Steph Curry, Simone Biles lead Olympic pin collectors. Snoop Dogg’s pin hottest in town

Pins and badges are the friendship bracelets of the Paris Olympics 2024.

If you loved the friendship bracelet craze at Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concerts, an older tradition is back again: pin collecting at the Olympics. In case you missed it, athletes at Paris 2024 are amassing memorabilia in the guise of posh badges and pins this past week.

From gymnast Simon Biles’ signed heart-shaped piece to Snoop Dogg’s pops of smoke number, souvenirs from this year’s Summer Olympics transport stories of friendship and solidarity. 

Scott Bregman and Simon Biles. Photo from Olympics.com

A touchpoint for sportsmen and traders alike, the practice traces back to Athens in 1896, where badges and pins were symbolic of the participants’ national identity. Nowadays, it is a gesture of camaraderie between countries and cultures, giving fans a chance to connect with people and Olympians from all over the world in a refreshing and rather sweet way. 

“I have a vest and these are all the pins that I’ve gathered from attending 14 different Olympic Games. Paris is number 14,” professional American pin collector Ed Schnider said in a video on the Olympics page. A veteran in pin trading, he takes pride in participating in the annual plenary. Now, he is vying for a new haul at this year’s Olympics. “How many pins exist? Oh, that has to be in the millions at least.” 

Pins across many Olympics. Photo by Getty Images

Basketball superstar Stephen Curry, for one, was spotted at the Paris 2024 opening swapping badges on the U.S. team boat. “Stephen Curry is all in on the pins,” the Team USA page posted on X.

Retired netter Serena Williams, who refers to herself as a first-class pin collector, flashbacked to when she first forayed to collecting pins. In an Instagram clip shared by The Olympic Games, Serena said: “I had a lot of fun. It all started in Sydney [2000]. I didn’t play singles in Sydney. Shockingly, I didn’t qualify, but I took that opportunity to trade pins. So it was great.”

As to what her favorites are from the keepsake flock, Serena ran through the rarest ones that she owns. “There’s a few Thailand ones I’ll never trade. I finally was able to nab the North Korea pin in Rio. So I would never ever, ever trade that. There’s even countries I think that don’t exist anymore.”

Pin collector Ed Schnider. Photo from Olympics.com

There even exists Olympin, termed “the world’s largest Olympic collectors club.” On its website, Olympin wields some 500 members from its super clique, who hail from over 30 countries. “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,” its profile claims. “We invite you to relax, surf around our website, and then join us!”

Meanwhile, the official Olympic store, which sells Summer Olympics merchandise like medallions, lanyards, figurines, and more, features pictogram and mascot pins. There are more than 70 items to choose from, including landmark pins like Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Clothing, magnets, drinkware, wall decor, and mascot collectibles are also available in the said shop.

The new lifestyle.