The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina has sparked a frenzy of pin collecting, with enthusiasts racing to acquire limited-edition pins and complete their collections. This phenomenon, known as 'Pindemonium', has swept the city, with collectors eagerly gathering each morning to secure their prized pins. Ilaria Pasqua, an English teacher in Milan, has been rising early to collect pins from YesMilano, the city's promotional agency, aiming to complete a set of seven neighborhoods and five iconic landmarks. She has developed a system with fellow collectors to be among the first in line, describing it as a fun way to explore the city and make new friends. Pin collecting is a significant part of the Olympic subculture, with enthusiasts traveling far and wide to add to their extensive collections. Milan, the first Olympics to offer an official pin trading center since Pyeongchang in 2018, has become a hub for pin traders, with a sponsored area for children and tables for experienced traders from around the world. Elite collectors understand the intrinsic value of pins from different categories, such as retail, delegation, team, sponsor, media, and national Olympic committees. Japanese media pins are highly sought after for their rarity, while athlete-specific pins like the Iran pin in Cortina and Snoop Dogg's pins in Paris are also popular. Official pins, featuring the Milan Cortina 26 logo and Olympic rings, are produced exclusively by Honav, the rights-holder for the Milan Cortina Winter Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee collects royalties for the use of the logo and rings. Pins without these official features have 'zero value' for serious traders. Josh Waller, a 21-year-old London resident, has over 10,000 pins, including a vintage collection from the 2012 Summer Games. He calls it 'Pindemonium' and has developed software to authenticate high-value pins. The pin-trading center in Milan has seen thousands of people, including athletes and families, lining up to buy and trade pins over the weekend. Pin enthusiasts are crisscrossing the city in the early morning, pursuing the full YesMilano set, which promotes under-visited parts of the city and encourages people to visit landmarks. The campaign has been so successful that latecomers receive stickers as consolation prizes, while the pins can be purchased at official souvenir vendors for 20 euros ($33) each.
