New pin collector with questions!

[xcking]

Hey guys! I recently went down to WDW and fell in LOVE with pin tradding but I am new at this and I have some questions:

1. I have recently gotten a bach of pins from China that I found on Ebay. It was a great price and I have been going through the pins and there seem to be some good ones in there. Dose the fact the pins are from China and say "Disney China" on the back make them any more or less valuable? (I am from the US)

2. I have a pin that has Donald Duck on it in a scuba outfit with the word "Discovery" on it (pic:http://www.tinker-bells-treasures.com/catalog/!B,U,,3w!mk~$(KGrHgoH-DIEjlLlvEUjBKr!W3(q6Q~~_1_532_1_thumb.JPG ). Can anyone help me with finding out more informastion about the pin? Do pins like this tend to be more or less valuable.

3. I will be going back to WDW soon so, can anyone direct me to a good location to trade pins besides cats members- I am looking for collectors or pin trading events. Also can somepone help me with the pin trading event at the Contemporary Resort in WDW- when is it (We are going in October!)?

4. Dose anyone have any suggestions for how to keep pins- I have a binder but as I mentioned above I recently got 100 new pins and I need to put them somewere. I would like to have an over-the-sholder back-pack type deal for when I hit the park but I am open to any other helpful suggestions.

Thanks for the responces and keep trading!
-xcking

 

[Abyssinian28]

Hey guys! I recently went down to WDW and fell in LOVE with pin tradding but I am new at this and I have some questions:

1. I have recently gotten a bach of pins from China that I found on Ebay. It was a great price and I have been going through the pins and there seem to be some good ones in there. Dose the fact the pins are from China and say "Disney China" on the back make them any more or less valuable? (I am from the US)

Oi Vey...here we go. LOL! Well, first of all, welcome to pin trading! It's tons of fun!

Okay, to answer your question...99.9% of Disney pins are made in China. That doesn't effect their value at all.

More importantly (and I'm sad to say), this cheap lot you bought off eBay for a great price is most likely full of scrappers. Scrappers are unofficial Disney pins that were discarded at a factory for quality reasons, then picked up by an employee and sold dishonestly. Basically, they stole Disney's unwanted pins and sold them for a 100% profit.

As a community, we try and get the word out to avoid these huge lots from China, since you're getting illegally sold junk, but it's not unusal for newbies to get taken once or twice before they even hear of scrappers.

Sadly, most of the pins you'll pull off cast lanyards will also be scrappers- people who have gone before you and traded the actual HMs off the cast members for these scrappers. Sometimes they know what they're doing, and sometimes not. Families who don't get into pin trading the way we do may never hear of the issue- they just think they're getting a good deal on eBay.

2. I have a pin that has Donald Duck on it in a scuba outfit with the word "Discovery" on it (pic:http://www.tinker-bells-treasures.com/catalog/!B,U,,3w!mk~$(KGrHgoH-DIEjlLlvEUjBKr!W3(q6Q~~_1_532_1_thumb.JPG ). Can anyone help me with finding out more informastion about the pin? Do pins like this tend to be more or less valuable.

www.pinpics.com is the encyclopedia for all things Disney pin related. Best gauge of "value" is eBay's completed listings. It looks like that pin is a Hidden Mickey from a cast lanyard- they usually don't really do much of anything, value-wise. Unfortunately, once again, yours is probably a scrapper, so it's not even worth the usual value.

3. I will be going back to WDW soon so, can anyone direct me to a good location to trade pins besides cats members- I am looking for collectors or pin trading events. Also can somepone help me with the pin trading event at the Contemporary Resort in WDW- when is it (We are going in October!)?

www.odpt.com is the official Disney site for pin releases and events. Pin Trading Night is usually once a month, but since we have the event coming up (September 9-11), we probably won't have one until then. October won't be announced until after that (probably). The site I gave you will have info on that when they decide to update.

Unfortunately, besides the PTNs at the Contemporary and the event, there's not really any place to trade anymore. Sometimes, we organize events ourselves- just check the gatherings thread here on these boards.

4. Dose anyone have any suggestions for how to keep pins- I have a binder but as I mentioned above I recently got 100 new pins and I need to put them somewere. I would like to have an over-the-sholder back-pack type deal for when I hit the park but I am open to any other helpful suggestions.

For carrying, I prefer the official Disney pin bags. I just usually wait for them to show up at the Disney outlets. I have used 3-ring binders with the trading card sleeves before, but that was back when I was keeping my pins on their backing cards- once you get a lot of pins, that's less practical. I've seen everything from scrapbooking binders to foam sheets...just try some stuff out, and check out your local Michael's or Jo-Ann.

Hope that helped! Feel free to ask follow-up questions!

 

[Bluie]

Very Helpful! Thanks, Abyssinian28

 

[KT07]

yes...sorry to say but th eebay lots are full of fakes and scrappers....as i new trader u shoul dalso know that sum ppl think scrappers are ok and fakes are bad...to me...and pin thats not from disney or made and oked to sell by disney is a fake pin. This means NOT THE REAL PIN.. i hate when ppl act as if one is better than the other...they are both bad...yes one comes form disney throw out..and the other is made just to b sold as a fake...but both are agian..NOT THE REAL PIN....so just as bad as each other. with that said...i did buy 2 lots of 20....but i never traded any of them cuz i found out about fakes..... Im one of the fams that went to DLR and spent 500 on pins and lanyards...only to trade all my new and real disney pins to CMs for teh fakes.... When i got home i started looking around and found that hafe my 500 was gone cuz i have crap fake pins now.....I now only get traders fromn memebers that i know..and i always ask to see a pin b4 i trade...if its fake..i tell the cm thank u...im ok...or if they want to know...i tech them how to see whats fake or not real.... many CMs want to know more and are very nice...sum dont care and so just dont trade with those ones...i wish u all the best and agian sorry for ur bad pin lots...its kind of part of the learning curve here in the pin world...we are still kind of new..but know how to b safe now....thanks hope that helps a little

and wolcome to DPF...there are many helpful members here...have fun...

 

[xcking]

How do you see if the pin is a fake? Thanks for the responces!

 

[Abyssinian28]

The best way to tell is to either look up the pin on Pinpics and see if there are comparisons listed between the real and fake (at the bottom on the description area), or check on the comparison forum here on the boards.

Usually, the paint will be poorly done, the corners or edges might not be cut out, sloppy work, etc.

Honestly, in the case of huge, cheap lots, I would assume everything is fake, then work backwards and try and prove that it's real. But, I mean...the whole point to these sellers is to profit from nothing- a real Disney pin would be too much money to sell for that cheap- it would create no profit.

I'm not saying you can NEVER find Disney pins for cheap- people ditch collections, buy things at cast sales, etc. I've picked up $1 pins directly from Disney myself. But if the lot is from China, you should pretty much assume scrappers. And sometimes, the sellers of huge lots over here also have scrappers. A large ring was busted in the Orange County area last year, in fact. It's just easier to assume the Chinese sellers are probably shady- harder to prove it with the locals.

A good tip when buying on ebay- check the other listings by the seller. If they have a ton of lots listed, and they're all the same picture...you have to ask yourself- where are they getting all these pins, and how on earth are they profiting at such cheap prices?

 

[xcking]

How do I see if they are real- they were a top rated seller on ebay.

 

[lovesmaleficentpurple]

Welcom xcking! The colors on a scrapper pin can be off, and the lines can be wavy or not solid and defined. Check the back stamp for errors. It helps if you have a real pin to compare. I find that the fakes are lighter in weight if you hold a real pin in one hand and a suspected fake in another. Even if a seller has great feedback they can sell you scrappers. Some traders don't know the difference and others don't care. Some people argue that because the pins are from the same factories that make official disney pins they are legit. I agree with Kory and don't feel that its right.If the price of the pins is real low say 1.35 or less its almost gauranteed that they are scrappers.You're gonna love it here!

 

[tiggermickey]

Hi
I think you might have your ??'s answered..welcome to DPF!

 

[Abyssinian28]

How do I see if they are real- they were a top rated seller on ebay.

Being a top rated seller doesn't really mean anything, where large lots are concerned. As we stated before, many families and casual traders will never know that such a thing as a scrapper even exists. If they don't understand what's happening, they'll leave good feedback, thinking they just got a really great deal.

BTW, this all makes sense if you also remember that China is a HUGE counterfeiting center for *everything*, not just pins. Purses, designer labels, DVDs...the list is endless. They have all the factories, and none of the laws or regulations.

I know it's all a bit much to take in, but just read some of the articles here on the boards (there's a section for guides and FAQs), and start looking up your pins on Pinpics. Pinpics is easy and free to join, and you'll find gorgeous, retired pins on there that you've never seen before.

You've mentioned value several times...if you're really wanting to get into the hardcore collecting side of the hobby, you'll want to start looking at things like retired Disney Auctions pins, and other pins with edition sizes of lower than 100. You're not likely to find a whole lot of value with Hidden Mickeys and such, and certainly not in big lots (unless you're buying out a collector or at an estate sale).

Finding a great deal is very, very rare- most of us know what we have (that's true of Disneyana in general)...so be willing to invest in the hobby. It's best to get in on the ground floor of a major release and hold on to the pins for a while, if you're REALLY wanting your pin's value to go up. ::shrug::

Basically, it will take you a while to see the ins and outs, 'cause there are a LOT of pins out there, and a lot of different areas in the hobby.