One Man’s Trash is My Treasure: My Experience with Trinket Trading

We all own at least one trinket, whether it be a little collectible out of a blind bag like Labubus or a really cool bottle cap you kept from a glass bottle, trinkets are everywhere. It’s brought about the conversation of overconsumption and feeding the machine of capitalism. While this is definitely a concern, I say that two things can be true at the same time. Not all of the trinkets I own are results of the hypnotic call of capitalism. Some of my trinkets are from nature. Things I’ve found on the ground in my neighborhood or anywhere, really. A feather, a coin or two, some water bottle caps that were cleaned well and put into my trinket box, even old keys that led to nowhere in particular. These are things I’ve found myself proud of for finding. 

Trinkets are modernly defined as small items that, while useless to most, hold sentimental value to others. This definition brings another question: why would I trade something so sentimental to my heart? Why would anyone trade that? To that, my friends, I say because it brings joy. Seeing people marvel at the tiny things I’ve collected is something I’ll always remember from a day so dull. But what about the one day of the year nerds like myself look forward to? The event that would send many elders into a coma? What about Comic Con?

When you think of Comic Con, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Costumes of comic book and anime characters? Voice actor and gamer panels? Tabletop games maybe? Well, that’s only part of it. I’ve been going to Soda City Comic Con every year since 2021, and that’s what I thought too. However, it wasn’t until 2024 when I was introduced to the art of trinket trading by a guy with a cart filled to the brim with random trinkets. He went around the con, striking up trades for such random things. Something as simple as a sticker from the Artist Alley could get you a marble, a bracelet, or even a button. Keys were supposedly the most valuable item, and I didn’t understand at the time. Why was something as simple as a key so valuable to con-goers who participated in this practice? 

I’ve learned a lot about trinket trading through experience and, as most things, the Internet. It’s a common practice amongst those who attend Renaissance Faires. They share small items found in nature or made by hand. It was a process that encouraged creativity and community. People carry small items, offering to trade for other smaller items. A little confusing? Let me give you an example. Offering someone small figurines can get you stickers, bottle tabs, or even more small figurines. It is up to the person you are trading with how valuable certain items are. However, like I mentioned, it is generally agreed upon that keys are the most valuable item you can trade. 

I sometimes get judgment from others. They ask me why I keep the things I do. There’s no point in keeping small bottle tabs or bottle caps. To that I say: keep it anyway. I saw bottle caps on old beers my dad never drank and painted on them. This made them more whimsical and easier to trade with others. I got messages from my friends asking where I got these painted caps. Their reactions when they found out that I painted them was priceless. Trinket trading brought out true creativity in me, not a false sense of it that often came when I thought I had a good writing idea, only to abandon it later. I’m not saying that I’ve never been creative; I’ve just found other ways to harness it. Creativity from recycling is what trinket trading is in a way. Keeping bottle caps and tabs sounds useless on the surface, but it can make a lot of crafts. Yet, I keep them for them. Drawing and painting definitely aren’t my strong suit. Yet, there’s something therapeutic about it. I get out of my comfort zone when I’m doing it. 

There’s something whimsical about keeping random trinkets for me. Stickers, small figures, charm beads, fossils, rocks, even Pez stands are a big part of my trinket arsenal. Nothing is better than con season and being able to trade with those who understand the craft. It’s harder to find those outside of con season, but if you want to find these people, start a sticker collection. It’s a great start if you don’t know what trinkets to start collecting. It’s important to find your niche. Mine just happens to be collecting and trading small items.