Name: Pam Litz

From: USA 

How long have you been collecting? Since the LA 1984 Games

How many pins do you own? About 6000

From a pin trader's perspective, Barcelona 1992 was one of the best Olympics ever because so many of the locals, from children to grandparents, discovered and embraced the joys of pin trading. No matter where one went in the city, even to the rest room, there was pin trading going on. It was a pin trader's dream!

One night my friend Dorie and I were having a late dinner at a charming restaurant off Las Ramblas. As usual, I set a small pad of pins on our table, just in case. As we studied our menus, we noticed that high above us was some scaffolding and on it, a painter who was touching up the ornate trim near the ceiling. We laughed to see someone painting so late at night and while people were still eating, but he was high enough up that no fumes were noticeable, so it didn't really matter.

In the meantime, our waiter Ernesto was admiring my pins. "Es muy bonito," he said of my USA rings pin, so I gave it to him in thanks for his service. "Muchas gracias, Senora," he responded with a huge smile and immediately pinned it to his shirt. Later, when he returned with our entrees, he also brought two glasses of wine "on the house." Now it was our turn for a warm "gracias."

As we were enjoying our wine, I became aware of someone peering over my shoulder. Looking back, whom should I see but the painter. From his perch way up above he had spotted my pins, and they had acted like little magnets to draw him down to our table.

"Te gustaria cambiar?" he asked jovially, as he held out a small key ring with a little black plastic bull on it and pointed to my Dream Team pin. This was the pin that was golden at the time because it featured USA basketball stars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, et al. on the same pin with Cobi, the 1992 mascot. Everyone wanted it. Somehow his little plastic bull didn't quite measure up to that pin, so I tried to steer him to one with a lesser value. Chuckling, he shook his head "no," said, "un minuto, por favor," and left the room.

Minutes later he reappeared loaded down with t-shirts and key rings and some very interesting pins from a local movie studio, where it turned out he spent his days working as a set painter. After much humorous negotiation, we worked out an equitable trade, and he returned to painting the trim, very happy with his precious Dream Team pin, while we were delighted with our unique souvenirs, which included the bull key ring after all.

When we finished our meal, Ernesto asked us to come with him because the owner of the restaurant had noticed the USA pin he was wearing and wanted to meet us. We were escorted to another attractive room with a separate bar and introduced to the charming dueno, Antonio, who offered us after-dinner drinks and wanted to talk about - what else - pins! He had had some special ones created for his restaurant and presented us with a set. Fortunately, I had one more USA rings pin with me, which is what he had hoped for. Again everyone was happy, and we spent a delightful hour conversing with him, rejoined occasionally by Ernesto and by the painter, Rafael, who happened to be one of Antonio's cousins and who kept discovering more trading material in his truck, which resulted in more amusing trades.

And so once again my wonderfully crazy hobby of pin trading brought me adventures I never would have had and introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise. The latter has included Olympians, celebrities, rock stars, and even royalty, but for now those stories will have to wait as I revel in my fond memories of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.