When Gary Cross, a dad from Des Moines, Iowa, was preparing for the family's trip to the Special Olympics World Winter Games, his boss asked if he'd like to take some pins along. Cross had no idea why he'd want to -- until he got here.

Pin trading, a popular activity at many national and international sporting events, adds a special dimension to the World Winter Games, where participants use them to overcome the barriers of language and disability.

Luckily for Cross, the boss had loaded him up with plenty of Des Moines trinkets. They've gone fast, said his son, figure skater Josh Cross, 18, who's developed an international collection in exchange. In addition to the pins his father's collected, he's got another 60 to 80 pinned to the jacket he'll wear home.

"It's a great icebreaker," said volunteer Lisa Armstrong, who was developing a collection of her own on the job by the figure-skating rink.

Youth and adults, athletes and staffers alike, participate. For many, a neckstrap full of pins is the ultimate souvenir of their service at the Games. "This gets retired and hung up when I'm done," said Tim Leighton, a volunteer transportation coordinator who was sporting an impressive collection Friday.

"It's a fantastic way to meet people," said volunteer Bill Mills, here from London, Ontario.

Though some collect based on perceived value, he explained, the hobby isn't about financial gain. "Some athletes aren't into the collecting," said Mills. "It's the exchanging they like." And it's not uncommon for athletes and volunteers to just give some pins away.

Most trades occur one on one, in the hallways of hotels and at sporting events. Others occur at a pin-trading table at Special Olympics Town, an athlete recreation site at the Egan Center open to the public several days this week, including today.

Presided over by volunteers from Clipped Wings, an organization of United Airlines flight attendants, the table of pins brought steady interest. The rules were simple: a pin for a pin; buttons for free. Every volunteer was also decked out in her own collection. "Once you're hooked, you're hooked," said volunteer Marie Swartwood.

Most in demand Friday, said Swartwood: pins from the FBI, Ireland pins (they're hosting the 2003 Summer Games) and a lucky black cat (a manx) from the Isle of Man.

Lesley Packel, Russian interpreter with the language services team, sported at least 40 pins from different nations and American states on her vest. "This is good memories," said Packel, patting her collection, which included pins from the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Japan.

Many exchanges are memorable, bringing with them stories that will travel with the pins. "This guy from Jordan crowned me," said Packel, pointing out a small pin in the shape of a crown. "He said I was now the queen of Jordan."

By Friday many delegations had run out of pins from their homes and were trading with pins they'd received. Some had missions in mind, like collecting specific countries or states. Some pins have become especially sought-after, like the venue pins representing each Winter Games sport. A saleswoman at the figure skating event Friday said she had been sold out of those for three days.

Some local residents used pin trading as a way to connect with visiting athletes.

Anchorage resident Susan Haggart visited the Egan Center on a pin-trading mission Friday with friend Jean Merrill and her 13-year-old daughter, Chelsea. So no one could miss them, Haggart came wearing a tall Uncle Sam hat and festooned in pins and buttons scavenged from home.

The families were already familiar with trading through the Girl Scouts. "It's a great way to interact with the athletes," Haggart said. Chelsea was pleased to score a pin from Lichtenstein -- one of the few delegations to still have some of its own left -- as well as a gift, a crystal on a keychain.

Special Olympics Town, at the Egan Center, will be open to the public one more day: today from 2 to 9 p.m.

Reporter Sonya Senkowsky can be reached at ssenkowsky@adn.com.