Suspected Counterfeit/Scrapper Pins...
Brand new to Disney pins! I had mentioned to my husband that I wanted to start collecting them so I can trade them at the parks, and he surprised me for my birthday yesterday with a lanyard and a bag of mixed pins he bought online. He said the lady swore in her email that they are all authentic, but I found one that has a typo on the back (missing the 'O' from "Authentic Official") so now I'm skeptical.
I read online that some main ways to identify counterfeit pins was to look for the two little nubs next to the post (should have them), if they stick to a magnet (they shouldn't), typos, weird fonts, and imperfections in the enamel.
There were a few that stuck to a magnet, but some of those had the little nubs and look fine otherwise. How definite is that sign? There were some that didn't have the nubs or the nubs were different but they're oddly shaped pins (e.g. Eiffle tower) so wasn't sure if they should still have them. One appears to have small bubbles in the enamel so I'm assuming that would be considered an imperfection?
Since I'm so new to pins, I'm nervous to say for sure that any of these are counterfeit/scrappers but I want to figure it out so my husband can go back to this lady and inform her that many were. Are there any other things I can look for as sure-fire signs of authenticity?
Wow that's crazy. I'll take some pics and post later and see if anyone else can tell one way or another. We want to display our "keepers" so my favorites I'll probably just keep anyway but I just don't want to trade someone and accidentally give them a fake, I'd feel terrible. I also don't like that this lady is swearing hers are all genuine when I (just a newbie) can tell right away that there are some suspicious pins in the lot she sold my husband. Either she's unaware or she's ripping people off.I had hoped after the big bust and guys went to jail, that it would get better, but the almighty dollar is just to powerful for sum to stay away from.
Where did he buy the lot? Do they sell lots of pin lots? With a little research you can find some hints to what kind of people you are dealing with. Once you find out what pins are fake, you can cut the back post off and than send them to a member here that makes stuff for kids like magnets I believe. It's good for the kids and takes out a few fakes each year.
Once you find out what pins are fake, you can cut the back post off and than send them to a member here that makes stuff for kids like magnets I believe. It's good for the kids and takes out a few fakes each year.
That is so awesome! The princess cameos are so beautiful.I make bows with the fakes. Keeps me busy. Of course, now I have a TON of bows. I did a few Haunted Mansion ones this past weekend.
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Thank you! I really enjoy making them. So, I'm always on the lookout for interesting fakes or broken pins.That is so awesome! The princess cameos are so beautiful.
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I make bows with the fakes. Keeps me busy. Of course, now I have a TON of bows. I did a few Haunted Mansion ones this past weekend.
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Nice job. I will teach you all I know if you post my pins like that. Looks real good. So not sure where to start. Maybe we can all help knock them out one at a time. I will start with the easy one. The missing letter one is more than likely fake. Here is why. They key to finding fake pins is not looking for that one tiny thing wrong, it is about looking for multiple things and than adding it all up. The magnets trick was Previn not to work. Some trusted members from DPF did the test right in the DLR pin shops and that was that. So back to looking. Even Disney can and will have stuff wrong but usually not multiple things. So the missing letter also has the super rased pin trading logo. Those two things tell me it is 99.9% fake. do you know about checking for sound yet? That can tell you a little about your pin also. Tap it on marble or something very solid.
Sorry, I have seen that scrapped from a Hong Kong seller (along with some of the other pins posted). If you see that a seller's pins are the same pins over and over and at extremely cheap prices, that is another good sign that you are dealing with scrappers/counterfeits. They often sell more limited edition pins than what should be on the market for such a low edition number. I made that mistake early on and learned from it the hard way. Best of luck to you, happy trading!!Thank you! I do not know about checking for sound yet -- what is that? Here is another of the suspected fakes.
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