As regular readers will know, I am a massive pin badge collector and it’s something that only really took off towards the middle of the year! Either way I love pin badges, especially sharing new and unique designs I’ve discovered.
I recently became a part of the Coventry Bloggers community, which I adore and love so much! Dane is from Coventry so whilst I’m not originally from there and don’t live there, I do visit there quite often for various reasons. I love visited there for friends and Dane’s family, as well as to be a part of the blogging community.
I heard about Etch & Pin through the Coventry bloggers and was offered to review October’s pin badge. I couldn’t turn it down after seeing the previous designs and knew I’d love to talk about it. The pin didn’t take long to arrive at all, a few days at least! I’m just so excited to talk about this pin, as well as the owner and brand themselves.
Image taken from Coventry Telegraph
Back in July this year Aaron Ashmore the guy behind Etch & Pin decided it was time to release a pin badge that all people from Coventry could relate to!
I remember not long after me and Dane had made it official we were out shopping in Morrisons for some bits and pieces, when he turned to me and said, “Hey Nat? Shall we get some batches to have for dinner?”
My response? “A batch of what?”
It was pretty funny at the time and I’ll never forget it. It pissed me off at first as to me in Birmingham we say bread roll, cob or bun. Batch appears to be a Coventry thing. Since us living together I now say batch as I’m just used to it.
So when I saw that there was a batch pin badge, I got pretty excited!
The ‘Its a Batch’ pin badge came out in July and sold 75% of stock within the first few days! Aaron said to the Coventry Telegraph back in July, “It’s always a bit nervy starting something new like this but we had a really positive reaction. We had to go and order some more.”
Every badge that is sold a £1 will be donated to a different Coventry charity each month. A proportion of the proceed from the ‘It’s a Batch’ badge sales were donated to the Coventry Myton Hospice.
Three months on and Etch & Pin is booming and doing really well! Each pin badge that is released had celebrated one of the city’s landmarks. Aaron said to the Coventry Telegraph, “Collectable pin badges have had a resurgence in the past couple of years and we are hoping that the people of Coventry will wear our pins as a badge of honour showing how proud they are of our city. Our badges are made by Coventry people, for Coventry people.”
I think this is so lovely and amazing how it isn’t just pin badges about Coventry, but it’s completely to do with Coventry. I don’t feel like this happens much anymore and it’s just great, especially as Coventry won the UK City of Culture 2021 nearly a year ago.
As I mentioned before, a new badge will be released each month, however they are limited edition and are only available the month they’re released.
Image taken from Etch & Pin Etsy
July was It’s a Batch, which is now sold out (unsurprisingly!) but you can pick up the It’s a Batch fridge magnet*, which was attached to the pin badge I was sent.
Image taken from the Coventry Telegraph
August was Coventry Ring Road, which is still available to buy.
Our badge celebrates the Coventry Ring Road and looks to show that being ‘sent to Coventry’ is something to be proud of. We are also proud that £1 of every badge sold will be donated to a different local charity each month. The donation in August will be made to Free Radio’s Cash for Kids.
September was Three Spires, which is also still available to buy.
The September #covpinclub badge is our take on the three spires that dominate the Coventry skyline. As with every Cov Pin Club badge, £1 from every badge sold is donated to a Coventry charity! The charity we are partnering with in September is YMCA Coventry and Warwickshire who support local young people with accommodation, advice, guidance and training.
Finally we have this months pin badge for October which is Lady Godiva*, of course this is available to buy now. This is the pin badge I’ve been sent to talk about today.
The fourth Coventry Pin Club pin badge celebrates the Coventry figure that is perhaps best-known around the world, Lady Godiva. £1 from every Lady Godiva badge sold in October is donated to Shine A Light Support Service who support families in Coventry and Warwickshire who are affected by childhood cancer. An exceptionally worthy cause, I’m sure you’ll agree!
Like the batch, I have a fond memory of my first time in Coventry town centre with Dane when we went on one of our first shopping trips together. I’d been in Coventry a couple of times before we’d met, but I never knew about the Godiva clock in Coventry’s Broadgate House. Dane asked me if I’d ever seen her pop out before.
“What naked lady?” I asked.
“Well it’s nearly midday so we’ll stand here and wait for her to come out.” Dane said. We waited for the couple of minutes in the light rain for the naked Lady Godiva to pop out, but that day she never did.
We tried a couple of times to see her, but we never really got to. Dane Googled about it whilst I was writing this post and apparently it broke 7 months ago, so if you’ve tried to see it recently and it hasn’t work, that’s why.
Instead of waiting for it one day whilst in town, we had a look on YouTube instead. It’s interesting enough and I get why Dane wanted me to see it.
So when I was sent the Lady Godiva pin, it did have a very special memory behind it for myself, which I feel is something that Aaron wanted to bring to his designs! I feel if you’re from Coventry or have lived there for a long time you’ll definitely love these pin designs and they’ll have a fond place in your hearts as well a provoke memories for you. They definitely remind me of when me and Dane first became a couple and although I’ll never move to Coventry, the place does have some amazing memories for me.
The pin badge itself is limited edition and I have number 67. I love that each pin has its own number, it makes it feel more limited and special. The pin is a nice size and isn’t anything big and obnoxious (like my pin badges usually are! :P) which I really like. I feel like it means anyone can wear them from children to the elderly.
The pin badge comes with a blue rubber back, which are my favourites! I hate those silver squeeze lock backs, I feel like they don’t hold pins properly.
I have to say for the size, the quality and fine details of the pin badge are AMAZING! You get the detail of the horse and Lady Godiva perfectly.
It’s a really lightweight pin, which I really like too. I’m used to bigger pins, which sometimes weigh a little more. Again, this will make it perfect to pin on anything for anyone of any age.
Every pin badge that Etch & Pin have released to date all remind me of Coventry and spark certain memories, which I love so much! I especially love that profits from these pins are donated to all sorts of Coventry based charities, it’s absolutely amazing and Aaron is doing such an amazing thing.
I feel like this is too nice to wear to be honest with you and due to it being limited edition I think it will stay on my pin flag alongside my other pins.
With Christmas looming I would love to pick some of these up for Dane’s family, including his mom and gran as I find these will make lovely gifts for people from Coventry, especially people who collect pin badges.
I mentioned how I was also sent the It’s a Batch fridge magnet and as soon as I opened the package and saw it tucked by the pin badge, it went straight onto my fridge! I’m not a massive fridge magnet person, but I have a couple from Fuerteventura (my second home) and now I have Coventry on there, which of course is where Dane is originally from.
Overall I love Etch & Pin’s designs. Although they personally don’t remind me of home (due to the fact I’m a dirty Brummy…) they do remind me of Dane and his home, as well as the memories we shared together when we first got together. These pin badges really are something special and they’ve clearly had a lot of love and care put into them by Aaron. The fact they give to the members of Coventry, as well as Coventry charities is wonderful and I wish more people would do stuff like this.
If you like what Etch & Pin do, make sure to check out their Etsy store, as well as their social media, which I’ll link down below!
Interview with Coventry Telegraph about It’s a Batch pin badge
Internet with Coventry Telegraph about Ring Road pin badge
What do you think of Etch & Pin? Are you from Coventry, and if so would you pick up these limited edition pins? Have you learnt a little something about Coventry if you aren’t from there? Make sure to let me know all your thoughts about these amazing pins in the comments down below!
Until next time though, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely week so far!
There Might Be Coffee 