Get Your Olympic Flair On

By The Inside Source
February 10, 2010

With the start of the Vancouver Winter Olympics just days away, I'm eagerly anticipating the skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey—not to mention the luge—and the chance to curl up on the couch, watch TV and stay out of the wintry weather myself. The Olympics aren't just an exciting time for sports fans and patriots; they're also a hot moment for collectors, as Olympic memorabilia is a major collecting category.

Since this is a big moment for the host country, its Olympics organizers typically seek to create a strong visual identity in their logo, flags, medals and of course, souvenirs, and employ the best graphic designers in their country to do the job. This year's Olympics is no exception. This video, which is worth watching, tells how the graphic design team behind the Vancouver Olympics came up with the graphics for this year's games, seeking to showcase the coexistence of nature and urban elements in Canada, particularly in Vancouver. The visuals they came up with guide the designs of all sorts of collectibles that are manufactured to sell in conjunction with the games.

And while coins, mascots and t-shirts have their place, year after year, the Olympics pins are among the most collected items. Think of Olympic pins as "flair"—as in, the kinds of pins the Jennifer Aniston character in the movie Office Space was forced to wear on her fast food uniform—but way cooler. Many of this year's pins are already out of stock in the Official Olympic store, but you can find a plethora on eBay:

From left to right: Official 2010 Miga Mascot Hockey Pin (buy it now price: $7.95); Official 2010 Inukshuck Pin (buy it now price: $13.99); Official 2010 Quatchi Ice Hockey Pin (buy it now price: $7.95

More heavy hitting collectors—or folks who just want to be primed for cocktail party conversation over the next few weeks—should keep their eyes out for Olympic torches. Of the 12,000 Vancouver Olympic torches made for this year's relay, there are several up on eBay that are going for over $1,000 each at auction. Of course, medals are are a hot commodity too. According to an article in the Vancouver Sun, winners' medals from this year's Olympics are expected to sell for as high as $25,000 each. There are also plenty of commemorative participation medals that athletes and journalists get, and those sell in abundance.

Even if you aren’t a serious collector or Olympics afficionado, it's hard not to catch Olympic fever. Savor the momeny by stocking up on some seriously cool Olympics trinkets. Personally, I'm going or the old-school Olympic vibe.

From left to right:

Vintage Silver Innsbruck 1964 Olympics Charm (buy it now price, $24.99) I love this for a charm bracelet or on a long chain. Vintage Austrian Olympic Flag Pennant (buy it now price, $24.99) For the office bulletin board, I’m digging this flag. Vintage Seoul 1988 Enamel Pin: (buy it now price, $7.20) Vintage flair for my daughter’s backpack.

From left to right: Vintage Soviet Union 1984 Olympics Bag (buy it now price, $299.95) I love this as a gym bag. Adidas 80’s USA Olympics Sweatshirt: (buy it now price, $125.00) The graphics on this are genius, and I love buying deadstock. 1912 Participation Medal: (buy it now: $595.00) Now I’m feeling like I could make an investment. Olympics memorabilia holds its value, clearly, and it would be fun to brag that I have an Olympic medal. I like this pewter one from the Stockholm Olympics in 1912.

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