Cast Lanyard” pins. The “Kingpin” (or whoever it is that decides the fate of my next pin purchase) must think it’s all about “completing a set”. Don’t get me wrong, I love completing sets, and these are attractive pins that, like any pursuit-type pins, will have special meaning attached to the pursuit itself. I just think they’ve forgotten how to attach special meaning to events with pins, like the recent rededication of the Roy O. train, or the induction of Bush to the Hall of Presidents, or the closing of The Legend of the Lion King at the Magic Kingdom. I’m envisioning a lanyard pin that could be traded only that day at that place that really proves I WAS THERE! Not in line. Just there!

Snarfing.
 

  Peace, Love, & Pins!
 ___
 _###_
            ScOOper Trader
>*<

June 9, 2002

FINALLY! I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT!

I knew it was just a matter of time.

The last time I wrote, I said I’d give you a full-blown expose¢ on how these little darlings of ours are made. How to tell the different materials, blah, blah, blah. It started out okay, but as anyone who has ever heard me talk about pins knows, I talk about EVERYTHING I know until you trick me into trading again.

Writing this column was meant to be informative and FUN, and writing that piece started to feel kinda like a term paper. By "FUN" I meant for me too, and since I teach our Pin Pals "how pins are made and how to trade" pretty much full time, I just couldn’t do it.

I will! Or, actually, something close to it. (It’s a surprise.) You WILL, in any event, learn how pins are made! But another time.

So… lately, it’s seemed like the ol’ inkwell’s been a little dry.
And then…
I MET HIM!

Imagine...

Roy E. Disney.

(Please go back now, and pause long and hard.)

What a man. (Pause. Please.) What a name. (Slow.) What a day…

"Disney Magic," I said. "We see it here, first hand, every day".

"Your name is constantly followed by ‘Magic’, and it actually IS!"

"MAGIC!" is what I said to Roy in the Q&A this afternoon.

But I’m jumping ahead.

Like most people, I have a lot of Disney memories. I’ve been a guest at the Magic Kingdom since it first opened. I was born in California, and have very vague, very early childhood memories of The Happiest Place on Earth. Grandma and Grandpa said the kids and the lines were always too crazy there (yeah, even then.) When we moved to Florida, we’d watch the Wonderful World of Disney, and Mom and Dad would talk about Disneyland and how they’d see Mr. Disney come by. It made me a little sad because, even as a child, I knew I’d never know what it was like when Mr. Disney comes by.

As long as I can remember being aware of the younger Disney namesake, I thought Roy Elias Disney looked an awful lot like his Uncle Walt. And for a long time, not too long ago, (I think) he sported a moustache like Walt did back when it was a big Disney no-no.

The moustache was absent today when Roy E. Disney rode in proudly at the helm of the newly restored Roy O. Disney locomotive, rededicated to the Walt Disney World Railroad at a "Special Celebration". A posthumous reunion for brothers Roy and Walt is what it was, I thought. But here was Mr. Disney himself at the controls, driving, smiling and waving, and it was he who stopped on a dime this 80-ton modern day wonder, just like the daily-ops Engineers did twice earlier in the morning at rehearsal.

By showtime, many familiar faces were gathered in front of the Mickey Floral, and numerous Train Buffs were a form of groupie that was new to me. Train Buffs are a lot like Pin Traders, only they’re mostly men and their pins weigh tons. A Century or two ago, when this train was new, people probably marveled that such a machine could be conceived. As it pulled into the station, I could only wonder how there are any Craftsmen still around who could restore such a glorious, functional work of art. Turns out, they’re there, in Tennessee, and they know HOW to build a TRAIN! Take a close look.

Seeing Mr. Disney step down off the steam engine, I thought, whoa, he looks like Grandpa a little. Not old, really. Just tired. Won’t be long before he’s zipping around in one of those electric scooters, those "Outta My Way! People Movers", like a fast, furious, FOCUSED Indy 500 Speed Trader out snarfing up all the Lanyard Series pins.

Then I remembered how hot those engine compartments can be.

Now, I dress a little, oh, let’s just say "more" than most people do in this Florida heat. And I was… well… soaked. I thought, "so THAT’S why there’s always two guys in the engine compartment all the time! They take turns passing out!"

Truth is, I think Roy WAS a little overcome by it all, just like we get every time we return to "The World" after a long absence. I’m there everyday practically, and this kind of surprise "fill-in-the-blank" celebration thing still has a soft spot with me.

(And speaking of which, I just have to say right here, I’m sorry, but I’m done celebrating "PINS!" I’ll have a "Pin Celebration" when I don’t have to pay twenty-five bucks to go stand in line to pick-up the pins I maxed my credit card out charging "on or about" two weeks ago. Here’s something I’d celebrate… a FASTPASS for pin lines!)

Anyway, here we all are again: the fabulous Magic Kingdom Band (aka The Main Street Philharmonic) Mickey in a snappy themed outfit, a freakishly excited and tongue-tied Emcee. Only, this "show in a minute" wasn’t just another slapdash flash in the pan. It truly, sincerely seemed to mean something special to Mr. Disney. This was a tribute to his Dad, whose little brother was the man, the legend, THE ENTERTAINER, THE INNOVATOR, THE VISIONARY, and (are you trading that?) THE IMAGINEER!

So it wasn’t long before we saw Roy’s familiar smile return like daybreak, and heard warm, heartfelt words in that rich, resonant voice, the voice that takes you back, spellbound, to your TV set, listening to Uncle Walt invite us to his newest playground. Come out and play!

And Finally… I felt the handshake. That handshake that had the full power of A Hundred Years of Magic. And I felt that connection, that "I AM SOMEBODY" feeling that so many Cast Members so often give me. I honestly expected him to just blow right past me.

But he looked me right in they eye, WHOEVER I was… and he shook my hand. Shook it good. I guess there IS such a thing as the perfect handshake. And I got three during the few moments I got to hover around him.

As I look back at him there onstage, I actually don’t remember much of what he said today. I don’t think he DID say much today. He didn’t have to. Just being there said so much. I overheard a couple of the older train fellas mention it feels real good to see someone from the family here with us again. They felt they had to whisper that.

I still often wonder what things would be like if Walt showed up around the parks, just, like at a popcorn stand or to ride It’s a Small World, the way he used to at Disneyland. Roy E. Disney sort of answered that question for me today when he said how much fun it was to see kids’ faces still lighting up. He told everyone what a great job they’re doing to keep that Magic alive. He said he thought some of the kids at the attractions (hosts & hostesses) recognized him today, and maybe smiled a little more. Or maybe they DIDN’T recognize him, but they smiled anyway.

I smiled. A lot.

As I sat there in the Disney Story Theater, far away enough from him for me to take in the whole picture, yet close enough for me to look him in the eye, I thought it was funny that he was wearing a Hawaiian lei. What’s funnier is as I look back on the picture in my mind, I see him wearing Mickey Ears.

And I thought, "so this is what it’s like when Mr. Disney comes by."

Peace, Love, & Pins!
___
 _###_
              ScOOper Trader
>*<

Time to take a peek into the Scooper Trader Mailbag!

Dear Scooper Trader,
I was referred to you by one of your favorite Pin Pals, Bob Neitzel, your friend from International that makes the School Buses. I’m a School Bus (and a model) from Chicago, and Bob helped me fulfill my dream of becoming an enamel pin. Would you please use me to help describe the process?

Dear School Bus,
Sure!
(Nice Headlights!)
Below is our Pin-up Pin as she appeared in a recent advertisement. To her right is her beauty makeover into a dazzling pin. We find her more desirable now, don’t we Traders? And when she puts her STOP Sign away, it’s away we GO!



Let’s take a look at the steps it took to create that miniature work of art on the right.

That’s what each pin is, you know. A little handmade work of art. They’re not just churned out of some machine by the thousands . They’re individually minted, almost like a coin, then hand filled with colored enamel, fired, polished, electroplated, and polished again. By the thousands! In fact, enameling specifically refers to the fusing of the colored enamel material to the metal by firing it. And that’s why we call ALL PINS of this type ENAMEL PINS.
But before we create your little treasure, another work of art must be created.



Using a photo model, the artist prepares a detailed line drawing. This is enlarged and transferred to a large wax plate the size of a small dinner plate (NOT SHOWN). A tracing machine (NOT SHOWN) helps the artist transfer the image to a round block of soft metal called a “Coin”. Once it is etched, and the detail perfected by the artist, the metal is hardened through a magnetic process, and that forms the die.
(YAY! SHOWN BELOW, but with a slightly different bus.)



This is secured into a press that will pound it into the ingot with tons of pressure, thus transferring the reverse image into the copper. (Brass and bronze can be used, too.)
NOTE: Find the two dots down by the wheels. You’ll see what they’re for soon.




Once the impression is pressed in (kind of like a regular coin is minted) it is punched out like a hole punch with another two-ton cookie-cutter press called a “Punch”.



The two pieces you see fit together perfectly. The stamped ingot is laid on the larger piece. The two dots on the ingot are aligned with the two small holes on the larger piece. This provides the “Registration” or alignment, ensuring that the smaller piece (the “Punch”) cuts precisely into the ingot.
Here’s what you get:



That’s IT?!?

Yes! I told you these are little handmade works of art. Now it’s back to the drawing board.
 (No, we’re not starting over.)

Next, the line drawing must be colored to guide the Colorist in coloring the pin through to its completion.



(I’m already exhausted, so here it is in a nutshell…)

Each color of the epoxy enamel is applied by hand, using a syringe to inject it directly into the recesses as shown. This takes a while because the pin has to be fired after every color. I’m told it’s forty minutes per color at a temperature that’s almost as hot as Florida in August. (The way they sometimes have us wait in lines with no shade, it’s a wonder we’re not all big enamel globs. Oops. Commentary. Sorry.)

Anyway, here are the stages following up to the First Polish.




The finished product!

Had enough?

But wait! What about the electroplating process?!

Sorry, I just don’t have it in me right now. Let’s just say it’s an electrochemical process that makes them really sparkly and shiny.

It’s estimated that TWO HOURS cumulative time is put into EACH PIN. Think we might appreciate our little babies a little more now?

Hopefully the process is a little clearer. I know there’s stuff missing, and we’ll try to fine-tune this a bit. But at least you get the idea.

And this is just the MOST COMMON Process. There’s still Cloisonné, Soft Enamel, Domed Enamel, Litho…..and MORE!


Peace, Love, & Pins!
___
 _###_
              ScOOper Trader
>*<

2/4

There’s Enough Pins for Everybody by Scooper Trader

I had a nasty pin experience today, and my Best Pin Pal, Al, suggested I write about etiquette. I know many of you are “Seasoned Citizens”, so don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d rather not waste any more thought on that batty ol’ biddy today.

Those who know me know I love everyone. That’s really why I do what I do for a living. But every three years, there’s…just…one. Suffice it to say, if somebody doesn’t want to trade, just leave us alone. Or the next time, we may just have to kill you. Murder by multiple pin pokes is something that none of us wants to see happen, so…

Let’s talk about the rest of us Pin Traders.

I have some favorite Pin Pals, and since so many of them are from the World Wide Wire, I’m lucky that, at one time or another, they will make a visit to see me in my part of The World. Some of them are my Web Celeb friends, the people who work so hard to bring us together through this medium by providing round the clock click fixes of pin chat, news and information. Since there’s a new pin coming out approximately every fifteen minutes, we count on them more than ever to do their volunteer work.

What makes them stand out to me more so than their cyber-fame and philanthropy is what great traders they are. Fun, generous Traders who make trading easy. Especially when they have to say “no”. Which rarely happens when two good traders come together. Despite the fact that I’m in the fortunate position of being a conduit for hundreds of trades every week, it is the exchanges with these particular Traders that always stick in my mind. They are the ones I turn to when I need to put a Batty Biddy out of my misery.

Thanks to the magic of this medium, my collection includes many pins that I will never be able to associate with a face, due mostly to long distance trades. This is new to me, and it makes me appreciate the Pin Pals I meet in person even more. Knowing them as I do now, it’s just as much fun for me to put aside my wants and desires to help these friends find their “Holy Grails”. It’s so simple to do, and it’s sure to make you confident that you’re spreading the kind of good “Pin Karma” that Traders like my buddy ZX Dad always share so freely.

There’s also legendary Traders like one of my personal heroes. He’s so modest, he’d probably be embarrassed if I mentioned him by name, so let’s just call him “Ward”. “Ward” is “Pinnish” for Walt. What amazes me about “Ward” is how he can have all that beautiful facial hair completely camouflaging his mouth, without a trace of his latest meal hanging around in it. In addition, that full, not-even-really-gray beard and gentle demeanor make me feel like I’m trading with the Father Christmas of Pins every time we meet. I wish all trades felt so warm and fuzzy. But then trading with Ward wouldn’t be so special, would it? He’s not only got great pins, he KNOWS pins. I never talk to “Ward” without learning something. He’s fair, honest, and sincere, and he doesn’t go around handing out pins to kids just to look cool, or worse, trying to score a CTT. Or at least (thank goodness!) not around me. Actually, were he to give a kid a pin, I’m sure he’d do it with humility and a minimum of fanfare, because that’s the kind of guy he is. (Kinda like me.) And since he knows that there’s a good home for every pin, I think he would agree that we cannot determine the path a pin will take to get to that rightful home.

Just prepare a good home, and your pin will find its way to you. Oftentimes we must create space by sending another pin on its journey to find its home. Or even better, we’ll find a loving home for it in someone’s (Hallelujah music!) “Permanent Collection”.

But parting with a pin really should begin with an offer. It’s okay to make a suggestion when someone doesn’t know what to ask you for in exchange for the pin that you want from them. But browbeating someone into trading with you is downright carnivorous.

Though she may have gotten the pin she was looking for today, that Batty Biddy will never see her puss reflecting in my pins again. Nor any of the people who were there with me. Saddest of all, I will never get to reach into my pocket and try to find a special pin for her. And that makes me sad. The greatest joy I find in Pin Trading is through acts of selflessness. What goes around, comes around. I’ve noticed sharks usually starve to death, all by themselves.

More valuable than any pin is your reputation. With thousands of new pins needing adoption every day, there’s enough pins for everybody. Sure! Slough one you don’t love off to live with some kid. But don’t forget all those adoptive Traders out there whose only wish is to have that special pin of their own. Pins are people too, you know, and…

Wait a minute. What am I talking about?! THEY’RE JUST PINS!

Tell you what. Let’s spend some time this week appreciating our Pin Pals, and next week I’ll reveal the shocking truth about how pins are really mere pieces of metal and enamel.

Until then, try not to do anything that’ll make people think you’re a Batty Biddy.

Peace, Love, and Pins!

Your Pin Pal,
ScooperTrader

1/29
"Get The Real Scoop"
This is a new weekly section you can find here in the news and on the "Get The Real Scoop" Discussion Board. This article will be presented on multiple Disney pin information sites and presented by Scooper Trader. This article will tell you all about the life and times of pins. Now may I present:
"Get The Real Scoop" by Scooper Trader
Walt said, "Whatever we accomplish belongs to our entire group." For the Pin Trading Community, nothing could be truer. None of this would be nearly as fun if not for our combined efforts. It is great people like you who make this the great pastime that it is.
Dizpins has been and continues to be an inspiration to us all through the revolutionary and very popular Dizpins.com site. PinPics has been after me forever to write something to share with the countless fans of Pinpics.com. And Dizneypins  promoting  seminars at WDW have never been more popular. 
In the spirit of this sentiment, I'd like to share with all pin fans information that will be beneficial to all traders, and consequently I believe to pin trading in general. It will include helpful information and tips I picked up through your sites and fans, as well as the great many traders I meet all the years.

What’s Happening to Me?!
Do you find yourself spending an entire day at Disney without riding one attraction?
Do your fingers show evidence of little pinpricks all over them?
Do you find yourself drawn to people whose chests sparkle and gleam in the sunlight.
Do you even remember if those people had faces?!
You’re not alone!
Thousands of people just like you are sharing the same experience… Pin Fever!
Unlike adolescence, Pin Fever can strike at any age.
Children of all ages are falling for this captivating and quirky treasure hunt. Fully grown adults say things to their children, like, “Look! See! Everybody’s doin’ it! C’mon! There’s a Cast Member lanyard!”
For years, the Walt Disney Company has offered hundreds of styles of enamel pins, each uniquely designed and inspired by the treasury of Disney’s best-loved Characters & Attractions, Holidays and Events. Pin Trading is the new sensation at Walt Disney parks throughout the globe. It’s continued popularity seems only to increase, and with the 100 Years of Magic Celebration, Walt Disney himself appears on more pins than ever before. Walt memorabilia has always been very popular, collectable and valuable. Pins bearing his image are the perfect tribute to the man for whom this new Disney Tradition would surely have been a favorite pastime.
That’s because Pin Trading is family fun that’s all about meeting new friends who will continue to meet during their visits to Disney Parks and events throughout their lives.
Now, how harmful can that be?
So relax. Enjoy what’s happening to you and your body. (Your shoulder is starting to droop from carrying a fifty pound pin bag!) We will get through this together.
Your Pin Pals are here for you. And yes, I am one.
My name is Scooper Trader…
…and yes I am a Pin Addict.
Please join me as we explore the History, Manufacturing, Etiquette, and Stories of this addictive hobby, as well as the people who make it so fascinating and FUN!