Pin #255: New Mexico

This pin is from New Mexico, clearly.  I've only been to New Mexico once and I didn't buy this pin while I was there.  I'm pretty sure my mom bought me this pin when she went there for a trip.  The mosaic style of the pin is pretty cool and representative of the state, or so I've been told.

Pin #254: Love Stamp

This is a cool looking stamp replica pin.  It features a bed of roses in the shape of a heart with a dove sitting in the middle, and the word Love on top.  Like I said, it's really cool looking.  I'm not sure why this stamp was issued or why a pin replica was made.  But it's neat that I have it.

Pin #253: Little League Manager

This pin was given to my dad when he managed one of my Little League teams.  He then gave it to me to put on my board.  I have really fond memories of my dad being my manager.  We ended having a great second half and making it into the championship game.  It was a really fun year.

Pin #252: Pirates of the Caribbean Prison Cell

This is one of the coolest pins I have.  It represents one of the most iconic scenes from any Disney attraction, the prisoners in Pirates of the Caribbean trying to entice the dog to give them the keys.  I've always loved that scene so when I saw this pin I just had to buy it.  Attraction pins are some of my favorites and I'm always excited when I see new ones.  Pirates is a popular attraction and always seems to have some very cool pins associated with it.  If you continue following this blog, you'll see plenty more.

Pin #251: Scorpion

I bought this pin at the Cameron Trading Outpost during a field trip to the Grand Canyon.  You may remember a couple other pins I bought there that were featured earlier in this blog.  Much like those pins, I bought this one because I thought it looked cool.  I still think that.

Pin #250: Dodger Stadium Olympic Baseball

Yet another Dodgers giveaway pin, this one featuring Dodger Stadium as an Olympic host site.  Back when baseball was an Olympic sport, which it still should be, games were played at Dodger Stadium during the 1984 Olympics.  This pin shows the basic outline of the stadium with the year highlighted in the middle.  Compared to some of the other Dodgers giveaway pins this one is very bland.  It's a nice pin to have but it doesn't really stand out at all.

Pin #249: Edison International

I have absolutely no idea where I got this pin or what it means.  I know Edison International is a utility company, but this pin doesn't feature the company logo.  Instead, it has a huge H on a heart background.  It may have something to do with some sort of charity they are supporting, but I honestly don't know.  And I don't know who gave it to me, either.  Oh well.

Pin #248: Macaulay Salmon Hatchery

This is a pin that I believe my parents brought back for me from their trip to Alaska.  My dad went salmon fishing one day and brought back a ton of salmon.  I assume this where the fish were fileted and boxed.  Why they have pins, I'm not sure, but I will proudly display it on my board.

Pin #247: 2004 Rose Bowl

I've been to three Rose Bowls and this was probably the best one I saw.  First, it was an absolute picture perfect day.  There's a reason everyone wants to play in the Rose Bowl, and this day was a prime example why.  Second, the game itself was pretty good.  USC won 28-14 and was in control most of the game, but it wasn't a blowout like the other games I saw.  Finally, John Williams was the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade and he guest conducted the two marching bands for the National Anthem.  And then seeing the Michigan band perform at halftime was amazing.  They are really impressive and it was cool to see the floating M in person.  All in all, a great sports memory.  As for the pin, it's pretty similar to most of the other Rose Bowl pins I have.  I like the helmets on there, though.

Pin #246: Phoenix Suns

I don't remember when or where exactly I got this pin, but I do know it was during my Phoenix Suns phase.  In the early to mid-90s I was a big Suns fan because of Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley.  I even had a Suns Starter jacket.  Anyway, this pin features the Suns logo from that era.  I prefer the old logo to the newest one, but in all fairness, I prefer most things from the 90s.

Pin #245: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

I bought this pin during my visit to Volcanoes National Park back in 1998.  That was one of the coolest things I did on my trip to Hawaii.  Being that close to an active volcano is really impressive.  I wish I could go back.  The pin itself is a little cheesy looking, but it's a fun reminder.

Pin #244: 2006 World Baseball Classic

This pin is from the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.  Some friends and I went to some of the second round games in Anaheim that year.  It was a lot of fun.  The Japan-Korea game was absolutely amazing.  The energy in the ballpark for that game was incredible.  Naturally, I had to buy a pin after going to the games.  The design of this pin is rather unique with the logo seeming to swirl around the baseball in the middle.  I really like it.

Pin #243: LA Dodgers NL Pennants

This is another Dodgers giveaway pin.   This one celebrates all the National League Pennants won since the Dodgers moved to LA.  Clearly this pin was released before 1988 because the last pennant shown is 1981.  Once again, I believe this series was released in 1987.  As for the pin itself, it feels really cluttered to me.  I like the idea of it, but it is really hard to see everything on there.  But I'm sure Dodgers fans love it.

Pin #242: 2002 ALCS

This is a pin from the 2002 American League Championship Series featuring the Anaheim Angels versus the Minnesota Twins.  My dad bought tickets to Game 5 of this series hoping that I would be able to come out from Arizona and go with him.  Unfortunately, due to midterms I was unable to, so my mom ended up going with him.  It ended up being the clinching game sending the Angels to the World Series behind three home runs from Adam Kennedy.  I wish I could have gone to the game, but it was nice of my parents to buy me this pin.

Pin #241: Eiffel Tower

This is a pin of the Eiffel Tower featuring the colors of the French flag, bleu, blanc, et rouge.  It is a very simple, but beautiful pin.  I don't recall where I got this pin.  It may have been a gift, or I may have seen it somewhere and bought it.  I'm not sure that it actually came from Paris, but if it did then it certainly was a gift because I've never been to Paris.

Pin #240: 1996 Olympics Pager

Yea, that's totally a pager.  In 1996 this was the peak of technology.  I remember thinking how cool this pin was when I got it because pagers were, well, cool.  Now I look at it and think how ancient it must look to some people.  Either way, it was a clever idea for a pin and a cool piece of history.

Pin #239: Paris Panorama

This is a cool looking photo pin showing a panorama of Paris, with the Moulin Rouge.  It looks like an older picture and is in black and white.  In this case the lack of color really makes the pin look classy.  I think this pin was a gift from my aunt.  She has been to France a number of times, so I assume that's where she got this one.

Pin #238: Metrolink

This is a pin celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the Metrolink commuter train in LA.  There was a Metrolink stop in my hometown of Simi Valley.  I rode the train a number of times, and my mom was a frequent rider.  I'm not sure exactly how I got this pin, but it brings back fond memories.  It was a big deal when the Metrolink first opened, and I remember being so excited the first time I rode it.  Like I said, this pin makes me smile.

Pin #237: Venetian Mask

My parents brought this pin back for me from their trip to Italy.  They said they got it in Venice.  It's a different looking pin, and it's pretty cool.  I really like it.  It's a theater mask of some sort.  I don't know much else about it, but it's really cool looking.

Pin #236: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This is a beautiful pin featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  I thought this pin came as part of another purchase I made, but I couldn't remember what.  So I did some research and apparently, it was just a limited edition pin released at Disneyland.  I don't ever remember buying this at Disneyland, so someone must have got it for me.  I'm still not entirely sure.  Anyway, like I said, it's a beautiful pin, and as you can tell from the picture, it's quite large.

Pin #235: Orlando Magic

This is another Orlando Magic pin that I have.  I don't remember exactly when I got it, but I feel like it was around the early 90s.  The Magic were the "it" team at that time, with Shaq and Penny.  They weren't my favorite team, but I was still a fan.  As a pin, this one has a nice design.  I like the star trail coming after the ball.  That's a nice touch.

Pin #234: Oregon

This is another pin that I don't know much about.  Clearly, it is from Oregon, and it has a fish on it.  I don't know what kind of fish it is, though.  Probably something that is found in abundance in Oregon.  I know I didn't buy this pin, but I'm not sure who gave it to me.  It might have been my aunt because she lives in Oregon, or it could have been someone else.

Pin #233: Robin Hood

This pin is from the Countdown to the Millennium series released by the Disney Store.  And it features my favorite Disney movie, Robin Hood.  It has Robin holding his bow standing in front of an archery target, with the movie's release date under the title.  Naturally, I bought this pin as soon as it was released.  I really wish I could find more Robin Hood pins, but you really don't see them as much as other movies.

Pin #232: Disneyland 'D' with Mickey

Apparently, I have a cluster of Disney pins on this section of my board.  This pin features Mickey peeking through the Disneyland 'D'.  I really like the classic feel of this pin.  It features two of the iconic images of Disneyland.  And the glittery gold color really pops.  This pin spoke to me when I saw it, which is why I bought it.

Pin #231: Matterhorn

I really like this pin!  It has a very classic look and features one of my favorite rides, the Matterhorn.  I bought it during a trip to Disneyland in the early 2000s.  I like the look of the red banner highlighting the name and the yellow trim framing the ride.  This was part of a series of pins featuring classic rides from the park.  I just have the Matterhorn pin because it was the coolest one.