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Spotting fake pins

Spotting fake pins

Jungleking

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Hello everyone How can I ensure I am not trading or buying a fake pin? Any suggestions on useful resources that will help with spotting fake pins? Thanks all!
 
Fake pins are always such a bummer. Even being careful sometimes you can end up with a fake.

Easiest giveaways:
-Soft enamel "dips" -- instead of the pin being flat and flush across the face it'll dip down in the colors
-Mickey waffle on back -- should go all the way to the edge on most pins, especially hidden mickeys/disney, not always 100% full proof as I have quite a few authentic pins at this point with jacked up waffling on the back
-"1 of 5" -- on hidden mickey's they usually say they're pin ## of ##. Often with fakes the spacing will be incorrect so it would read "1 of5" instead of "1 of 5"
-Color being off -- this is where its good to know the pins you're looking for. The colors can be slightly off or sometimes majorly off. I usually compare to a website like pinpics and search other friends of mines photos for that pin or even this site using the search function

Generally the laser etched serial number on the back is a great sign but that can also be faked.
 
The waffle pattern on back going all the way to the edge (no empty boarder) is starting to seem more hit/miss. Although I think if all the other signs are present this one lends itself well to supports a pin being a fake/scrapper/POC.

A few other suggestions to consider (to supplement @OpieDoodle 's list):
- the weight of the pin. There is a heft to real pins. If the pin feels light, this is not a good sign. (Note: when the pin is small, this check is pretty much N/A... small PTDs from DSSH can feel very light... I have bought PTDs direct from the store in Hollywood which feel too light. Some of the small hidden disney/mickey pins are too small for this check... villain ties, Fab 5 in space are two HM sets I can think of where weight is a tough criteria to check.)
- thin pin. fakes are not as thick as real-deal pins.
- the edges are rough/not smooth.
The three tests above are now a habit for me when I trade in the parks. The more pins you experience the easier it will be to identify the fakes.

Finally, if you like the pin and want it for your collection. Don't spend too much time being concerned about it being a fake. Just enjoy the pin!
(Note: taking this attitude works best for low value trading. It gets rougher when you start trading higher value pins to end up with a fake/scrapper/etc.)

Final suggestion... definitely trade real pins in the parks, but buy discounted real pins from reliable sources (cost for these real but discounted traders is usually $1-$3/pin on average). This way if you end up with a fake/scrapper by accident (or design)... you didn't lose too much value in the trade.
Note: Loungefly.com currently has a couple of their pin sets on clearance. 4 pins in a set for $7.50... this is under $2/park trader. If you buy them with an additional discount during a sale on the web site, the price will drop even more. (ie, additional 20% off or buy 2 get one free deals that periodically pop up.)
 
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