A little over one week ago, the site’s Pin Collection page logged its 500th pin – Montezoom’s Revenge, from Knotts Berry Farm. To celebrate this milestone in my collection, I was set to do a My Top 10 Favorite Pins style blog. The more I thought about it though, the more I decided against that format. I was hard enough trying to get my collection down to just 10 pins, but then having to rank them? No thanks.
What I decided to do instead is feature 10 standout pins from my collection. These are listed in alphabetical order by the coaster name, so they’re not being ranked in any way. They’re just the pins that stand out to me and I give you a little glimpse into how I cam to obtain them and why I find them to be special among the 500-plus in the collection.
Apollo's Chariot
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
This pin is one of my more recent additions compared to the others in this listing. A limited edition pin of 500 from Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW), this metal seal is a scaled down version of the one found on the front of Apollo’s Chariot’s trains.
I was lucky enough that Chris D. was able to purchase this oversized pin for me during a visit to BGW earlier this year. This pin is among the largest in my collection, if you do not count buttons. It’s hard to tell the pin’s scale by itself here, but look at the header image, you can see it dwarfs most of the others featured.
With this pin’s scarcity, I asked Chris to grab two extra pins so I could give one to Sam and Greg as well. Elaina also managed to get herself one during a visit that same weekend. From what I’ve been told, they didn’t last long, almost selling out the day of release. You can sometimes find these pins going for $30-40 on eBay. At the park these went for $25, if I remember correctly. With Chris’ and Elaina’s passes, they got them 50 percent off. Talk about a deal.
Blue Streak
Conneaut Lake Park
On a regular basis I log into eBay and do searches for “roller coaster pin” and “amusement park pin.” Although I typically pull up a few hundred Disney pins, I’ve found some surprises too. This pin of Conneaut Lake’s Blue Streak is one of them.
I’ve only been to this park twice, but when Mindy and I visited in 2017, we marathon the Blue Streak during some light rain. We were one of the few visitors at the park and the ride op allowed us to keep going straight through the station without stopping. All we had to do was flash him a thumbs up if we wanted to ride again. As long as no one came onto the platform, he let us go as many times as we wished. Mindy and I had a blast and it’s one of my fondest memories of that trip – a trip that also included Cedar Point, Lakemont Park, and Waldameer.
Sadly, I found no pins during that visit and I have not been back to the park since. When this one turned up on eBay, I just had to buy it. It’s also from 1997, the year I graduated high school. I guess that’s kind of neat too.
Comet
Hersheypark
Many of you know that the Comet at Hersheypark was my first “big” roller coaster when my Aunt Cheryl tricked me into riding it in the early-80’s. Since then, I’ve been hooked on coasters. I feel it’s only natural, for that reason, to have my lone Comet pin be a standout in my collection. The thing is though, I’m very lucky to have this.
Years ago, during a trip to Hersheypark, I began my pin collecting hobby by purchasing two pins you will also see in this blog. This Comet pin was in the store that day, but I did not buy it. I kicked myself in the butt for that a couple of years later when this collection began to take shape.
To say I lucked out a few years later when I found a Hersheypark pin lot on ebay with this pin, is an understatement. To make things even better, it also featured pins for Wildcat and Storm Runner – the only pins I’ve seen for both in person. Add in a couple of general park pins as well, and this first pin lot I ever bought was something special.
Dueling Dragons (2 pin set)
Universal Studios Islands of Adventure
Some of the most expensive pins on eBay seem to be for Dueling Dragons – the defunct Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) dueling inverted coasters from Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. You rarely see any listed under $40 and you’ll even find some listed at $400. On a side note, those ultra expensive ones have been up for ages. They are pretty rare, with one of them even having light up eyes.
Since $400 pins are not in my budget, I paid attention to the pins that generally float around the $40 range. From time to time, those pins would fall as cheap as $25 and I’d scoop them up in a heartbeat. This one, I think I paid around $30 for. Being two separate pins, however, at $15 each, it didn’t feel overpriced.
Of all the Dueling Dragons pins I’ve found, this one has always ranked as my favorite. The art, bright/shiny colors, and the fact that it’s a two pin set, always appealed to me.
Great Bear & Lightning Racer
Hersheypark
I was going to list these two separately, but their stories are tied together. If you read the Comet entry, these two pins are the pins that started my collection. Hersheypark had several coaster pins in the gift shop that day, but I loved the Great Bear and Lightning Racer pins the most. Had I have been as hot and heavy into the pin collecting hobby as I am now, I would have grabbed that Comet pin along with the Fahrenheit pin.
Yeah, I kind of left another one in the store that day too that I kick myself in the ass over. Well, I left it in the store for me. I actually bought one, but I bought it as a gift for Jason. It was a slider pin and I’ve yet to see another one since. I keep telling Jason that if he ever is looking to scale down his collection, I’ll buy it from him and give it a good home.
But yeah, when you look at the start of my collection, here are pins one and two. I still love their designs to this day, but they their sentimental value is unmatched.
Hercules
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Much like the Blue Streak pin above, I never thought I’d see a Hercules pin from Dorney Park in my collection. The coaster is long defunct and until recently, finding Dorney Park pins was always a challenge.
A few months ago I happened to be online at the right time. A massive pin lot was published to a pin trading/buying group on Facebook. I was the first person to contact the seller and asked if I could purchase multiple pins. She gave me first dibs on whatever I wanted and I cleaned up. I secured 59 new pins for the collection, which was the focus of the blog, “Picking Up 59 New Pins.”
Funny thing… I actually picked up two Hercules pins in that lot, along with some other Dorney Park pins. This Hercules pin, however, is my favorite of the two and was in the first photo I saw posted by the seller. It’s what made me message her within seconds. I didn’t even get to look at the other dozen or so pictures she published until after we made contact.
Hydra: The Revenge
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
It’s strange how a pin for Hydra: The Revenge follows a pin of Hercules since Hydra replaced Hercules at Dorney Park…
This pin is one I would like to know more about. I bought it off eBay years ago when I first began buying roller coaster pins online. I didn’t realize, however, that this pin was coming in a large jewelry box, stamped inside with a gold version of the ride logo. It also featured a certificate of authenticity. That certificate reads:
“Certificate of Authenticity. Hydra: The Revenge. Bolliger & Mabillard Floorless Coaster. Opening May 7, 2005. Limited edition of 500. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom.”
My best guess is this pin was given away to pass holders or staff members on the ride’s opening day. I’ve only seen this pin listed one other time, and for over $40. I bought mine from a seller in Australia for $3. Yes, $3. It cost more to ship it than it did to buy it. One of my biggest “steals” in my entire collection.
Pantheon
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
This pin is one of the weirdest ones I’ve ever seen. It unfolds to a length 10 inches (25.4 centimeters). If you read the blog, “400 Pins – 5 Fun Facts About My Collection,” you’ll remember it was featured with the pins and buttons under Fact #4 – The Big Boys. You can see a couple shots of this pin unfolded there as well.
When Chris sent me a photo of this pin from BGW last year, I knew I had to have it. I fully figured it would sell out, but that didn’t happen. I’m not sure if people balked at its size, but it sure is unique regardless. Practical to wear? Gods no (pun intended).
Like all the Pantheon pins currently in my collection, I treasure for the art style. The ride also looks to be so promising. I can’t wait to finally ride this new for 2020… um, 2021… uh? 2022 ride? What’s going on Busch Gardens?
Top Gun
Kings Island
With We Were Inverted’s Top Gun inspired theme/tone, getting this pin in that same lot of 59 the Hercules pin came from had me happy beyond belief. I never visited Kings Island during the Paramount Parks days. I was aware that The Bat was once themed to Top Gun, though. As a matter of fact, my first visit to the park, the ride was still named Flight Deck and carried the same general theme, but without the name. James and I made sure to ride it with our love for the movie and because of how much we missed Big Bad Wolf.
Although I’d be happy enough just to have this pin because of the Top Gun name, this pin is quite impressive. It’s on the larger side, although not as big as the Hydra or Apollo’s pins you’ve seen above. It’s probably the most shiny pin in my collection. It’s a fingerprint magnet and no matter how many times I wipe it down, a partial print is always visible in every photo I take. It’s like a mirror.
Volcano: The Blast Coaster
Kings Dominion
I remember when Kings Dominion showcased this pin online. It was slated as a give away for their pass holders. I was in awe and wished I had a season pass to go down and get one. I knew I’d have to rely on the scalpers on eBay for this one. I also knew it was probably going to be highly overpriced or sell quickly.
My first attempt to grab one of these pins saw me lose it to someone at $35. My max bid was $32 and I wasn’t able to login when the auction was ending to increase my bid. I was heartbroken.
Fast forward over a year later and I saw this pin listed again for the first time in months. I didn’t wait this time, getting it for $50. Yeah, it’s the most expensive pin I’ve bought, but I really wanted this one. I paid another $50 that same week for a Volcano slider pin, but that one also came with a wooden Volcano magnet too.
