It's all been a lie (like the cake)

[MercuryChild22]

So I just learned about fake pins or "scrappers" yesterday" and I have to say I'm really disappointed. I kinda want to stop collecting out of fear a good chunk of my collection may be fake. So I'm wondering how can I tell which are real and which aren't? There one particular set I have of pins that is circles that has "wanna trade", or "looking 4 (hidden mickey's icon)", or "I only need one more", and I always thought they felt kinda cheep and light. But I never paid much attention to it since all 6 are like that...but is it possible they are all fakes?

In a nutshell my goal is to go thru all of my pins (I only have about 50 mind you) and filter out which ones are real, and which are fakes. Someone help me out?

 

[Trade Winds Pins]

Sometimes it's hard to tell without one that you know is authentic to compare it to, and some of the pins *are* lightweight. In some of the older scrappers you can see mistakes with spelling or the numbering (for example: a pin, per Pin Pics, should be numbered "1 of 5" but the scrapper is "3 of 5"). Sometimes the details of what makes a specific pin is in the description section of the Pin Pics listing. Otherwise, I would just try to find others with the same pin(s) to try to compare, maybe post on here asking about a specific pin, describing the coloring or any other details that make you think that what you have is scrapper. Also, I've *bought* pins straight from Disney that have little dips in the paint, wrong color, etc., so you may still have an authentic.

Sorry if this makes it more confusing, it's just that sometimes it's hard to tell for sure!

 

[vickichip7]

Pinpics can sometimes have details on there of some details people have noticed set the fakes apart from the real ones ie weird coloring, sharp bits of metal on the back, the back of the pin not having the correct stamps fro the date/edition of the pin etc so you could look on there.

I find it very confusing, because it puts doubt in your mind where it never was before!

Do you have any that you can be sure they're real ie you bought them at Disney or traded from a CM who got it out of a bag he had stashed somewhere? If so; compare and contrast these and the pins you're not so sure about - you'll then begin to get a sense of what genuine pins may feel/look like.

 

[MercuryChild22]

Well that one set all feels the same...so they're either all scrappers, all real, or just such goof scrappers I can't tell the difference. I need a pro to look at them!

 

[dawny]

do you have a pinpics account?? i find it very helpful, and most fakes are very obvious once you know what to look for and thats what makes pinpics invaluable. The only pin i needed a comparison for was "P for penny" because the shade of her hair is way off, but you need the real one to compare. Dont panic or fret, it stinks though having to deal with the fakes.

 

[MercuryChild22]

I saw one of those pins from that set today from a lanyard and felt it...feels the same as the one's I have, so I guess I have to suspend my suspicious that I have fakes for now

 

[mcedes]

I am also new to pin trading and I got addicted very fast on my first trip to WDW. I didnt know much about pin trading before going to the park I just learned from cast members and other visitors while I was there and I am still learning which is why I joined the forum. I am sad to admit that I believe that I also have a scrapper in my collection and what breaks my heart even more was that I traded a cast member for it at WDW Its a Disney land pin and it does seem to feel lighter than my others and like you it makes me very worried about trading. I will have to post pics for opinions

 

[tiggermickey]

Hi Mcedes
Welcome to DPF!!

 

[Vixy]

Pinpics notes and the sticky threads in Pin Comparison here have been very helpful to me. General things like wrong colors, rough edges, dips in the paint, borders. Although now that I've heard some of the real pins you buy from the store have dips and borders too, it's hard to be sure.

I have a few pins I traded for at the parks that have sentimental value for me as much as pin value, because of the story behind getting them, who I was with, etc. These are ones I keep and never intend to trade. For those particular ones, I don't really care if they turn out to be scrappers or fakes, because they still have that special meaning for me, and because I'm never turning them loose into the world. I don't know if anyone else feels that way, but it's one way of looking at it.

Any pin I'm going to trade to someone else, I check as best I can for any suspicious signs, of course, because I'd never want to give someone else bad value in a trade.

 

[Alexa]

I can help you if I ever see you in person.

 

[swim2sea]

Don't give up. It is discouraging in the beginning, but you can overcome it by learning about pins. On the other hand, don't become some paranoid that you are afraid to trade for anything. Most people who are on this forum have run into a scrapper at one time or another and it's no reason to give up. Learn what pins are being scrapped and just be careful. That's one reason I don't collect HM pins anymore since they get scrapped so fast. Hope to see you at one of the PTN's at WDW. I'm missing this one (one the plane right now) but I will be there in September.

 

[Kozi]

Sadly the very first pin I got from a castmember now looks like it's a scrapper based on the pinpics description(I had no clue at the time, I was JUST getting into trading, I'd only ever bought from the parks before then), so I feel for ya. ): Hopefully you just have some slight variations and yours are all legit. -crosses fingers- So don't get too discouraged.. either way, there are always more out there to collect!

 

[MercuryChild22]

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback! And Yes Alexa who knows?

 

[bombardon3]

When I first learned about scrappers, I got super paranoid and picked out every pin with even the most minor imperfection. I was doing some cleaning the other day and found my bag full of what I thought were scrappers. After reexamining them them, I'd say probably a third are not scrappers. In a lot of cases the pins had dips in the paint which is something that I have found, with experience, happens with plenty of pins. Also, the way some pins are made sometimes leaves a small imperfection on the edges that can sometimes be confused with the border on scrappers. You'll get better at separating the scrap from the legit in time. I know I have.

 

[breagirl]

Although it can be tricky, here's a few things to note. I have always found that hidden mickeys that are not glossy are usually fakes. All of my real ones (ones that I traded when they immediately came out) have a nice high gloss finish, fake ones my kids have gotten are not glossy at all and you can sometimes even see faint lines in the paint. On hidden mickeys, again, you will find that many times when there is no gloss, they have major dips in the paint, numbers on the back don't match up, writing isn't clear on the back, etc.

On regular rack pins, keep in mind that most pins that are scrapped are only one dimensional. So pins that have several layers, dangle, etc. are usually pretty safe as they are harder and more expensive to knock off. Pinpics is a great tool, but my rule of thumb is if it looks too good to be true, it probably is (unless you are trading with Scoop!) Good luck and don't beat yourself up. It happens to the best of us!

 

[GhostTrains]

honestly when scrappers came to be a major problem in 2007 i got rid of every lanyard pin i had. I dont collect them or trade them anymore, the issues actually caused me to stop trading all together for the last 3 years, this is my fist week back but you just have to modify your trading etiquette. I only trade pins on original barcoded backs and offer the same in return.

Scrapper scares have caused many many issues in the past and people always freak out about the pin they received or traded for in the parks. to me, all pins from a lanyard are scrappers. avoid it all together or hold a bunch of pins on the side and only trade them in the parks for your collection, not to trade on the boards. I honestly dont care if a pin i own is a scrapper, if i cant tell the difference thats fine with me, but those are pins i wont trade away on the boards.

Thats my 2 cents
Happy trades
Kirk

 

[Epcot82]

I just want to say that the title of your thread is amazing. I LOVE Portal!