When you finally hang up your softball cleats at the conclusion of your playing career, you'll likely be left with not only fond memories, but also a significant collection of trading pins that you've picked up after games and tournaments. This is especially true if you've played softball competitively and have done a lot of traveling to out-of-town tournaments. Instead of tossing these pins into a drawer or placing them on a shelf where they'll gather dust, it's ideal to display them in a place of prominence in your home, given the sentimental value that they'll provide — especially as the years go on. Here are some different ways to display this collection.

On A Cork Board

Perhaps the simplest way to display your softball pin collection is with the help of a cork board. Buy the size of cork board you want at your local office supply store and mount it in a desired area of your home. You can then get busy pinning each of the pins to the cork in a manner that suits you. One idea is to put the pins in chronological order, with the first pin from your rookie season in the top left and the last pin from your final season in the bottom right.

On A Framed Jersey

Another eye-catching way to display your softball trading pins is to affix all of them to the front or back of one of your jerseys. It's a nice touch if you can use your jersey from your final season, but if this piece of your uniform isn't available, any of your jerseys will do. Position the pins around the jersey, making sure to leave your team name or uniform number exposed, and then have the jersey professionally framed with the pin side facing outward.

In A Shadow Box

A shadow box is a three-dimensional way to frame a wide range of items, and works perfectly for displaying your selection of softball pins. You can take your collection to a custom framing center and have the work done for you, or buy your own shadow box and complete the project yourself. Pick a neutral color for the interior of the box, such as black, so that the colorful pins stand out successfully. You can then push the pins into a durable piece of cardboard at the rear of the box in an order of your choosing.

For more information, contact a business such as GH PINS.