Disney pin fans travel far and wait long for coveted D23 collectibles

[ANAHEIM] Kyle Liddane has been collecting Disney pins for about 10 years, and has no plans to stop.

“I’m trying to obtain some of the really fancy pins at Mickey’s of Glendale, the (Disney) company store, and the Hollywood Studio store,” he said while standing in line at Disney’s official pin store booth at the Disney fan convention known as D23. “They have really nice-quality pins that are very sought after, they’ve very limited edition,” he added.

Disney pin collecting took off in the 1990s after the company launched pin-trading programmes in its parks. The initiative transformed pins from simple souvenirs into coveted collectibles and helped foster a global community of traders and collectors.

Purchases at the Mickey’s of Glendale Pin Store booth inside the Anaheim Convention Center are available only through a virtual queue, which fills up almost instantly each day. Often fans are in for long waits and sold-out items.

Among the rarest items at D23 is the 2026 Premier Collection, a limited-edition set of 15 pins released to commemorate the convention. Each pin is part of an LE1000 series, meaning only 1,000 were produced worldwide for each character design.

A complete set of 15 pins is being sold at D23 for US$1,149, or about US$76.60 per pin.

Liddane travelled from Portland, Oregon, to attend D23 for the first time. The Disney fan has participated in pin gatherings in Portland, at Disney parks and online. “There’s a whole sub-Reddit about it,” he said.

While pin collecting at D23 is a solo quest for Liddane, Lisa Hernandez came to the convention to help her daughter Lauren Vogt collect rare pins.

“She (Vogt) started collecting maybe four to five years ago and just really got into it,” the Californian shared. “She makes her pin boards, she’s into the collecting, selling, trading – it’s like a full-time job,” she added.

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Vogt, who bought Hernandez’s D23 ticket, recruited her mom to help score high-demand pins.

“She brings me and I help watch bags, carry bags, I get in queues along with her, I stand in line just to help make her day go faster,” Hernandez noted.

Hernandez, a former Disneyland employee, said that the convention offers collectors a chance to find limited-edition merchandise and connect with other Disney fans who share the hobby. REUTERS