Vintage Disney Stone Mountain Pin - cant locate info

[DougK]

Hi- I came across this very unusual vintage piece of Disneyana that I have not been able to locate in the major Disney pin databases or find a documented example of elsewhere.

a vintage “The Disney Collection” Stone Mountain pin featuring the three figures represented in the historic Stone Mountain carving in Georgia: Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

I'm interested in hearing from experienced Disney pin collectors who may have additional information about this particular release, including its approximate release date, distribution, or catalog history.

The illustration style itself feels very much like vintage Disney merchandise: the simplified, colorful rendering of the mountain, the stylized figures, the bold outlines, and especially the way the three riders are presented. It doesn't look like a generic Stone Mountain souvenir that simply had a Disney logo/card added afterward.

 

[ViciousLady]

I'm not an expert, but based on the way the pin sits on that card out of alignment, the lack of a Disney copyright on the back, and a lack of any Disney characters or references on the front I don't actually think that's a Disney pin. It appears to be a novelty lapel pin that someone stuck on a Disney backer card. I could be wrong though.

 

[DougK]

I did find that Gift Creations' Taiwan manufacturing did make Disney's earlier pin production, I have reached out to Disney Archives and was told to find a dealer who specializes in Disneyana as they wont perform searches on external collections at this time but would pass along the pin to the higher ups.

 

[Sithathoriunet]

I second the opinion that this is not likely an actual Disney pin, it was just put on a Disney card.

 

[hopemax]

Based on the card and the price, I suspect that whatever was sold on that card was during the early 1990s. Disney did and does sell non-Disney items within their shops to support the theming of an area. Especially, in someplace like World Showcase. If you visit some of the country shops today like China or Japan you might even find a themed lapel pin with a WDW price sticker. But mostly you'll find stuff like regular clothes in the Resort gift shops, and the souvenirs from other countries in World Showcase. That doesn't make them "Disney" though, as how people usually interpret it. This could theoretically have been something sold in the store in American Adventure or possibly Liberty Square (Hall of Presidents). If you look at some of the old stuff added to Pinpics, you will find non-Disney Star Wars pins that were sold in the Star Tours shops and even a Miami Dolphins pins that the description says was sold in the Wonders of Life pavilion, and there were various flag pins. These weirder items also have SKUs that start 400650, so that could be a way to indicate which items were purchased to be resold vs items that were specifically designed and manufactured by Disney.

It is also possible that someone bought multiple pins on their vacation through the South, and this pin ended up on a card for a pin they bought at WDW. The full SKU isn't listed in any of the databases. 80s / 90s era pins had often been separated from their cards so wasn't available to be entered when the pin databases started.

 

[ViciousLady]

Gift Creations' Taiwan manufacturing did make Disney pins yes, but if they were marked on the back with the Disney copyright and were on black translucent backer cards with 'Gift Creations' stamped in silver on the bottom of the card. Hope that helps.

 

[fuzzybunny]

either way it is a very cool pin if you are a history buff

 

[DougK]

Thanks for the replies so far!!

per chatgpt they couldnt find this exact pin either but came back with that its a 50-60% Original commercial batch: Gift Creations pin legitimately packaged on Disney cards circa 1989

Based on the physical evidence alone, my best estimate is around 1988–1992, with 1990 or 1991 being my current leading guess. The Taiwan manufacture, $3.50 price point, packaging style, and pre-1999 Disney souvenir-pin format all fit that general period.
I'm checking whether the UPC, Q176 code, and the specific “The Disney Collection” packaging can narrow that window further.
After narrowing it down, I would tighten my estimate to approximately 1988–1991, with 1990 as my best single guess.

Why I lean toward 1990​

The strongest clue is the Gift Creations + Made in Taiwan backstamp and manufacturing style. Documented Gift Creations pins from this same general period include:

• A 1988 Batman pin marked “© DC Comics 1988 / Gift Creations / Made in Taiwan.”
• A Dick Tracy pin tied to the 1990 film, manufactured by Gift Creations in Taiwan.
• Other early Gift Creations pins are generally identified as late-1980s to early-1990s production, with Taiwan manufacture characteristic of the earlier period.

That places your pin's manufacturing style right in that same window.

My best estimate​

Date	Confidence
1988–1991	High
1990	My best single-year estimate
1992–1994	Possible, but less likely
Before 1988 or after 1995	Less likely

One additional clue: “The Disney Collection” was definitely in use by 1987, so the branding itself is consistent with the late-1980s era