Posted Below Is An Interview With Classicpins Regarding The 2004 Athens Collection. You can also read the Classicpins.com press release sent July 28, 2004. What are the most sought after / most valuable pins? In general, the most collectible pins are the limited edition lines which don't last long before they are sold out. That's the first angle people should take in collecting the Athens line. There are not that many limited pins...not like Salt Lake City. During the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, there were a ton of limited pins. For the Athens Games, we only have a very small amount of limited edition pins that contain the Athens 2004 logo and somewhat of a larger quantity from the USA House Line which features the Athens 2004 USA Team logo. The USA House line has a bit of mystique behind it and will only be distributed to a small amount of retailers. But all and all, they are few limited edition pins. Also, mascot pins and Athens pins that reflect the ancient games are very collectible and sought after. Personally, if I was starting a collection from the Athens Games, I would go after a limited edition pin or two, a pin featuring the 2 mascots and a few pins that reflect the "ancient" icons from the Athens games. Without a doubt, I would collect some pins from the USA House Collection. These pins are already almost sold out and will end up being special by the time the game are completed. What are considered the best of them? This can change on the fly, but as of this interview, here are some highly sought after pins: The First 2004 Athens Pin - - This is the first Athens 2004 Olympic pins release in the USA. It was released in 2002 and commemorates the XXVII Olympiad. Mascot Pins - Throughout all the Olympic games, mascot pins are extremely collectible. People who started collecting the different mascot pins for other Olympic of course will continue to collect mascot pins as games come and go. You can find information on this years Athens Mascots by clicking here Limited Edition Pins - Many if not all of the Athens limited edition pins will be sold out by the time the games are completed. Once a pin is sold out, it obviously adds to the pins value. Here are some of the more popular designs that are sure to be sold out. Athens 2004 Olympics World Flags Pin - Limited Edition 2,004 - This has been the most popular Athens limited pin thus far. Not many left! Athens USA House Opening Ceremony Double Pin - Limited 2,004 - The Opening Ceremonies pins is dated August 13th. Dated pins in general are sought after and the Opening Ceremonies pins are always among the most popular. Athens USA House Closing Ceremony Double Pin - Limited 2,004 - Same goes for the Closing Ceremonies pins. I Was There Pin - even if you weren't, people like to have this one. Greek Food Pins - These pins are fun and they were a big deal in the Salt Lake City Olympic Games...remember the Gelatin Pin? Sponsor Pins Olympic Sponsor pins are very collectible because in general, they are not for sale at retail. The only Olympic sponsor that has a retail line is Coca-Cola. All other Olympic Sponsor pins are given out as either a promotion or an employee recognition/gift. They are not availalbe as a licensed retail product. Since the first Olympiad was contested in 776 B.C., any collector should obtain pin designs that reflect the ancient games. There are many to choose from and best ones are the ones that appeal most to the individual collector. How hot are the Athens pins? Hotter than we expected. We thought that since the games were in the USA in 2002 this was the reason it was so successful for us, but over the past few weeks, we are experiencing a similar Olympic turn as in 2002. Perhaps it is because the Olympics started in Athens that makes this line so collectible, or perhaps the Salt Lake games brought pin collecting to new heights in the USA. So to answer your question, the Athens pins are hot. We are already having stock issues on some designs and the real pin buying for a hot market such as this doesn't reach its height until the actual games begin. Are there pins known for being beautiful or ugly? This one makes me chuckle. I would like to think they are beautiful, but I understand where the question is coming from. That is one reason the line is so unique. There are so many Ancient stick figures and Athens icons. Since the game originated in Athens these designs are a must. Whether a collector thinks they are beautiful or ugly is probably irrelevant. What makes them desirable is the fact that they are either beautiful or ugly and you probably won't see any other Olympic pin designs quite like this ever again (or until the game come back to Athens in 100 years). Is there any price guide available? At this point, collecting the Athens line is done on an even playing field. Unless your going to the actual games you will not have to pay an arm and a leg, pricing is consistent. The non-limited pins sell on Classic Pins for $6.95. The limited pins range from $11.95 to $14.95. Once a pin design is sold out or has stopped production, the value obviously changes. This will happen with most of the Athens pins by the time the game are through. What often happens is that the current line gets sold out and with the demand for more pins, alternate designs are created that may not get sold out since they are introduced late in the game. Therefore, this is the line you want to make sure you acquire. How big a business is this, or is it really mainly trading? We go through Super Bowls, World Series, and even the holiday rush. But no "hot market" compares to the Olympics Games. In order to trade you have to have something to trade...so a collector has to start out with a purchase. Simply put, Olympic pins are the most popular collectible in the world! Companies obviously intentionally create collectibles - how successful are they at this? - Its hit or miss. In regard to Olympic pins, I think the people/collectors that make a pin or a line collectible. Sure, obviously anything limited is collectible, and anything with a story behind it is desirable, but some of the most collectible pins from the Salt Lake City Games were not limited in small quantities and the stories came from nowhere. In other words, some of the hottest Salt Lake pins could not have been predicted ahead of time. The original Gelatin Pin was one the hottest pin from the games. When that was sold out and was discontinued, the Patriotic Gelatin design was introduced to take over the demand for more Gelatin Pins... it came with much less popularity...you never know! Are there well-known collectors? For instance, are there people with particularly large collections? It's amazing. I can not mention names, but some people have such large collections it's unimaginable. The thing is, once you start a collection, your original pins become more valuable when you add to it. It's like completing a set, but there is no defined end to collecting that set. People have collections from Olympic games from many years ago. They can't stop now or there would be gap in their collection and that's a no-no. For more information regarding any press release or comments, please contact Lou Blanco at (800) 851-8209 x 102 or Email Us This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on ClassicPins assumptions and opinions. In connection with the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company provides the following regarding important factors which, among others, could cause the Company's opinions and experience to differ from the anticipated expectations expressed in the Company's forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements These statements involve unknown uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward looking statements. The valuations and uncertainties that may affect the Company's opinion, and the other matters referred to above include, but are not limited to: (i)Pin not stated in the press release that become highly sought after (ii)Pins stated in this press release not being sold out and not having a higher value than inticipated. |
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