QUESTION Is there a right or wrong rubber pin back?

[RachaelNunez]

So I know that some pins come with metal backs, but for the most part come with he rubber backs.

I sold a pin about about a month ago, and the buyer said it had the wrong pin backs on it. The pin was a jumbo ACME with the typical rubber mickey head backs.

Now over my several years of collecting pins, I've somehow managed to have many extra rubber pin backs that I keep. These backs get mingled together, and when I trade, or sell, they will not always come with the same rubber back it I got it with.

But I never thought that the pin backs could be right or wrong unless they came with a metal back instead of rubber.. ? especially since they aren't what adds value (or so I thought?)

Am I mistaken? XD

 

[maiarebecca]

Different pins come with different backs. Like marvel or Star Wars come with round backs and not Mickey backs. That said, I can’t imagine why anyone would care what the back is. Like you said, the back doesn’t give it value. I store my traders in books and would have no clue which back came with which.

 

[Ajk]

Yeah, agreed. The backers make zero difference and I’m surprised someone is expressing concern about them.

 

[stratasfan]

Agreed. Loungefly pins have the metal backs, and I usually put them with those when trading, but only if I can find them and not really stress out over getting one from the pile. We actually have a jar (like the money jar in "Up" filled with the pin backs! Even with Mickey backers you can see several varieties through the years and I find some are better than other. The newest kind are more like really hard plastic than rubber and I dislike them. They grip the pin post too hard. But, all preference! And I've never had any trader care. I'd say you got an odd one!

 

[RachaelNunez]

@stratasfan @Ajk @maiarebecca Thanks for your input! Yeah, it was just a weird thing to complain about, especially because the complaint was in a review XD so I needed to make sure.

I definitely try to keep unique backs with the same pin, but if they are the mickey head versions they just get mingled together.

 

[noone]

I remember that the parks used to sell different shaped pin backs that you could get to. I have a package of them somewhere around here. They were colorful and different shapes.

Here's some similar ones from a quick internet search:

 

[RachaelNunez]

I remember that the parks used to sell different shaped pin backs that you could get to. I have a package of them somewhere around here. They were colorful and different shapes.

Here's some similar ones from a quick internet search:

Oh I have a few of these! I was wondering where they came from since they were traded for XD

 

[dancecats]

No, I don't think you're mistaken. I've been trading pins since 2002-2003 (just because I'm not trading now doesn't mean I'm not paying attention) and I don't think I've ever encountered ANYONE refuse a trade because of the pin BACKS. As @noone pointed out, Disney sold alternatively shaped pin backs, replacement black back, and locking backs. Furthermore, when trading with cast members from lanyards or boards, how many times were we told to keep our pin back(s)? Especially if we had a pin back that was 'cute' or 'better' than the pin for which we were trading?

I've seen Disney's published guidance for pin trading, I don't remember seeing pin backs mentioned anywhere. I've been taught how to trade pins directly by Scoop. The issue of pin backs has come up only once that I can recall during all of Scoop's pin talks that I was fortunate enough to attend: if pins have fancy, nonstandard backs on them and their owner wants to keep them, let their owner keep them. The backs belong to their owner and you're trading for pins, not the pin backs. Just switch the pin backs for standard black backs, it's poor etiquette to trade pins with no backs. But that's a recommended solution, not an official position. That there is no official guidance should say exactly what a nonissue this should be. Certainly not a basis to refuse a trade.