How I got started with pins

There I was, in downtown Calgary in 1988, and it happened.

I saw a Swiss athlete ... make that a Swiss Olympic Gold Medallist ... and went up to shake his hand and congratulate him. What an impression that first encounter would make.

After I said hello, and what a terrific downhill run he had, he pressed something into my hand and said, "Here ... this is for you."

It was my very first Olympic pin ... a Swiss National Olympic Committee or NOC pin. I was hooked ... and it's continued ever since then.

Because this is not just some small piece of metal to adorn your lapel ... it's a connection. It's a connection with a person, place, time or event.

For me, it was a Swiss Olympic Gold Medallist on a downtown street in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in February 1988. And I will always remember that.

Do you have a favourite Olympic Pin Collecting memory?