WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Visitors to the Little League World Series complex can't walk very far before encountering a young face asking: "Do you have any pins?"

And especially South Dakota's collectible pins.

"People want the South Dakota pins because we've never been here before," said Brett Riddle, father of Canyon Lake player Jesse Riddle.

Canyon Lake League president Dale Gisi said the league designed and paid for the pins for the players to keep and trade.

"We didn't realize the pins were such a big deal until after we got here," Gisi said. "Even the ushers have pins."

Many of the players use pin collecting as an ice-breaker to make friends with players on other teams.

Lynn Riddle said her son was disappointed after Rapid City's first loss, a 10-0 blanking at the hands of Tampa. Fla., until another player approached.

"The guy started talking pins and Jesse ran off to get his book," she said.

Canyon Lake player Logan Anderson got into pin collecting while the team was in Indianapolis for the Midwest Region tournament.

So far he's purchased and traded for about 90 pins, but not all the transactions have been successful, he said.

"I've made some bad deals and some good deals," he said.

The good deal was trading for a full set of 2006 and 2007 World Series pins, which include the series, and region jersey pins, but Anderson let those go for a pair of huge dragon head pins.

"This is all about baseball, not dragons," said Mark Anderson, Logan's father, chiding his son.

Even the World Series umpires get into the act. Like all 15 of the volunteer umps at the World Series, Rapid City's Dan Gettert has his own commemorative pin, a composite of the outline of South Dakota topped by Mount Rushmore, with Gettert's name, state and the year adorning the pin.

The image of George Washington on Mount Rushmore is wearing an umpire's mask.

Gettert said he's gotten used to being asked for autographs and especially pins as he moves around the complex.

"I always make sure I have four or five pins in my pocket before I go anywhere," he said.

Also on the complex is a large white tent devoted solely for pin trading.

"It's kind of a mini stock exchange over there," said Volunteer Stadium press box announcer Lou Hunsinger.

The tent is Pin Central for adult collectors, including Ed Tomczyk, an assistant Little League director from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who spends most of his time trading pins.

"They ask me how the games were and I usually say 'what games?'"