News/Articles

First Website Sponsor (1/3/09) - A couple months ago it was felt time to double-check the LCI listing of Authorized Manufacturers to see if the list was current.  So an inquire to LCI was made to obtain the most up-to-date list.  What was received was the same list that has been around for years.  To verify the listing, inquires were sent to all the listed authorized manufacturers asking them to confirm their address and contact information.  Most did the minimum, and verified or corrected their information.  A couple failed to respond even after second and third requests.

Two manufacturers were found that went above the requested information.  One manufacturer, The Pin Center, went out of their way to provide past production data and samples of most pin types currently produced.  HOWEVER, a second manufacturer took the time to visit the website (in detail) and was impressed.  So impressed, an inquire was made about placing an AD on the website.

During negotiations the pin dealer/manufacturer, We Belong by Recognition Services, Inc., always responded quickly and agreed to all my conditions.  Then, they proposed a price for the AD.  My first impression was that the proposed price was reasonable but if a little more were added it would cover my website costs for a year making me very happy.  Well they did something very special by more than doubling the initially proposed amount so that my expenses for last year and the coming year would be covered.  Obviously, I'm very happy.

Fellow Pin Traders, if you want prompt courteous responses to your inquires in addition to good prices, "We Belong by Recognition Services, Inc." should be at the top of the list when ordering LC lapel pins.  They have a proven history of good service/pricing as evident by my communications and the repeat State/MD orders received each year.  To encourage all of you to at least try them, they are offering a special 5% discount on all orders IF you mention you saw their AD on Lion Verle's LC Pin Emporium.  So help support this website by considering them when ordering LC lapel pins, etc.

2nd Edition Initiated (1/3/09) - The 2nd Edition of the Handbook is a year overdue but work has started on it.  Due to the length of time to develop Volume III (Non-USA) the initial startup for the 2nd edition was delayed.  Now that the Christmas and New Year holidays are behind me and the next pin swap isn't for a couple months, development is in full swing.  Planned enhancement for the 2nd edition include:

What does all these enhancements mean to you?  Very simply, you will be able to order a printed copy of an up-to-date complete or partial handbooks whenever desired with delivery in one to two weeks and at a lower cost.  Annual updates will be available in a standard format that will accommodate each handbook.  (No more paying for Volume II adjustments when you only want Volume I.)

Sample pages have been printed on the lower quality paper and found to be very good.  Very little detail is lost, no ink bleed through to the reverse, but the images turned a little darker.  (Will work to lighten the colors.)  Its felt everyone will be very pleased with the quality of the finished product.

Target Date for completion is mid-February.  Pricing is unavailable at this time because the final number of pages is unknown. 

Data Request (1/3/09) - Some pin traders have been providing their State's production data for recent years while others have been able to go back to the very beginning.  Production data helps to explain the rarity of a pin and better facilitates reasonable trades.  For example, trading a pin with only 50 produced for one that has 2,000 in collectors' hands is probably a unfair trade.

Please consider contacting your State Office to see if they can provide or will let you review old records looking for pin production data.  Contacts by Lions within the State have always led to better results, then by an out-of-State individual like myself.  So help make this next edition truly stand out as a reference handbook by letting me know your States' pin production data.  Now is a good time to communicate with the State Office because the Winter months are usually less busy for them.

Want Lists (1/3/09) - This week is yet the start of another new option.  Every pin trader enjoys the hunt for pins on their Want List and are happy when they find one that's on the list BUT become upset when they discover later that its another duplicate of what they have.  If its a $1.00 or $2.00 pin its not too upsetting, BUT when its a $50.00 or $100.00 pin the cursing begins.

Well to help everyone that has traded for or purchased a scarce pin only to find out you already had it--relief is here!!!  A new Want List To Order option is now available.  All you need to be do is send me your want list and I will develop an actual size color pictorial listing that can be easily carried around.  You will have all rights to the list which means you can make as many copies as you wish for backup. 

So what's the cost for all the work in developing these specialized lists?  The cost is $5.00 per page but it includes everything from pulling images/designing/assembling/inserting the images, typing the dates, inclusion of brief notes to help eliminate duplication, plus adding your name address to each page to better facilitate recovery when lost.

All requests received between now and March 1 will receive a 10% discount.  Once these lists are seen everyone will want them, so get your request in early to be certain you have the listing for the next pin swap/convention.

This optional service is now listed under the "Handbooks" button.

New Jersey Variation Identified (1/3/09) - Lion Jeff Gans (NJ) enjoys collecting variations and has developed a keen eye for spotting them.  This time he found a 1967 NJ variation with light green tree leaves and an odd shade of gold plating.  Since the lavender flower and black wing/ribbon are the same shade the different gold plating does not appear to be the reason for the different shade of green leaves.  Since the reverses are the same this appears to be part of a small supplemental batch to bring the quantity up to the ordered amount.  Let me know if you have a better theory or knowledge as to how this variations occurred.  There probably are many of these, so happy hunting.

        1967                1967V

New Michigan (MD-11) Date Assignments (1/3/08) - While developing the 1st Edition longtime pin trader's memories and previous catalogs were used to date pins in which official documentations did not exist.  During the development of the pending 2nd Edition all States/MDs/SDs are being reviewed for errors, inconsistencies, etc.  Upon reviewing the early Michigan (MD-11) date assignments several inconsistencies were identified.  The initial observation was that the orange pin has a Lions emblem while the blue pin has NO emblem.  With all my playing with pins that trends start to be observed.  One observed trend is that pins without the official Lions emblem always pre-date those with the correct symbol.  Based on this observation, there are only two possible dating scenarios for the orange and blue pins.  One is that the first two dates are simply reversed or second they were issued the same year.  The first scenario was selected because it is unlikely the MD would have paid for two pins their first year unless there was something very special being recognized on one of the pins.

The second observation was that the date assigned the "Golden Anniversary" pin did not make sense.  The beginning and ending dates of the anniversary period (1919 - 1969) matched the dates of the 50th anniversary for the "Lions of Michigan" (which is stated on the pin).  So the pin was probably issued in 1969, not 1968.

Since the dates for the 1969 pins were now in question, the three similar design pins (1969, 1969-S, 1970) were reviewed more closely.  As mentioned above trends are common, even today States/MD issue pins in series.  It was noticed that the oldest of the three blue "square" pins included a Leader Dog image very similar to the known 1971 issue.  So it seemed logical that the assigned date for that square pin should probably be 1970.  This of course displaced the existing pin with that date.  So I looked at the two remaining square pins (1969, 1969-S) and the only vacant year (1968) to see which pin seemed the most logical to be the actual 1968 issue.  The square with the bridge spanning the gap between upper and lower Michigan was selected as the most likely 1968 candidate.  It seems reasonable it was probably meant to represent the unity of the two geographic areas as a single State, and would be a logical first pin in the series.

This left 1969 with two Special pins and no regular issue for the year.  Since the square Second Effort pin is part of a series it was felt to actually be the official 1969 regular issue leaving the Golden Anniversary to emerge as the special issue for that year.

All the above has probably confused or even bored you, so here are the Old and New dating sequences for comparison:  

                                             Old Date Sequence

    1966      1967      1968            1969           1969-S           1970             1971

                                             New Date Sequence (below)

    1966      1967        1968             1969          1969-S          1970           1971

A second possibility is to keep the same pin alignment but change the dating to read: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971.  If you have any documentation that supports or contradicts the date sequence selected--please let me know soon.

District Governors Pin Site (1/3/09) - Lion Luis Dominquez Calderon (Spain) launch his website several weeks ago and has been adding a couple MDs each week since then.  If you are into District Governor personal pins this website should be on you weekly viewing schedule.  So visit this developing website by clicking on " www.lionluis.com/Leones/Ingles/pins_ing.html " or clicking the "MD Images" button, then "Miscellaneous Images", then clicking on "DG Personal Pins".  Lion Luis keep the good work coming.

"New Images" Updated (1/3/09) - The New Images webpage has been updated to include the South Carolina 2009 mini of the Daufuskie lighthouse.  Thanks Lion Bob Walker (SC) for the trade.

Lion Pride Time (1/3/08) - The local TV station heard about my completion of the handbook series covering Lions Club MD-level International Convention pins and called me for an interview.  The station likes to have a short segment in its news broadcast of something positive happening within the community. 

The segment was about three minutes long with a couple questions and me in my vest and of course my handbooks and part of my pin collection.  My family thought the segment was very good but its too early to hear anything back from my friends.  It aired just a few hours ago.  Since I've never been on television before its been a wonderful experience, so please forgive my prideful mentioning of it.

Bulletin Board Feature (1/3/09) - Have you been clicking on the "Trade-Buy-Sell-BB" lately!  Many of the listing have been updated AND new listing added.  Check "all" the listing closely because there are some really nice pins listed.

"MD Images" Adjustments (1/3/09) - Eight items have been adjusted/added to the MD Images webpage, as summarized below:

If you notice something missing in the menus it's probably because I don't know about it.  Let me know of any pins you think should be added/adjusted/removed and why you feel that way.

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Lion Peter Kowalick (NJ) (12/20/08) - Sadly Lion Peter Kowalick passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 16th at 8:55pm.  He died of an unknown brain virus that attacked during Thanksgiving day.  His leukemia was in remission but his immune system wasn't strong enough to fight the infection.  Eileen and daughter Kristen (Punky) wish to thank everyone for the prayers, cards, and pins which kept him going the last three years.

Lion Peter was the first longtime pin trader to step forward and help me with my project of recording MD International Convention pins.  When I ran low on pins to process he would send me a box filled with items to scan.  He never accepted any reimbursement for shipping costs and was just happy to help.  Many shipments were sent with only one going astray. The box eventually showed up after over a month on a trip around the country.  Fortunately only 3 or 4 pins were lightly damaged but insurance had already replaced the damage.  (Just one digit wrong in the Zip Code sent the pins to California, then Alabama before making to it destination.)  His help was so great that when the first handbook was issued he received the only complimentary copy in gratitude.  Many of the rare pin images on this website were from Lion Peter's collection.

Lion Peter, thanks for all the help and friendship.  May God Bless.

"New Images" Updated (12/20/08) - The New Images webpage has been updated to include the 2009 regular issue pin for MD-102 British Isles.  The pin is rectangular in shape with a bright gold edge.  Center design is the Minneapolis skyline with one of its many bridges in the foreground.  Thanks Lion Deryck Chambers (UK) and the MD-102 PTC for the complimentary pin.

Alabama 1978 Variation Located (12/20/08) - Lion George Lonneman (KY) brought this pin to my attention at the Winchester (PTCV) pin swap last month.  It is a good example of how the manufacturing process during the 1970s and 1980s resulted in many variations.  Manufacturers during this time period (and even today) produced strong obverse dies that would last an entire order and longer but cut costs on the reverse die.  The reverse die was softer, thinner, cheaper, and not as hardened.  Consequently they broke and were frequently replaced.  Because all reverse dies had to be hand stamped with the manufacturers ID, any replacements that became necessary were always different.

Manufacturer's would retain the obverse die of pins for varying lengths of time in case of reorders but the cheaper reverse dies were recycled.  This manufacturer's policy is another reason why the reverse of a newly discovered variation should always be checked.  If the obverse die is different there should also be a difference on the reverse. 

As more and more pin traders look closely through their collections, many variations are being identified in which the obverse appears to be the same but the reverse is different.  This is due to reverse dies breaking and being replaced.  Many of the obverses that appear to be the same actually have slight coloration differences.  The frequently missed differences have causes we simply don't give much thought.  For instance, did you know that each color is usually fired/baked separately and that minor deviations in the temperature can change the color.  Another cause of coloration differences is the drying agent within some types of enamel paints/coatings.  For example, if a pin order is stopped due to a reverse die break any items started into the painting process will partially dry causing slight color variations when eventually baked.

The AL 1978 variation found by Lion George is a good example of only a reverse die being replaced but it reminds me of something that rightfully upset many pin traders during that time period.  The price of pins has always been a concern but during this period some pin traders were having pins produced by manufacturers not on the LCI approved list.  Most of the unapproved pins could be easily identified by their plain reverse dies/backs.  The AL 1978 variation was produced by an approved manufacturer but the worker failed to stamp the proper symbol on the reverse die replacement before going back into production.  So, some of the pins during this period that were then thought to be unapproved were simply errant replacement dies.  Hopefully someone from that period will write about what brought about LCI establishing the current guidelines and approval of manufacturers.  (hint, hint)

Here is what the new variation looks like beside the regular version:

Note: Variation is darker due to a highly reflective surface.

Attendance Pin Variation Identified (12/20/08) - While getting some attendance pins ready to list on the Bulletin Board webpage a variation was discovered of the 1982 pin.  The most common version is now listed as 1982a which is easily identified as having a single post attachment.  The newly identified version is now listed as 1982b which has a safety type attachment.  The 1982b version also has different obverse that has much sharper details and is about 1/64" smaller.  Additionally, the IP's name on the reverse is stamped by a different punch leading me to believe that LCI at one time spread the order for Attendance pins to two or more manufacturers.  So there may be many more variations never noticed!  Happy hunting.  Here is what the two known versions look like:

                         1982a                                                     1982b

Even larger images have been added to the Attendance Pins menu.

Florida Die Variation Identified (12/20/08) - This variation was shown to me at the Winchester pin swap but the identifying person has been lost.  Sorry about that.  This pin, and others, were taken home in the middle of the day and scanned so that it could be returned quickly.  Unfortunately, it wasn't noticed until preparing this article that the pin had moved slightly causing a glare which washed out the colors.  Sorry again!

The two version are distinctly different as noted below.  The variation is either a sample or more probably a remake.  Upon locating a second one for my collection or locating the original discoverer, the image below will be adjusted.

Happy hunting!

New 1986 MD-102 (Switzerland) Identified (12/20/08) - Like many pin traders, I enjoy looking through my pins for anything that might be different.  While preparing some non-USA pins for listing on the Bulletin Board webpage, it was noticed that two lines of inscription were missing on the pin.  It turned out to be a third version of the 1986 MD-102 pin.  The first and second version are the same except for the surface finish and both have the site of the IC listed (Convention - New Orleans 1986).  The newly identified version omits the lines "CONVENTION" and "NEW ORLEANS 1986".  Reason for the difference is unknown but here is what it looks like beside the previously known pins:

       1986a        1986b         1986c

Next Newsletter (12/20/08) - Next email newsletter is planned for January 3, 2009.  Although some adjustments will probably occur during Christmas week, most of the time will be spent with family and local friends.  May everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Trade-Buy-Sell-BB (12/20/08) - While looking around for something quiet to do, try checking out the Trade/Sell and Want Lists on the BB.  I've made a lot of adjustments the last few weeks including a new Want List from Lion Paul Sullivan (KY).

"MD Images" Adjustments (12/20/08) - Five items have been added to the MD Images webpage, as summarized below:

If you notice something missing in the menus it's probably because I don't know about it.  Let me know of any pins you think should be added/adjusted/removed and why you feel that way.

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The News/Articles area is devoted to basic facets of LC pin trading.  Recent variation discoveries, new pins, handbook adjustments, etc.  If you have a different variation, question, or whatever--Let me know by email, phone, or snail mail ~ just let me know.  If you are a State Pin Trading Club Editor, share your news with me so that all pin traders are kept informed.  News/Articles is updated weekly (Saturday/Sunday)--So set this site as a "Favorite" on your web browser and visit often.