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GUIDE Spotting Scrappers ⚠️

Spotting Scrappers ️​


In the hack a lot of comparison discussions got lost

I still have some examples of how to spot scrappers on my drive, so I'll post them here.

1st example is from the hats set. This is Maleficent.
A lot of scrappers have these dull scraped up surfaces. Metal colors can be off, waffle edging odd, etc. My notes on the photo shows common clues to ID a scrapper.

Scrapper:
  1. Paint dips (my photo is cut-off on the left side, but the arrow is pointing to dips or scratches in the enamel.)
  2. Rough, dull and scraped surfaces.
  3. Missing metal divider.
  4. No pin post nubs.
  5. Metal color is very gold.
  6. Official Pin Trader banner indistinct and of poor quality.
  7. Made in China font wonky; not consistent
  8. Waffle edge not clean.

Authentic Pin:
  1. Smooth enamel, no dips or scrapes
  2. Distinct thick metal divider lines.
  3. Two pin post nubs.
  4. Clear font on reverse.
  5. Metal color is lighter.

 
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Click to expand...
A note about Mickey Waffle Patterned backs:

As a rule, if there is a distinct edge on the Mickey Waffle, it denotes a scrapper.

However, this rule does not always apply to Open Edition (OE) pins. Very often an OE pin purchased directly from Disney will display a border on its Waffle edge.

On the other hand, for Hidden Mickey/Cast Lanyard pins, a poor quality border most definitely marks it as a scrapper.
 

Here is an example of an Olaf pin comparing the scrapper to an authentic pin. ​


The scrapper is on the left. The authentic pin is on the right.

This comparison also shows how easy it is to write off an authentic pin as a scrapper due to poor quality assurance (QA). I personally purchased the Olaf pin on the right from WDW in Epcot. It was in a mystery pouch, so I couldn't see the pin before I purchased it.

The scrapper has many of the traditional signs of not being authentic. The 'real' pin looks great but has an obvious paint flaw in the enamel. Many times, enamel dips or paint flaws make people think it is automatically a scrapper, but that is not always the case. I have even seen paint dips on authentic pins, however, obvious color differences on a pin almost always give it away as being a scrapper.

On the scrapper:
  1. Mickey Icon is an odd shape, kind of blobby.
  2. Orange color slightly off.
  3. Lines on carrot too narrow.
  4. Carrot is touching mouth line.
  5. 'Hair' is thick and has poor cut out between strands.
  6. 'Hair' cut outs on reverse are obviously thick.
  7. Pin post nub is the wrong shape/size.
  8. The 2 of 7 font is large and squeezed together.
  9. Made in China and Official Pin Trader banner fonts are thick and larger than the authentic pin.

On the authentic pin (purchased by me from Epcot in a mystery pouch):

  1. Poor QA. an orange paint stain is very obvious on his face.
  2. Mickey icon is crisp.
  3. Pin post nub is wide and less sharp than the scrapper.
  4. 2 of 7 is small and crisp. Numbers and letters have a clear space between them.

 

Here is an example of a pin from a series that looks totally different than all the other pins from its group.​

It looks and feels like a scrapper but is, in fact, authentic.

These QA or manufacturing details can easily throw a collector off.

I personally purchased BOTH of these pins directly from the BOXLUNCH store in my local mall, so they are two authentic pins with very different looks.

On this photo, I marked the Cinderella pin as having poor QA – but it easily could have just been a different facility/plant with slightly different manufacturing materials and/or a less carefully designed mold.

The pin on the right is (I think) Ariel's bow.





 
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momin.ator said:
Hi @TonkaToy. If you can, would you consider making the photos a little larger the next time.

It is hard to see the backs especially.
Click to expand...
Sure can. These are old photos. I now have a feature on my phone that will magnify, so I can use that going forward. I have tried to increase the size of the photos in the above posts - so hopefully that helps a bit?
 
Super helpful thread, thank you! The Box Lunch example though definitely makes my head spin a little since I feel like it just makes me question everything all over again
 
alanfalcon said:
Super helpful thread, thank you! The Box Lunch example though definitely makes my head spin a little since I feel like it just makes me question everything all over again
Click to expand...
I know - it is awful when something like that pops up. It makes spotting scrappers extra hard. Even some of the old 'tried and true' things from the past don't work anymore. For example the magnet test. Originally authentic pins did NOT stick to a magnet. Now, some authentic pins DO stick to a magnet. Sigh...
 

Backer Cards​

Backer cards direct from China can be used to make the pin look legitimate.

The stack of cards on the left sell for .02 cents each and arrive direct from China.

Fake backer cards can have misspellings on them too, as the Disney Soda Fountain card below reveals.



Sometimes an LE set will be for sale on a backer card.
Very often the LE set is simply a mystery box group put together to look like something it isn't. If there are 120 sets available, that is a red flag. It's probably not an LE, or if it is, then one seller probably won't have more than one or two.

 

Next up: PRINCESS CAMEO pins...​

These pins were released at WDW and DLR as blind boxes. They are not an LE set, and were never (to my knowledge) sold as OE pins in a set or on individual backer cards.
See above post for an example of how they are sometimes marketed to collectors.

Scrapper (the pin on the left):
  1. The enamel colors are sort of muddy. On this Snow White example, the enamel color is more of a plum or pink.
  2. Glitter is sparse in some areas.
  3. The dividing lines are thick.
  4. The gold metal color is off - just slightly too gold.
  5. Waffle border is very defined and has a distinct edge to it around the sides of the pin.
  6. Font "Made in China" is thick and hard to read.
Authentic Pin:
  1. Enamel color is more of a true red.
  2. Glitter feature is evenly distributed throughout the enamel paint.
  3. Metal is smoother.
  4. Font on back is easy to read, crisp and clear, with even spacing.
  5. Gold metal color is muted.
  6. Waffle edge is smooth and does not have a distinct border.

 
Many of the current Real Hidden Disney pins released in 2022 (only) unfortunately have the border on the waffle edges. So for the series in 2022 (only) this is not a good tell for a fake pin. If the 2022 pin passes all the other tests and appears to be real the border on the waffle edges is likely to be ignored. I have all of the 2022 Hidden Disney pins and believe all of mine to be real. If anyone wants pictures of the 2022 back, please post to request specific pins.
 
Wonder if this is a cost cutting measure — the bordered edges would lead me to believe that pins are being cast instead of being stamped/struck -- if that's the case, the pattern on the back of every pin would probably be the same -- does anyone have a bunch of the same post-2022 pin that are made like this?
 
Late 2023 authentic rack pin (not sure if the same as the way hidden mickeys are made):

 
> Backer cards direct from China can be used to make the pin look legitimate.

I've always thought someone could buy a legit pin on a card, add the pin to their collection, then stick a scrapper on the card and then sell/trade the scrapper so it never seemed to me that the pin card is really a good way to tell a scrapper from a real pin anyway. And then the idea that they're even faking the pin cards makes it now even less useful!
 
Have you ever seen one with a reverse waffle (waffle comes out instead of goes in)? I have one in my collection and am curious if this happened at some point? The pin is heavy and seems to be well made. Fac# matches. It has excellent detail and hard enamel. It also seems to be very good quality and pointy pins. Waffle edges and throughout are clean. Any thoughts? There does seem to be a bit of a border around the outside- but I have some pins I’ve purchased from the parks that have this. It is the Disney Pixar Coco Dante & Rivera Familia De Zapateros Pin. I’m new here, so I can’t post any photos .
 
Cassy said:
Have you ever seen one with a reverse waffle (waffle comes out instead of goes in)?
Click to expand...
I feel like I did see a comment about reverse waffle patterns somewhere. It was quite awhile ago, so I'll have to dig around. I just can't remember what the answer was!
 
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