Pinny Arcade has a massive community of collectors and traders, and it’s a fun and exciting part of the PAX experience. But trading at the event has changed since the beginning, and the official website’s information is out of date. The community has its own lingo, etiquette, and some shared perception of pin value. I learned a few lessons in my first few years of trading; some from wonderful and supportive community members and some lessons from the school of hard knocks. This guide is here to help you avoid the harder lessons and get the most fun out of your pin trading experience.
What is Pinny Arcade?
Pinny Arcade pins (usually referred to just as Pinny pins) are the official trading pins of PAX and the Penny Arcade community. The idea was inspired by Disney Trading pins, where visitors to the Disney parks can purchase official Disney pins and trade for other official pins worn by cast members. Like their Disney counterparts, Pinny pins are available at PAX, and con members can trade them at shows and online. Since their introduction in 2012, Pinny Arcade has grown a large community of collectors and traders.
The pins feature characters from the Penny Arcade webcomic, images from video and table gaming, icons of geek culture, and original designs that just look cool. They are either designed by PAX/Penny Arcade or by third party companies participating in a PAX show (referred to as Pin Partners). All third-party designed pins are approved by Pinny Arcade and every genuine Pinny pin has a stamp on the reverse side of the Pinny Arcade logo and a year of manufacture.
Where do I get Pinny pins?
If you’re looking to purchase your first set, there are several places to start. One of the easiest places to start is in a Merch line at a PAX show. They have a standard show set which changes every year. It features a PAX logo with the year as well as three other pins with designs related to the show’s theme that year. I recommend that you buy a set if you see one or two that you like and you know you’ll want to keep and a few that you won’t mind trading. There is also a Limited Edition (LE) pin each show that is only sold in limited quantities and only at the Merch Lite station. In addition to the Merch booths, you’ll likely find a Pinny Arcade express table. It carries all the currently available sets that are sold online on the Penny Arcade Store pin section.
On the show floor you’ll find vendors participating in the PAX Pin Quest. The Pin Quest is a checklist of all the official Pinny pins sold or given away by Pin Partners during the show. The locations are marked on the show map and the vendor displays the a Pinny Arcade icon. The Pin Quest is announced on the Pinny Arcade website about a week before the show.
You can also buy pins second hand from the PinnyShop, an unofficial but lovingly curated webstore of Penny Arcade Pins. It has a long history of reliability and a strong connection to the Pinny trading community. PinnyShop is the most economic way of acquiring trade fodder (relatively lower-value pins that you acquire for the purpose of trading for other pins), which is useful at Trade Tables and for Staff/Trade Pins.
What are Staff/Trade Pins?
Prior to 2022, Penny Arcade staff had their own, unique Staff Pins. While at the show they had their pins displayed on a lanyard, and would trade one on a 1:1 for any other Pinny pin. The official Pinny Arcade trading rules still reflects this, though the site is out of date. The statement “PA Staff and Line Entertainment Enforcers can not deny a trade,” is also out of date. Staff Pins have been replaced with Trade Pins, and Staff and Enforcers are no longer part of the Staff Pin trading process.
Every year Pinny Arcade designs a set of pins available as part of a trade game. The game works making a 1:1 trade of any official Pinny pin for a chance to win a pin from the set by random chance. You can either spin a prize wheel or select a pin behind a door or in a box resembling an Advent calendar. There are six common pins and one rare pin in the game. You can trade up to two pins at a time to play the trade game, and you can play once an hour.
If you play a few times, you are likely to get the same pin in the Trade Sets more than once, but the common pins show up frequently at Trade Tables and community trading events.
What are Trade Tables?
Trade Tables are like the Trade Pin games, but without any random chance. The Trade Table has an array of random Pinny pins on a cork board. PAXgoers line up and make a 1:1 trade up to two Pinny pins for any pin(s) on the board. If you have pins you’re not particularly fond of, this is an excellent place to trade them for another pin you like. Occasionally you can find a higher value pin for one of your lower value pins.
What is the value of my pin?
This is the hardest thing about any collectible in any community. Value is a completely subjective term. The only thing that gives a pin value is someone wanting it or a hesitancy to part with it. However, there are some pins that are generally more sought by traders than others. This can lead to a general consensus that some pins are more valued than others. While there is no formula to determine any particular pin’s value, there are some factors that have influence:
- Scarcity – Some pins are simply less widely available than others. Generally speaking, Limited Edition (LE) pins sold on the Pinny Arcade website and at PAX shows have a higher trade value than pins sold by Pin Partners. Other pins are given away in very limited quantities or come as special rewards. For example, in 2014 a man dressed as Leeroy Jenkins was walking the floor of PAX East, giving a pin to everyone who found him. Only 1,000 of these were made, and an unknown number are in circulation. Similarly, in 2023 all 250 of the Newly Born Gabe pin sold out on the Pinny Arcade website in seconds. Pins with such limited availability become very highly sought.
- Time – There are pins that are only available for people who demo a game, attend a particular panel, or stand in line in a particular booth. PAX being a packed show and lines being long, this could mean one, two, or in some cases three hours just to participate. That’s time you could spend doing other amazing things at PAX. Pin traders do not always want to stand in every line. So, if you play the Pokémon Trading Game to get the exclusive pin that is not otherwise available for sale, it will likely have a higher trade value than a pin sold by a Pinny Partner during the show or on their website afterward.
- Age – When it was released is sometimes relevant. Some of the earliest sets have already circulated the trade events. Most of the people who wanted to collect them have already stowed them away in their collections and are less likely to part with them. Early fodder is still fodder. But some early pins become more valuable when the traders keep them as their shiny treasures and they become scarcer as they are less available in trading.
- Surprise/unannounced releases – In some cases a pin is produced, but not released on schedule, or sometimes not at all. An unreleased pin may lie fallow for some time before getting an unexpected release. Such pins would not show up in Pin Quests or through other official channels and traders would not have prepared to add it to their collection, so it quickly becomes highly coveted by collectors if they missed the initial surprise release.
But even with all the above factors, reasonable people will not necessarily agree on any individual pin’s value, or its relative value to another pin. In the end, any pin is worth what you decide it is. If you are at a trading event, you get to determine what your pin is worth to you. Though, realistically, you may not be able to sell or trade it for that value.
Is there anything objective that gives pins value?
There isn’t an objective value, but with the factors above, a general community consensus often arises with respect to a pin’s relative value to another. PinnyShop can help you understand some of that relative respective value. PinnyShop re-sells pins on a markup, sometimes twice the price they were sold at PAX. (After all, they’re a business, even if no one is getting rich running that passion project.) Rarer pins get listed at a higher price. Trade fodder that has been in circulation for a while gets listed at a lower price. This creates a relative pricing guide that is sometimes helpful in understanding an average of how much the trading community values the pins in relationship to each other. This information is useful, but as a pricing guide the site has limits.
If you go to a PAX show, win the rare Trade Pin, and then look up the PinnyShop price to see $65 it does not mean that someone will hand you $65 for the pin. Nor does it necessarily mean that you could go to a community trade event and expect an easy trade for two pins the Pinny Shop lists for $30 and $35, or even $20 and $25. But the site will help you understand that you will very likely make someone’s day if you offer a rare Trade Set pin that the site lists for $15 or $20, and there is likely no way you’ll be able to trade it for something the site lists for $100. In short, it hints at general consensus on relative value, but not an absolute objective value.
Is there a tier list of pin rarity?
Yes and no, but mostly no. You may hear traders refer to fodder pins, chase pins, and grail pins, but these are not fixed tiers. The community refers to some pins as fodder pins, pins that are common and easily available. Few people want them for their own sake, and they are mostly for trade. There are also pins referred to as chase pins, which are pins that someone has their eye on. A chase pin is one you’re hoping to pick up or trade for, and more often collected in the community. Then there are grail pins, the Holy Grail of the trading community. The pin is either so rare or so highly sought that a collector might trade a number of high value pins in order to get one.
While on the surface, it’s easy to understand that a grail pin is worth more than a fodder pin, there is no set criteria of what makes something a grail pin. Someone else’s chase pin may be of no interest to you whatsoever. When I first attended a community trading event, I had my eyes set on a common pin. I really liked the art and it connected to me personally. When I met up with a trader, and he saw my excitement, he asked, “You’re after that? That’s fodder.” He was happy to exchange one of the three he had on hand for one of my Staff Pins. We both walked away happy. Sometimes someone’s favorite pin is considered fodder. Some pins increase in value over time. Other times additional copies of a relatively rare pin may surface and its value might decrease.
What are community trading events?
It’s no surprise that PAX shows and Pinny Arcade traders go hand in hand. Community trade hours have become part of the schedule. A community room is reserved for an hour and traders bring their binders and banners to negotiate trades. Anyone is welcome to come, and it’s an excellent opportunity to talk to and learn from people who have been doing this for years. It’s also an opportunity to bring in your pins for trade.
Even outside of the trade event on the schedule, you’ll find Pinny enthusiasts all over the expo hall floor, sitting out in hallways, and generally making the best of the time at the con to get the pins they’re chasing.
So, how do trades work?
If someone has a pin displayed that you’re interested in, make them an offer of a pin or pins you’re willing to trade with. If they decline, then walk away as friends. If they say yes, then you both get to enjoy your new pins.
The principle is simple, but the actual negotiations are often more nuanced. You don’t always know what pins they’re looking for, and you don’t know how much they value the pin they have. You also don’t know how much they value the pin you’re trading. So, there is likely some back and forth.
If they value their pin more than the one you’re offering, they may ask you if you want to offer something else to make it worth their trade. Sometimes it’s just some additional fodder, but more likely if you’re hoping for a popular chase pin, they’re going to want two or three non-fodder pins to make it worth their while. If you feel good about parting with those two or three pins, then feel free to make the deal.
Trading multiple pins for a single pin is called trading up, and trading a single pin for multiple pins is trading down. Trading up does not indicate that you got the better deal, tricking someone out of value. Either end should be a mutual exchange for roughly equivalent value.
The important thing is that in the end both people should feel good about the exchange. We do not pressure people into a trade they are not comfortable with. We do not bully one another into parting with their property. We do not shame anyone from walking away from a trade if we cannot find mutually agreeable terms. When we see new traders, we help them understand the process, not profit off their inexperience. This event is for fun, we’re not negotiating high-stakes corporate buy outs. Mutual consent and mutually feeling good are the best parts of the community. If you’re getting a vibe from someone and you’re not having fun, walk away from the deal and make a different friend.
You have the option to check in with your trade partner to see how they feel about doing the trade. I managed to acquire a limited edition pin to trade at the next PAX. When I found a trader who was interested, I asked for another pin I believed was of similar value. He said, “Oh, I hate to part with it.” My reply was a mantra heard often at the community trade, “I don’t want you to make a trade you’re not comfortable with.” I would rather him feel good about a trade, make a friend, and enjoy trading with him again next PAX.
One thing that is very important in the negotiation process is not to let your trade partner tell you the value of your pins. I’ve had a trader tell me, “The pin you want is a $100 pin, and the pins you’re offering are only worth about $25 each. So, if you can come back with two more we can make a deal.” Now, he may have been right that the pins I had were worth $25 to him, but even in the best of circumstances with the most kindhearted people, he’s likely to be biased when telling me how much the pins he’s receiving are worth in such objective terms.
Do I need a special lanyard?
No. References to trade lanyards on the Pinny Arcade website are out of date. There is no particular lanyard specifying what you are willing to trade and what you are not. However, the phrase, “My lanyard is up to date,” is still part of the community vernacular. In this case, the lanyard refers to pins you have listed on PinnyPals, a pin trading site dedicated to Pinny Arcade. There you can scroll through the database or search for pins by name and mark them as “collected” to indicate that the pin is part of your collection, and you’re satisfied keeping it; “available” to indicate that you have it up for trade and you’re willing to make a deal for it, or “wanted” to indicate that you hope to trade one of your “available” pins for a “wanted” pin.
It is common to see traders print their “wanted” list and bring it to trading events. They find it helpful to have the name and visual representation of the pins they are hoping to find.
PinnyPals is also a generally useful site to see what pins are out there, how many people want them and what they’re willing to trade for them. Similarly, PinnyDB is a fan-run site that pictorially lists every pin released along with useful information about the pin.
What if I can’t make it to PAX and I really want a pin?
Usually there is a trader that functions as a proxy, a person who collects want lists and purchases the pin and mails it to you. The proxy posts a Google form ahead of time to collect info and then accepts funds of the expected cost of the pin and shipping, plus a percentage. The percentage is usually a modest sum (around 20%) to help with their PAX expenses and as some compensation for the effort. If the pin winds up being more costly than everyone expected, then you can come to terms with the proxy after the show.
The proxy is not an official staff member, just a passionate community member. So it’s important to remember that you’re both doing each other a favor, and no one is making their living from these exchanges.
Before the show, the proxy is going to be the cheapest way to get the pin. After the show is over, PinnyShop lists the pins for roughly twice the selling price on the show floor. The prices will fluctuate in time based on availability and demand.
What about eBay?
I purchased my first Pinny set from eBay, then I later found out how much less I could have paid if I’d bought the same pins from PinnyShop. You can find pins on a number of online marketplace platforms such as Poshmark, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and others. You can either get a really great deal or a really raw deal.
There is a chance that individual sellers don’t really know what they have. Sometimes a non-Pinny pin shows up on eBay listed as an official Pinny Arcade pin, and even comes with Pinny packaging. Also, Pin Partners sometimes use the same design and sell them as non-Pinny pins. The only difference is the official stamp on the back of the official Pinny pin.
The best advice is to spend some time in the Pinny community before venturing out into the Wild West of online marketplaces. Get acquainted with how to recognize Pinny Pins, when they were released, their relative rarity, and your own sense of how you’d value them, and then see if you can find a diamond in the rough.
Are pins only available at PAX?
There are a few other places where Pinny pins show up, all related to Penny Arcade. Club PA (essentially a Penny Arcade fan subscription) offers benefits to all its subscribers. An annual pinny Club PA pin is one of those benefits. Also, some highly coveted pins have also been released as Kickstarter add-ons for Penny Arcade and their affiliates. By and large, the bulk of Pinny production (outside of PAX) comes from the Penny Arcade Store.
The Penny Arcade Store carries online pin sets. They also post special releases such as anniversary pins, New Year LE pins, and other special releases. Stocks are usually limited on special releases, and they sell out relatively quickly.
The Penny Arcade store also periodically sells limited runs of blind boxes.
What are Blind Boxes?
Ever wonder what happens to all those pins that people turn in at trade games and tables? Wonder no more because they go right back into circulation to Pinny collectors like you. Each blind box comes with two pins. Most of the time those pins are previous releases from the Pinny Arcade Store, Trade Pins, Staff Pins, Show Pins, etc. Pins of all types are placed in the blind boxes, so you never know what you are going to get. These could be fodder, or they could be an LE pin from Australia. Periodically the Penny Arcade Store will sell special blind boxes on a theme, such as art from Mario Kart or Acquisitions Incorporated.
How does online trading work?
The most active online trading community is PinnyPals. Hundreds of traders belong to the PinnyPals Slack channel. The community also has a PinnyPals Discord, though it sees less traffic than the Slack, despite the userbase being roughly equivalent. Usually, the users have an account on the PinnyPals website and keep their available trades current as well as an updated wanted list. Often, people select the same username on the Slack and the PinnyPals website to facilitate trades.
From there, trading works in much the same way it does at trade events. Users communicate online and if they come to terms with equivalent exchanges, they promptly pack the pins and ship to each other.
The PinnyPals website has some baked-in trading features, such as being able to make offers to users based on their wanted and available lists. It also has a rating system so you can see the number of positive and negative trades each user has.
The Pinny trading community is respectful, good-natured and welcoming to everyone who comes in with a similar attitude. Traders are happy to explain tips and tricks of the hobby, and help kind newcomers get their start. The PinnyPals Slack channel is an excellent resource for navigating your first few trades. Are you unsure if you’re getting the right deal out of your trade? Ask in a pin trading thread. Do you think you might have over/undervalued your pin? Ask for advice. Also just reading back through threads can give you a depth of perspective beyond your limited experience.
Any parting advice?
Pin trading is a big hobby. It can be like a treasure hunt. But it’s also good to remember your limits. There are hundreds of pins in circulation and only a few grail pins in existence. This is not an investment plan or a money-maker, it’s a hobby. Pace yourself and enjoy yourself. Rather than aiming for completionism, be flexible and have some fun, make some friends, and enjoy a different dynamic of PAX.
Appendix A: Terms
Blind Box – Blind Boxes are sold on the Pinny Arcade website periodically. They contain two random pins, with a chance to pull a rare pin. They are sold individually or by the case, containing a dozen blind boxes. Specially designed blindbox pins are marked “DSB” (Double Secret Blind) on PinnyDB.
Chase pins – A chase pin is any pin a trader is hoping to collect. This does not refer to “more valuable pins,” but is entirely individualized on what any given trader is “chasing.”
Fodder pins – Trade fodder is a low-value pin that is useful for 1:1 trades with PAX Trade Boards or at Trade Pin games. Some traders offer to sell them in bulk as random assortments. Others will offer multiple random fodder pins for a pin they more highly value.
Grail pins – High value pins that are the Holy Grails of the pin trading community. While there is no set list of grail pins, there is a general consensus that the most scarce and sought-after pins are grail pins.
Lanyard – Chiefly used in the phrase “My lanyard is up to date,” though it no longer refers to an actual lanyard. It now refers to the collection of “wanted” and “available” pins for trade on PinnyPals being regularly updated.
LE – Limited Edition. Specific pins released by Pinny Arcade are LE pins. Usually a pin for each PAX show, New Years pins, and other special releases.
Pin Partners – Third parties who produce their own pin designs for PAX shows and sell them or offer them as promotionals for buying or demoing their games.
Pin Quest – A checklist of pins officially released during a PAX show. The locations of the vendors are shown on a map, and a picture of each pin in the Pin Quest is released approximately a week before each PAX show.
Proxy – A member of the Pinny community who offers to buy pins on your behalf at a PAX show that you cannot attend.
Staff Pins – Pins traded by official Pinny Arcade staff at PAX shows prior to 2022. Sometimes refers to Trade Pins which replaced Staff Pins in 2023.
Trade Pins – Pins won at trading games at PAX shows. Trade Pins replaced staff pins in 2023. While official PAX materials use the term “Trade Pins,” some Pinny community members still use the term Staff Pins.
Trade Tables – An official Pinny Arcade station at PAX. Trade tables display a random assortment of Pinny pins on a cork board and allow you to make up to two 1:1 trades. They accept any official Pinny pin for any pin on the board.
Trading down – Trading a higher value pin for multiple pins of lower value. Similar to trading a dollar for four quarters.
Trading up – Trading multiple lower value pins for a single higher value pin. Similar to trading four quarters for a single dollar.
For more of the PAX East experience, check out Mike’s Geek Out in these episodes of our podcast and past PAX Reports:
Episode 60: Delicious in Dungeon, Pax East, and Jurassic Park
Episode 52: Texas Blade Show, PAX East, and Open Range
Episode 49: Moon Knight, Galaxy’s Edge, and Nostalgic Media
Episode 29: PAX East, Star Trek: Picard, and Mystery Men
Episode 18: PAX East, Captain Marvel, and Upcoming Book-to-Film Adaptations
Episode 10: PAX East, Ready Player One, and Geeky Hobbies in the Church
Well done Mike. You explain it so well as I try to do in person at the shows when someone asks “how do trades work”? I also appreciate the Pinnyshop shoutouts (disclaimer Mike is not a paid advertiser!). Let me know if you want me to repost your article on Pinnyshop. Keep up the good work and I hope to catch you at future shows!
Thanks so much for the compliments, Eric! That would be fabulous if you wanted to repost.
I’ll definitely drop you a line and make sure we say hi at the next PAX East. (Or Unplugged if I’m really, really lucky.)
Hello!
Good luck 🙂