Nothing has to be decided today

Pins keep. They don’t spoil, and nobody is waiting on an answer from you this week. If the collection came to you at a hard time, it’s completely fine to close the box and come back to it in a month or a year.

While it waits, a few small things help: keep the pins somewhere dry and out of direct sun, leave the backs on, and keep everything that came with them. Backing cards, boxes, certificates and even the binder pages can matter later, so please don’t throw any of it away, and don’t split up pins that look like they belong together.

Keep, gift or sell (or a little of each)

There’s no right answer, and most families end up doing all three. Keep the pins that make you smile or that tell a story you remember. Offer a few to the people who shared those park days, a grandchild who loved the same characters, or a friend who traded alongside them. Then decide what to do with the rest.

Selling doesn’t have to mean letting go of the memory. It can be a real comfort to know the pins will be loved and worn again by someone new.

An afternoon sort that needs no pricing

You don’t need to look anything up to make real progress. Lay a towel on a table, put on something nice to listen to, and sort into three piles:

• Set aside: anything still on its card or in its box, anything marked as a limited edition, anything that looks special or unusual (see the next section).
• Everyday pins: the loose, familiar ones. These are usually the bulk of a collection.
• Not sure or damaged: missing backs, chipped enamel, bent posts, or anything you just can't place.

Keep sets together as you go, and take a photo of each pile when you’re done. Those photos are all anyone needs to give you a first opinion.

What to set aside first

A few things are worth a closer look in any collection. If you see these, move them to the set-aside pile:

• Backing cards and boxes. A pin on its original card, or in its box, is easier to sell and more wanted by collectors.
• Limited edition markings. Look on the back of the pin or on its card for an edition size, like LE 2000. The smaller the number, the scarcer the pin.
• Cast member and event pins. Pins made for cast members or for a particular event are often the ones serious collectors look for.
• Complete sets. Pins released as a set are usually worth more together than split up.
• Anything unusual. Big pins, pins with moving or stacked parts, and pins that still have paperwork.

You don’t have to know what any of these are worth. Setting them aside simply makes sure nothing special gets lost in the everyday pile.

The honest time cost of selling one by one

Selling pins one at a time on online marketplaces or in social media groups can get you the most for a true standout. It’s also a lot of work. Every pin needs good photos, a description, a price you’ve researched, answers to buyers’ questions, careful packing and a trip to the post office, and the selling fees and shipping come out of each sale.

For a handful of special pins, that can be worth it. For a few hundred everyday pins, it often turns into a part-time job that drags on far longer than anyone expects. Many families do both: sell a few standouts themselves, and sell the rest as one collection.

Fakes in old collections

Counterfeit Disney pins, known in the hobby as scrappers, turn up in a lot of collections, especially ones that grew through cheap bulk lots bought online. Finding some is common, and it says nothing about the person who collected them. Even experienced traders get fooled.

If you’re curious, our guide to spotting a fake Disney pin walks through the tells. If you sell to us, you don’t need to sort them out first: we check every pin.

Getting one offer

If you’d rather not do any of the above, send us a few photos. Snap the collection just as it sits and add your email. A real person from our family reads every request and gets back to you within a day.

For collections over 100 pins, we send a prepaid, insured label, and in Central Florida we can pick up or visit you at home. We look over every pin and make you an offer: cash, or shop credit worth more. You choose, and you’re always welcome to take your time deciding.

Curious what pins are worth in general? Our guide What are my Disney pins worth? explains what actually drives the value.

Questions we hear

Do I need to know what the pins are before I reach out?

No. Photos of the collection just as it sits are enough. Sorting, naming and pricing are our job, not yours.

Should I clean the pins first?

Please don't. A soft dry cloth is plenty for dust, and anything stronger risks scratching or dulling a pin.

Should I take the pins off the lanyards, boards or binder pages?

There's no need. Pins are easiest to look over just as they are, and leaving them in place keeps sets together.

What if some of them are fakes?

That happens in a lot of collections, and it says nothing about the person who loved them. We check every pin, and we'll be open with you about what we find.

Can I keep some and sell the rest?

Of course. Keep the ones that mean the most to you and your family. We're glad to look at whatever is left, big or small.

We're not in Florida. Can we still sell to you?

Yes. We're a family business in Clermont, Florida. For collections over 100 pins, we send a prepaid, insured label, and in Central Florida we can pick up or visit you at home.