Creating History Ahead of Time Olympic Collectibles and Marking Time (Viewpoint Essay‪)‬

For several months prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympics, I temporarily became an avid collector of Olympic pins. Though not "a morning person," I would wake early on the appointed day and phone in my order as soon as the clock struck 6am in order not to miss out on the latest release. I was not interested in any and all Olympic pins, merely those "countdown" pins that noted the number of days, weeks or months until the start of the Games. It is important to note that I had never before and, indeed, never since taken an interest in Olympic pins. As soon as the Opening Ceremony started in Sydney, my interest and desire in acquiring these mementos had vanished, for the event had started and there was nothing left to count down towards. Of course, the hobby of pin collecting thrives without my participation and at every Olympics thousands can be seen purchasing or trading pins from all around the world. In addition to countdown pins, there are those that advertise specific events, sponsors, products, holidays or other occasions that may only have the faintest of links to the Olympic movement. In Beijing, one can purchase Coca-Cola pins made from the same shipment of steel used to construct the Birdsnest stadium, (1) or trade those produced by the Brazilian Olympic Committee or the World Curling Federation. In terms of collecting, it is significant to note that the actual use or purpose of the pin is of secondary importance to owning it. Although they may be worn, for many collectors, their acquisitions are investments to be protected, not decorations to adorn clothing. By definition, collectors are "motivated to accumulate a series of similar objects where the instrumental function of the objects is of secondary (or no) importance" and, once in possession of their collectibles, are typically in no hurry to dispose of them. (2) There are those who will specialise in International Federation or mascot pins or those from specific sponsors. This paper, however, examines the pins that ritually count down the days, weeks, months or years before an Olympic Games. It draws on my own experience as a momentary pin collector to offer a theoretical interrogation of the function of these objects as markers of time to determine how memory products such as these both mimic and refute the function of similar items, such as photographs.