Keep your pin up: my jacket of memories
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- 10 January 2023
Do you keep mementos from the places you’ve been and things you’ve done?
I wouldn’t say I’m an overly sentimental person, but I do keep items that mean something. The wristband from my first trip to the EGX expo; thank you cards received after volunteering for SpecialEffect; the cork from champagne bottles at special events. That kind of thing.
A few years ago, I started adding pins to my denim jacket in a similar way. Each time Pete and I visit a new place or participate in a new experience, I try to find an enamel badge to honour it and add to my growing collection. A photograph of this was shared on Instagram a few weeks ago and I mentioned how there might be a post about coming one day soon.
Well, here we are. I love the way my jacket has evolved into something almost like a canvas of memories, and it makes me feel nostalgic when I put it on. It’s also a great conversation starter – whenever I’ve worn it to an expo, at least one person has asked where I managed to find a certain pin. The most recent was added in late December so now seems like a good time to take a walk down memory lane.
The entries in the table below correspond to the badges in the photograph above and I’ve included links to the places they were purchased from where possible, in case anyone wants one for themselves. With WASD coming up in March, more trips to Phantom Peaks on the cards and hopefully a few weekends away with friends this year, I expect the collection to continue getting larger. There’s still a lot of denim to cover and so plenty of space for new memories.
I love the way my jacket has evolved into something almost like a canvas of memories, and it makes me feel nostalgic when I put it on.
| Date | Badge | Memory |
|---|---|---|
| June 2018 | Sensitive Badass | The badge which started it all. Obtained from backing The Doubleclick’s Kickstarter campaign. |
| July 2018 | Save Ferris | Purchased from a stand at the London Gaming Market, as I’m a huge fan of the 80s. |
| November 2018 | Game Boy | Bought while volunteering on the stand for SpecialEffect at the MCM Comic Con in London. |
| December 2018 | Blue shell | Found on Etsy after writing a post about Christmas gifts for gamers – liked it so much that I made a purchase. |
| February 2019 | Please Adopt | Purchased from Etsy after Zelda’s brother Link sadly passed away due to a heart defect (we adopted them both in 2016). |
| May 2019 | GameBlast heart | Bought from Insert Coin in the MCM Comic Con in London, while volunteering on the stand for SpecialEffect. |
| November 2019 | Wine bottle | Purchased from Amazon after a rather drunken evening at a wine-tasting event with Pete. |
| September 2020 | Lightning | Bought from Amazon after completing Final Fantasy XIII on stream – a reminder to never play another Final Fantasy game. |
| October 2020 | Guybrush, LeChuck and Murray | Kindly gifted to me Ellen from Ace Asunder as part of a lovely parcel sent to us from Canada. |
| December 2020 | Los Angeles Detective | Received as a part of a kind gift of the Post Mortem: Murder Mystery series from Kevin from The Lawful Geek. |
| June 2021 | The Detective Society | Received in one of the episodes after subscribing to The Detective Society’s monthly mystery games. |
| December 2021 | Anchor | A Christmas gift from Ellen from Ace Asunder – a reminder that stormy waters can be sailed. |
| March 2022 | DeLorean | Purchased from Etsy after taking my stepson to see the Back to the Future musical. |
| September 2022 | Phantom Peak | A souvenir from our first trip to Phantom Peak last year, and the first of several pins from the event. |
| September 2022 | Big Daddy | Bought at the EGX expo, after spending the day volunteering on the stand for SpecialEffect. |
| October 2022 | Jonas Approved | A souvenir from our second visit to Phantom Peak for the Hallowed Peak Halloween edition. |
| November 2022 | Manny Calavera | A nice little badge received as part of the welcome pack at this year’s AdventureX conference. |
| December 2022 | Cowboy platypus | A souvenir from our third trip to Phantom Peak for the Wintermas edition, which left me feeling more festive. |
| December 2022 | Voodoo Guybrush | Another lovely Christmas gift from Ellen from Ace Asunder, who continues to feed my Monkey Island and pin habit. |
| Coming soon | Ouroboros | Found on the Insert Coin website while getting the link for the GameBlast heart above. Feels appropriate for my ESO obsession. |
Dezzie
5 months agoAh used to have a denim jacket like this. I had badges and sewn on emblems of places I had been. Yours brings back memories. Thanks for sharing.👏👏
Kim
5 months agoI haven’t started on patches yet, but I’ve seen a few good ones recently so I could be tempted! 😀
Jason McFadden
5 months agoI need a Delorean time machine pin!
Kim
5 months agoDo it! Back to the Future is one of my favourite films and I loved the musical, so my jacket wouldn’t be completed without it.
WCRobinson
5 months agoOh I’m awful for hoarding and collecting things, I’m so bad at throwing anything away! I think there can be a lot of value in associating items with moments in life though, which is why I do it. Oh and the denim is a nice retro backing 🙂
Kim
5 months agoIt’s the 80s fan in me… I love a denim jacket… 😆