Athens souvenir pin from the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games

Athens souvenir pin from the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games featuring the Olympic rings. Olympic pin collecting began as early as 1900 and gained momentum at the 1936 Games. Through the 1960s pin trading was on the upswing but really took off at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games with sponsor's becoming more prevalent. Coca-Cola set up a pin trading area at the Calgary Games which gave a boost to the hobby which is still a big part of the Olympic experience.

The 2004 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad were held in Athens, Greece with 204 countries, 6,296 men and 4,329 women athletes participating. This was the first time the Games returned to their city of origin since the 1896 Games. American swimmer Michael Phelps earned six gold medals, setting a single-Games record with eight medals while the American women won the gold in the 4x200 relay. American Mariel Zagunis won the gold in the debut sport of Women’s sabre fencing and gymnast Carly Patterson became the second American woman to win gold in the all-around competition. The United States won the medal count with 101 medals.

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