Olympic pin mania has collectors running between landmarks and swarming a trading center

MILAN (AP) — A dozen people outside a Milan metro station on Wednesday stared intently at their phones until 8 a.m., when an Instagram post provided a location.

“Run, don’t walk: we’re in the Castello area,” said the post. “Pins are available while supplies last.”

It sent the group sprinting.

Early each morning in Milan, eager collectors have been gathering to await word of the exact spot where they can score highly prized, limited-edition Olympics pins that — if they’re fast enough — are free.

Ilaria Pasqua has gotten up and out early every day since Saturday to snag the coveted pins from YesMilano, the city's promotional agency, and she plans to complete the collection of seven neighborhoods — including Isola and Porta Venezia — and five iconic landmarks, like the Duomo. She teamed up with three collectors she met on the first day, and they have developed a system to be among the first in line.

“I know it can sound like it’s a bit extreme, and (like) it’s a waste of time. But actually, I’ve met these people that I am doing this with, so it’s nice,’’ said Pasqua, an English teacher in Milan. “It’s a way to get to know the city that you live in or are visiting. It’s also social. I’m really enjoying it, to be honest. And you take a little treasure with you home every day, so it’s fun.’’

Each day after receiving her pins, Pasqua says she stuffs them deep in her coat pocket – out of view from latecomers looking for a trade that she doesn’t want to make.

Pin collecting is an essential part of the Olympic subculture, with people traveling far and wide to the Games just to add to what is often a very substantial array of enameled pins at home.

For those with little patience for treasure hunting who want to get right down to business, Milan is the first Olympics to offer an official pin trading center since Pyeongchang in 2018.

Sponsored by Warner Brothers, it features an area where children can interact with costumed Looney Tunes characters, creating the next generation of pin-traders, along with a dozen tables where die-hard traders from as far away as the United States and Japan up boards with their wares.

Eddie Schneider of Lindenhurst, NY who has been trading pins since the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Among his 25,000 pins is one from the 1948 London Games, which his mother attended.

“I consider it like going to a World’s Fair every two years,” he said at the center. “You get to go different places and experience different cultures and have fun.”

Elite collectors know the intrinsic value of each category, including retail, delegation, team, sponsor, media and national Olympic committees. Japanese media pins are among the most coveted by die-hard collectors, for their rarity, while in Cortina athletes were keen to get an Iran pin and in Paris Snoop Dogg's pins were the buzziest.

Official pins incorporate the Milan Cortina 26 logo and the Olympic rings, which are produced exclusively by the Los Angeles-based pin maker Honav, the rights-holder for the Milan Cortina Winter Games and the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.

Honav's owner Mario Simonson said his company designed hundreds of pins and produced millions for these Games — each bearing the Honav backstamp for authenticity. The International Olympic Committee collects royalties for the use of the logo and rings.

Pins without those official features have “zero value’’ for serious traders, he said.

London resident Josh Waller, 21, collected his first pin at the 2012 Summer Games, when he was 8 years old. He now has over 10,000 stashed in his room, and brought 1,500 to Milan to trade. "Pindemonium,'' he calls it.

His collection of London Olympic pins, including vintage issues, is award-winning. He belongs to a group of online traders that exploded after the Tokyo Games, when the pandemic kept spectators at home, and he has developed software to authenticate high-value pins.

Waller is a volunteer at the pin trading center, where he said thousands of people, including athletes and families with children, lined up over the weekend to buy and trade.

“The whole pin trading community is very tight," Mark Gabriel, a Warner Brothers consumer products' executive, told the AP. He expects trading “to reach a fever pitch” on the Games’ second weekend.

Meantime, pin enthusiasts are criss-crossing the city in the early morning, in pursuit of the full YesMilano set.

They have been successful beyond the organizers’ imaginings. While city pins have long been part of the Games, YesMilano’s campaign goes further by promoting under-visited parts of the city and encouraging people to visit landmarks.

On the first day, more than 1,000 people showed up in the North of Piazza Loreto (NOLO) neighborhood. The second day at the architectural landmark, Torre Velasca, that number was 600 – as word circulated of the daily 250 limit.

Latecomers receive stickers as consolation prizes, but can purchase the YesMilano pins at official souvenir vendors for 20 euros ($24) — up from an initial 12 euros due to demand.

Beatrice Biondi got up at 6:30 a.m. to travel into Milan from Varese, an hour away, to be first in line at the Sforza Castle. It was her first shot at collecting Olympic memorabilia, after wrapping up university exams the day before.

"We had to run a bit, but we made it so we are very happy,’’ she said.

After collecting her Sforza Castle pin, she planned to add the little focaccia bag charm from the Esselunga supermarket chain, and a Coca-Cola pin from the Olympic sponsor.

‘’All the pins I can find, I will take,'' Biondi said.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Beatrice Biondi and Pietro Sartena queue up at Milan's Sforza Castle to pick up the coveted pin of the day featuring the landmark by the YesMilano city promoters, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mustakim Hasnath)

Pin collector Eddie Schneider of Lindenhurst, NY organizes his trading stock at the official Olympic pin center, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mustakim Hasnath)

Isabella Botero, a Masters student studying in Milan, displays the YesMilano pins featuring city neighborhoods and landmarks that she has collected in recent days, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mustakim Hasnath)

Italian luge athlete Leon Felderer poses for a photo with Italy's national pin, at the Cortina Olympic Village, during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)

Iran's coach for Alpine women's skiing, Mitra Kalhor displays Iran's national pin for the 2026 Winter Olympics at the Cortina Olympic Village, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)

Patrick Shannon, a coach for the Chinese skeleton team, displays China's three pin designs at the Milan Cortina Olympic Village, during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)

A woman shows a pin she is looking to trade at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, won the Democratic primary in a battleground New Jersey congressional district to take on Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has been absent with an unspecified illness for months.

Bennett’s victory over three other Democrats on Tuesday sets up the state’s premier contest in November, when the party hopes it can flip the onetime Republican stronghold that has proven competitive in recent years. The district includes bedroom communities and farm towns as well as President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club.

Kean’s absence — his last vote was in early March — has supercharged interest in the seat, which Democrats view as key to winning control of the narrowly divided U.S. House. Voters in the 7th District have ousted two incumbents during midterm elections over the past decade.

Addressing supporters in Bridgewater, Bennett called Kean a “coward.”

“You are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,” she said.

In her speech, Bennett referred to “Tom Kean Jr., wherever you are,” drawing applause from supporters. She criticized Kean over his vote for Trump’s tax legislation and his failure to stand up to the president's threat to cut funding for a rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York.

Trump's package of spending and tax cuts expanded the state and local tax deduction. New Jersey has among the highest property taxes in the nation.

The Democrats are leaning into the rising costs of groceries and gasoline caused by the Iran war and Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

Bennett built her campaign around her experience as a Navy helicopter pilot as well as around affordability, noting that she drives a no-frills sedan and emphasizing her relatability as a working mom.

Araz Shahinian, a 49-year-old systems developer, said he voted for Bennett, noting he’s worried about the state of politics and rising prices. “She had the more centrist views,” he said.

Bennett's victory comes as Kean, who received Trump’s endorsement, remains out of public view. He did not make any appearances ahead of the primary, and he did not face a challenge for the Republican nomination.

Kean issued a statement on Tuesday saying “I will continue putting our constituents first” and “I am optimistic about the road ahead.”

“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals. I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,” Kean said, without explaining his condition.

Nina Ovryn, a Democratic voter and Bennett supporter who attended her victory party, said she was disappointed by Kean's absence.

“It shines a spotlight on the fact that he’s basically absent in the district and now he’s absent in Congress,” she said.

The district was redrawn after the most recent census to become more favorable to Republicans, but it's gone back and forth in recent years. Kean ousted incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in 2022, who defeated Republican Rep. Leonard Lance in 2018.

Justin Murphy, an attorney from southern New Jersey, won the state’s Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, setting up a fall contest with incumbent Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.

Murphy faces the tall task of becoming the first New Jersey Republican to win a race for Senate in more than five decades — and in a year when control of the chamber is being hotly contested.

Booker was uncontested in Tuesday's Democratic primary and is running for a full third term.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew is seeking a fifth term in southern New Jersey’s 2nd District. He was originally elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party during Trump's first term. Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, New Jersey, won the district's Democratic primary Tuesday.

Dr. Adam Hamawy, a surgeon and Army veteran, won a crowded primary in the heavily Democratic 12th District in central New Jersey, where Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is retiring. He'll face attorney Gregg Mele, who was unchallenged in the GOP primary.

Hamawy shot to prominence with endorsements from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives. Some of his opponents recently began criticizing him over his connection to Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up the United Nations and other New York-area landmarks.

Hamawy was a defense witness in the sheikh's trial but wasn’t accused of wrongdoing. He has condemned violence and distanced himself from the sheikh during the campaign. Abdel-Rahman died in federal prison in 2017.

The Republican primary in New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District was too early to call. Rosie Pino led Tiffany Burress by 366 votes out of 12,702 votes counted. It was unclear how many votes were left to count in Passaic County, where Burress led Pino by 25 percentage points.

The winner will take on first-term Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou. Her margin of victory in 2024 was narrower than her long-serving predecessor, Rep. Bill Pascrell, and coincided with Trump winning a county in the district.

This story was first published on June 2, 2026. It was updated on June 3, 2026 to correct that in the Republican primary for the 9th District, Tiffany Burress led Rosie Pino in Passaic County by 25 percentage points, not 45 points, and to correct the spelling of a Bennett supporter’s name to Nina Ovryn, not Orvyn.

Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

From left, Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, holds her daughter Rosie, alongside her husband Alex Hydrean and daughter Millie during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, hugs attendees during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, hugs an attendee during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Supporters hug during a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Supporters cheer during a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Voting messages are displayed on a car at a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

A worker sets up the stage during a primary election night watch party for Rebecca Bennett, Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Bridgewater, N.J. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

A sign directs voters to a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Cherry Hill township, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A person walks from a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Oaklyn, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

FILE - This photo combination shows Democrat candidates for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, from left, Rebecca Bennett, May 30, 2026, in Flemington, N.J., Brian Varela, May 30, 2026, in Sparta, N.J. and Michael Roth, May 31, 2026, in Rahway, N.J. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2019, file photo, New Jersey Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Westfield, addresses reporters in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)