Pin Trading Terms

Don't know the difference between your ISOs and your POMs? We can help! In this guide, we're going to break down some of the more common terms we've come across when Disney pin trading.

There is a lot here, we suggest bookmarking this post and coming back when you get stuck!

ACME – ACME pins are official pins produced by ACME Archives and are licensed by Disney.
AP – Annual Passholder. An annual passholder is someone who has an annual pass to get discounts and access to exclusive merchandise (including pins!)
AP – Artist Proof. Very limited set of pins that were made to prove a particular design could work as a pin. Generally 24 pins of that design are released in circulation. There will be a stamp on the back of the pin with the letters AP if that’s the case.

BoxLunch – A gift and novelty retail store that sells many licensed Disney pins primarily created by Loungefly. For every $10 spent here, a meal is donated to a person in need.

Chaser – A pin in a series that is rarer or more difficult to acquire; everyone is "chasing" for that pin. For Hidden Mickey pins, they are usually the silver version of a pin on that set.
CM – Cast Member. A Disney employee in either a park, a shop, or anywhere else.
Completer — A pin that is in the likeness of the series it completes. Typically released after the set it represents.
COM/COTM – Character of the Month. When a specific character has a focus on them for an entire month.

D23 — Disney's fan club which sells exclusive pins and merchandise to its members.
DCA – Disney California Adventure. One of the parks in Anaheim.
DCL – Disney Cruise Line. Disney offer cruises, often with exclusive pins.
DHS – Disney Hollywood Studios. One of the Disney parks.
DL – Disneyland. The Disney park in Anaheim, USA.
DLP – Disneyland Paris. The Disney park in Paris, France.
DLR – Disneyland Resort. The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, USA.
DSF – Disney Soda Fountain. The old name for a store in Hollywood that sells pins.
DSSH – Disney Studio Store Hollywood. A store in Hollywood that sells pins, chocolates, ice cream, and some merchandise.
DVC – Disney Vacation Club. Disney's timeshare programme that includes access to exclusive merchandise.

Fantasy Pin – A pin not created by Disney. We have an entire article on this: What are fantasy pins?
Flip – Used usually in conjunction with Pin Trader Delights. When the current PTD designs sell out, new designs flip out for purchase.
Grail – Holy Grail. A pin that is very much sought after by a particular collector. A white whale.

HKDL – Hong Kong Disneyland. The Disney park in Hong Kong.
HM – Hidden Mickey. A very popular type of pin featuring the famous mouse's design in some way.
HTF – Hard to find. A pin that doesn't come on the market too often.

ISO – In Search Of. A common way of saying "these are the pins I'm looking for" either as trade or you're willing to buy.
Ita – A type of bag with a clear front, used for displaying pins.

LE – Limited Edition. Pins that were part of a limited run. They will have a number against them (LE 200 means there were 200 pins)
Loungefly – An accessory company that creates licensed Disney pins. These pins pass the pin trading guidelines.
LR – Limited Release. Pins that were part of a limited release. There is no number specified (unlike Limited Edition pins)

NFS – Not for Sale. A common way to let people know this is a pin you will not be selling.
NFT – Not for Trade. A common way to let people know this is a pin you will not be trading.

MIB – Mint in Box. A comment on the condition of the pin.
MK – Magic Kingdom. The happiest park of them all!
MM – Mickey Mouse. The main mouse.
MNSSHP – Mickey's not so scary Halloween party. An annual event over several days celebrating all things spooky and villainous.
MOC – Mint on Card. A comment on the condition of the pin.
MOG – Mickey's of Glendale. An employee only store that sells pins.
MVMCP – Mickey's very merry Christmas party. An annual event over several days celebrating all things festive and Christmassy.

NBC – Nightmare Before Christmas. A common abbreviation for a popular pin trading movie.

OE – Open Edition. A category for the type of pin. Usually found on pin racks and will stay there until retired.
Opp – An opportunity to win a pin. This is a common bingo-style game on Instagram.

POM/POTM – Pin of the Month. Highlighting a specific pin for the month.
PP – Pre Production. A pin that hasn't been released yet, or even produced yet! Usually, 1-3 pins are released (rarer than Artist Proof pins). Recently PP's are stamped on the back when a certain pin design is counterfeited, faked, or scrapped.
PTD – Pin Trading Day. An event during the day to come and trade your pins.
PTD – Pin Trader Delight. Pins that are released in the Disney Studio Store Hollywood. The pin design is typically a character holding an ice cream of some sort.
PTN – Pin Trading Night. An event exactly like a PTD but at night.
PTS – Pin Trader Sundae. You purchase the sundae and it comes with a pin.
PWP — Purchase with purchase. Some pins are only available by buying a certain amount of stuff and paying an additional cost for the pin.

Scrapper – An official pin with a defect that really should have been thrown out for not passing quality control. How to spot scrappers.
SDL – Shanghai Disneyland. The Disney park in Shanghai, China. Sometimes spelt SHDL.

TDL – Tokyo Disneyland. The Disney park in Tokyo, Japan.
TDR – Tokyo Disney Resort. Another name used for Tokyo Disneyland.
TDS – Tokyo Disney Sea. The other Disney park in Tokyo, Japan.

WDI – Walt Disney Imagineering. The research and development arm of Disney.
WDW – Walt Disney World. The Disney parks in Florida, USA.

Zap – When one pin trader sends another pin trader a pin for free.

I want to thank the community over at /r/DisneyPinSwap/ for the help with some of these definitions!

Written by tosbourn - Monday 27 May 2019

This article was last updated on Thursday 04 March 2021.

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