Project record
The spinner wasn't the rare pin. It was the pin.
1,100 pins where the majority carry a spinner — the opposite of how rare-pin tiers are usually built.
CA
- Quantity
- 1,100 pins
- Size
- 2.0"
- Pin type
- Three-tier set pins
- Process
- Die struck soft enamel
The brief
Most orders make the spinner the rare pin. This one put it on the majority.
How the design got made
- Beat 1
1,100 pins across three tiers for a 15U national tournament in Reno/Tahoe
- Beat 2
605 pins WITH a 1.18 inch spinner - the majority of the order
- Beat 3
395 pins without
- Beat 4
100 all-gold as the scarce tier
- Beat 5
A 3ft x 6ft vinyl banner alongside
- Beat 6
Final count held open while the club waited on which teams had registered
The full account
An inverted structure
Three tiers, 1,100 pins, one purchase order:
| Tier | Quantity | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| With spinner | 605 | 2", 1.18" spinner |
| Without spinner | 395 | 2" |
| All-gold | 100 | 2", gold metal |
Read that first row again. The spinner is on the majority of the order.
Why that's unusual
Everywhere else in this library, the spinner is the scarce tier. Bulldogs BB PA ran 120 spinner pins against 900 standard — about one in seven. Bobcat ran 60 rare against 940 — one in sixteen. The upgrade exists to make a small number of pins worth chasing.
Here it is reversed. The spinner pin is the team's pin, and scarcity is carried entirely by the 100 all-gold.
When that's the right call
It depends what you want the pin to be.
If the goal is a trading economy — something common, something hard to get — you want the upgrade rare. That is the standard structure and it works.
But if the goal is that your team's pin is the one everyone wants, you put the good thing on all of them. At a national tournament with hundreds of teams trading, a pin that moves is memorable in a way a flat disc isn't. Every kid on the roster is then carrying something other teams want, rather than nine of them carrying it and the rest carrying the ordinary version.
It costs more. That is the trade, and it is a legitimate one — it buys presence across the whole week rather than a handful of good moments.
The tournament
"They are going to a National tournament for 15U in Reno/Tahoe. It's the second week of June."
The final count was held open while the club waited to see which teams had registered — sensible, since how many pins you need depends entirely on how many teams there are to trade with.
A 3ft x 6ft vinyl banner was ordered alongside.
Why this one is here
As the counterexample to every other tiering page here. There is no single correct ratio; there is a question about whether the upgrade is a prize or an identity, and this club answered it the other way.
Specification
| Team | CA Diamond Kings |
|---|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Quantity | 1,100 |
| Size | 2.0" |
| Process | die struck |
| Fill | soft enamel |
| Pin type | Three-tier set pins |
| Finish options | 1.18" spinner, all-gold metal |
| Banner included | Yes |
| State | CA |
| Inquiry | 2025-02-10 |
The banner threshold
This order cleared it. At a thousand pins over two inches, the banner and the bonus pins came with the run — the twenty cents a pin bought a larger pin as well as the banner.
- Pins only
- Trades poorly at tournament tables
- Free 3ft × 6ft banner — 13oz vinyl, CMYK, grommets every 2ft
- Free 100 gold-metal or blackout pins
- The size players actually trade
Threshold met at 1,000+ pins · +$0.20 per pin
About the prices on this page
Every figure here is taken from a real quote for a real order. That is the point of it — and also the reason it will not match what you are quoted.
- Quantity moves the price more than anything else
- Size and build are priced separately
- Turnaround changes the total
- Import tariffs apply and are disclosed on the quote
- These are historical
What the customer said
“They are going to a National tournament for 15U in Reno/Tahoe. It's the second week of June.”
Customer, CA Diamond Kings · 2025-02-10 · on what the pins were for
Questions this order answers
A spinner pin is a construction type, not an accessory. An element of the design — usually a round logo, a puck or a ball — is mounted on a rivet so it rotates in place. It reads as a fidget as much as a badge, which is exactly why players trade for them.
Because it changes how the pin is built, it carries its own per-pin price. On a 2.5-inch soft enamel order at 250 pieces the quote was $3.44 per pin standard against $4.09 per pin as a spinner. That team chose standard construction and spent the difference on putting every player's number on the pin instead.
Sourced — Philadelphia 13U AA order, December 2025
No. Every figure in this library is what one team was quoted for one order, on the day they asked. It is published as a record, not as a price list.
Quantity and size move it most: the break runs about $0.20 per pin for every hundred pins, and the range here goes from a 1,500-pin corporate run at 1.25 inch to a 3 inch dangler with glitter. Pin type and finish are priced per pin on top of that — a spinner was $0.65 more per pin on one order, glitter is $0.10 per pin per glitter colour.
Timing is separate again. Six weeks ahead of your date carries no delivery or rush charge; four weeks adds a $40 delivery charge; three weeks adds $40 plus a $75 rush fee. The pins are manufactured in China and are subject to US import tariffs, disclosed on the quote rather than at invoice.
For a price that applies to your order, send your quantity, size and in-hands date and we will quote it.
Sourced — Quoted ladders and fee schedule across the AP Pope, Corona Avengers and Brainerd AHA threads, 2025–2026
Ordering 1,000 or more?
At 1,100 pins and 2.0" the banner is included. Send us your quantity and we will show you where the line falls.
Request a free quote