Pin trading fan from North Bay is having fun with his hobby while volunteering at the Olympics

A Canadian man, originally from North Bay, who is volunteering at Canada Olympic House in Paris, is getting an extra bonus while doing his work. He is trading collectors' pins with athletes, delegations and media members from around the world.

Kiefer Uuksulainen is helping to staff  Team Canada's base at the games. That role has him interacting with a lot of people from different countries, and for an avid pin trader, that's a blessing.

"It's really anywhere on the street this can happen, where you might see an athlete, you might see a spectator, you might see an official," said Uuksulainen.

Pin trading is an Olympic tradition that dates back generations, according to the International Olympic Committee. At the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, competitors, officials and their colleagues wore cardboard badges as identification.

Through the years, the cardboard was replaced with enamel pins. Countries began creating colourful, limited-edition designs, and the trading market took off.

Athletes often bring several pins from their home country, sometimes featuring multiple designs. They will give them to others at the games as tokens of appreciation or exchange them with the new friends they make.

All of those qualities are why the IOC describes pins as the "unofficial currency of the Olympics."

Every year, some pins tend to be coveted more than others. That could be because of their unique construction, limited production, or their ties to a certain memorable moment at the games.

This year, a lot of buzz has circulated online about American gymnast Simone Biles' custom, heart-shaped pins. 

There is also a lot of interest in a pin that features rapper and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg blowing Olympic-coloured smoke