New Collector Looking for Some Help IDing Scrapper vs Counterfeit
Before I even get into the meat of this post, I feel a little back story is in order.
My wife and I started our pin trading collection just over a year ago when we went to WDW Magic Kingdom and bought our first lanyard, a few rack pins, and a few pouches of Hidden Mickey pins (fyi all these terms were learned in the past 24hrs for me so I hope I am understanding them all correctly
) We loved the 'coolness' of the pin designs and the thrill of seeking out trades and got hooked pretty quickly.
This past weekend, we were once again at WDW Magic Kingdom (the third time since we first got our lanyards) and eager to do some trading. After making one trade with a CM, I was out of pins that I wanted to let go, so we went to the Trading Post, and $60 later walked out with more hidden mickey pins to trade. This is when I got the thought "OMG THIS IS SO EXPENSIVE! Why dont we look on eBay and see if we can find some lots for a good deal."
100 pins for $50 with free shipping, what a deal! They even arrived in nice little baggies (I am sure you are all cringing by now and know where this is going.)
So here I am, sitting in my living room happily digging through my new pile of pins when I noticed one that was odd; a bouncy tigger pin but it didnt have a Pin Trading logo on the back, just the C Disney.
So my though was simply, "Hm, interesting...does that mean it is a fake? Dollar Store pin or something?"
Naturally, I hoped on the Google and looked up how to spot fake pins, which lead me to here and all the wonderful information on the abundance of scrappers and fakes.
So, here is the info that I have...
I bought a lot of pins from eBay for 50 cents each
They came all individually bagged
The seller moves over 500+ pins a day
So...I got a bag full of scrappers/fakes, this I know. But I was wondering if I could have a little help identifying the difference between the two for my future inspections. I havent looked at all my pins yet, but here are a few examples that have me a little confused.
First question:
(note: the difference on colors on the back is a lighting issue, in person they all are the same color)
The pin on the left is verified 100% official, purchased at the park from a store (Hidden Mickey pouch). The next pin in was traded from with a CM, and PinPics says that counterfeit versions have a plain silver logo on the chest (like mine). So then is that an actual counterfeit or a scrapper? All three of the questionable ones have reverse waffle borders, but I recall someone posting the reverse borders are still authentic. All three of the pins in question have imperfections/divots in the paint, thats all I can find on them.
Next:
Of note on this one if the Hidden Mickey ears on the front, as you can see they oddly...bubbled? (idk but I am sure you all can tell lol). A post I read said that this is a easy tell tail for Hidden Mickey pins, my question is: Do the messed up ears indicate a scrapper issue or a straight up counterfeit issue?
Final question:
This pin looks perfect (at least to me) in picture, but there is a paint divot in the Navy strip (yes it is Navy, once again that is a photo issue). So, if a paint divot is the only issue, that would mean its a scrapper? Or could it still be a counterfeit?
Thanks in advance to all tips or pointers! Sucks that scappers/fakes are a thing, but definitely a learning experience for me. I know it probably doesnt matter to more of you 'seasoned' collectors, but I would still like to find out if these pins I have are scappers or fakes. Maybe I am just silly but I wouldnt mind keeping some scrappers (not counterfeit) until I can find a legit to replace it (and not trade of corse). As far as the sale goes, I am just going to eat the $50, maybe put some I like in a collection book (seperate from my authentic/trades), planning on leaving bad feedback but I dont want to return them and let someone just buy them. Would rather destroy them and eat the money than replenish a dishonest seller.
My wife and I started our pin trading collection just over a year ago when we went to WDW Magic Kingdom and bought our first lanyard, a few rack pins, and a few pouches of Hidden Mickey pins (fyi all these terms were learned in the past 24hrs for me so I hope I am understanding them all correctly
) We loved the 'coolness' of the pin designs and the thrill of seeking out trades and got hooked pretty quickly.This past weekend, we were once again at WDW Magic Kingdom (the third time since we first got our lanyards) and eager to do some trading. After making one trade with a CM, I was out of pins that I wanted to let go, so we went to the Trading Post, and $60 later walked out with more hidden mickey pins to trade. This is when I got the thought "OMG THIS IS SO EXPENSIVE! Why dont we look on eBay and see if we can find some lots for a good deal."
100 pins for $50 with free shipping, what a deal! They even arrived in nice little baggies (I am sure you are all cringing by now and know where this is going.)
So here I am, sitting in my living room happily digging through my new pile of pins when I noticed one that was odd; a bouncy tigger pin but it didnt have a Pin Trading logo on the back, just the C Disney.
So my though was simply, "Hm, interesting...does that mean it is a fake? Dollar Store pin or something?"
Naturally, I hoped on the Google and looked up how to spot fake pins, which lead me to here and all the wonderful information on the abundance of scrappers and fakes.
So, here is the info that I have...
I bought a lot of pins from eBay for 50 cents each
They came all individually bagged
The seller moves over 500+ pins a day
So...I got a bag full of scrappers/fakes, this I know. But I was wondering if I could have a little help identifying the difference between the two for my future inspections. I havent looked at all my pins yet, but here are a few examples that have me a little confused.
First question:
(note: the difference on colors on the back is a lighting issue, in person they all are the same color)
The pin on the left is verified 100% official, purchased at the park from a store (Hidden Mickey pouch). The next pin in was traded from with a CM, and PinPics says that counterfeit versions have a plain silver logo on the chest (like mine). So then is that an actual counterfeit or a scrapper? All three of the questionable ones have reverse waffle borders, but I recall someone posting the reverse borders are still authentic. All three of the pins in question have imperfections/divots in the paint, thats all I can find on them.
Next:
Of note on this one if the Hidden Mickey ears on the front, as you can see they oddly...bubbled? (idk but I am sure you all can tell lol). A post I read said that this is a easy tell tail for Hidden Mickey pins, my question is: Do the messed up ears indicate a scrapper issue or a straight up counterfeit issue?
Final question:
This pin looks perfect (at least to me) in picture, but there is a paint divot in the Navy strip (yes it is Navy, once again that is a photo issue). So, if a paint divot is the only issue, that would mean its a scrapper? Or could it still be a counterfeit?
Thanks in advance to all tips or pointers! Sucks that scappers/fakes are a thing, but definitely a learning experience for me. I know it probably doesnt matter to more of you 'seasoned' collectors, but I would still like to find out if these pins I have are scappers or fakes. Maybe I am just silly but I wouldnt mind keeping some scrappers (not counterfeit) until I can find a legit to replace it (and not trade of corse). As far as the sale goes, I am just going to eat the $50, maybe put some I like in a collection book (seperate from my authentic/trades), planning on leaving bad feedback but I dont want to return them and let someone just buy them. Would rather destroy them and eat the money than replenish a dishonest seller.
