The Exclusive Prague Pin

The Vancouver Sun runs a sidebar in its Road to 2010 weekly feature called Collectors' Corner ... and it seems tailor-made for this blog. Enjoy.

What: "Prague" Pin

Trade value: $250 or more.

History: In late June 2003, John Furlong led a contingent to Prague in the Czech Republic to make Vancouver's formal presentation to the International Olympic Committee at the 115th IOC Session.

Among the group of 100 were Vancouver Bid Corp officials and staff, bureaucrats and politicians from the federal and provincial governments, as well as the municipalities of Vancouver, Burnaby, West Vancouver and Whistler.

Each member of the delegation -- was given a special kit, including a jacket for the men, skirt for the women, shirts and blouses, ties, a lucky loonie and a special delegate's pin that was produced only for that occasion. (The two RCMP honour guard officers didn't get the clothing kit. There's another story about a last-minute change of ties because of a clothing clash, but that's for another day).

The pin contains a raised enamel gold rectangle of the bid logo, incorporates the Olympic rings, and states "Vancouver 2010 Candidate City." Vanoc says only 150 were produced.