Name: Ed Dickson

From: Canada

How long have you been collecting? 4 years

How many pins do you own? 1,200

I started collecting pins for my seven grandchildren leading up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics seeing as how the Games were on our home soil.

While collecting mainly sponsor pins I came across one on a website put out by the Government of Canada with a small Canadian and Russian flag across the bottom of it.

When I contacted the Government and a local MP, I was told that these pins were made for a trade trip to Russia which had been cancelled and that these pins were not available. I was later told in a response from a Government Security person that these pins did not exist as they were destroyed.

I then saw this pin on another Canadian pin site and sent the information for them to the Government for them to see. I was thanked for the information with no follow up. In a last ditch effort I wondered if there was a cover-up going on but still received no answer.

Alas, about ten days later a few were sent to me with no return address. To this day this is still my favourite pin and I felt a little like James Bond after finally getting some. Scary too!