More What's Hot? Olympic Pins

But just because they're HOT doesn't mean they're worth a lot. Or as big time pin collector Don Bigsby told Reuters -- "People get carried away in the Olympics and they want their collections to be special, but the collections often end up being worth way, way less than they paid."

I can think of many large events when collectors get caught in the spirit of "must have it" and will pay higher than normal prices for what everyone else is looking for. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you realize that in a few months most of those same items will not fetch those high prices. Of course there will always be a few exceptions, but it's a gamble.

In the case of collecting pins -- does that mean it's not fun or people should forget about collecting pins? Of course not! Collecting is supposed to be about fun and shouldn't always be "what will it be worth next year". Enjoy the hunt, the thrill of adding to a collection and making your sets complete, that's what it's all about! If the collection increases in value down the line, great. If not, you've still had fun and the memories that go with the hunt.

A woman displays her Olympic pins for sale and exchange outside the National Stadium on August 7, 2008 in Beijing, China.
^{Photo Courtesy China Photos/Getty Images}