Gadget from Frame Set “Cheddar to the Rescue”

So this is about Pin 31358 Gadget from Frame Set “Cheddar to the Rescue” - LE 50 from a framed set

I own this pin, I traded for it... a very long time ago, like sometime around 2005-2006. This was really just before the scrapper problem started to surface. I remember being glad I had the pin before these started popping up on lanyards everywhere. I don't 100% know it's legit, but the trader I got it from I knew, and he had many other broken up framed set pins of this caliber, and from the same event. So I've always hoped it was real.
My friend just traded for one recently at the parks. There are some discrepancies, but it's also pretty good looking, so I don't know what to think. Is mine real? Is hers real? Are they both real? Sometimes not all pins in the framed sets would be identical, for whatever reason...

Front view - Hers is on the left, mine is on the right

From the front, the colors are well identical! The only discrepancy I can see here, we didn't notice until after we took the photo that on her pin, the shirt isn't colored in. No dips, lines appear the same thickness.

Back view - Again, hers on the left, mine on the right

Her back has the logos printed more on center. My back has the two nubs that everyone swears by. My pin has a more yellow gold tint to the back color.

Side View - Mine is on top, and hers is on the bottom

Mine is definitely thicker.

I dunno how to really say for sure unless someone else out there for sure has the framed set in their possession... but open to anyone's thoughts and comments.

So several years ago, I went on a search and identify mission, looking for images from the Chinese Factories selling unauthorized Disney items. Came up with a list of over 1800 pins. Good news is that this pin was not on my list. Bad news is that there was a single pin from another framed pin set released during the same event (81501 Donald from Alpine Climbers set - no warning on Pinpics, but the image is here). Which means it's possible. If there are unauthorized versions of this pin, I'd guess that they were from the scrap from Disney's official run, and not overruns using the same mold or someone sent it off for counterfeiting. And if they are from Disney's official run, the pins would look extremely similar. For example, your friend's pin might have been made first and then during the process they found errors: wrong fill for her chest was error, it was supposed to have nubs, thickness is too thin. However, they calibrate the process. Her pin wasn't supposed to make it out, but we know they do.

But this is just all guessing. I got my first unauthorized pins direct from a Ebay seller operating out of Hong Kong in Jan 2005, and they were bad on DL lanyards by summer of 2005, so unfortunately items made in 2004 sort of "start the window" of what unauthorized pins might be out there.

I got one of these pins in 2007-ish at DL. I don't have it anymore but I remember it being a bit more faded

hopemax said:

So several years ago, I went on a search and identify mission, looking for images from the Chinese Factories selling unauthorized Disney items. Came up with a list of over 1800 pins. Good news is that this pin was not on my list. Bad news is that there was a single pin from another framed pin set released during the same event (81501 Donald from Alpine Climbers set - no warning on Pinpics, but the image is here). Which means it's possible. If there are unauthorized versions of this pin, I'd guess that they were from the scrap from Disney's official run, and not overruns using the same mold or someone sent it off for counterfeiting. And if they are from Disney's official run, the pins would look extremely similar. For example, your friend's pin might have been made first and then during the process they found errors: wrong fill for her chest was error, it was supposed to have nubs, thickness is too thin. However, they calibrate the process. Her pin wasn't supposed to make it out, but we know they do.

But this is just all guessing. I got my first unauthorized pins direct from a Ebay seller operating out of Hong Kong in Jan 2005, and they were bad on DL lanyards by summer of 2005, so unfortunately items made in 2004 sort of "start the window" of what unauthorized pins might be out there.

Click to expand...

See I've been trading since 2004, and I definitely don't recall scrappers really coming into play until 2007, when I was dating my now ex and getting him into pins! I really wish Dizpins hadn't gone down, we had a huge image list there of stuff that was known to be scrappers. Most of them were Hidden Mickey's of course, but there was indeed almost a catalogue of the ones you knew to watch out for. I remember the Disneyland attraction posters were a big point of contingency and there were 2 for sure that were scrappers since they were never officially released, but people even wanted those since there was no official version.
"Cast lanyard" specific pins used to be safe, but now I even see obviously bad versions of those popping up! Which sucks cuz they were much older. I remember they really became a problem after the fish bags, and the kites and such, but even then at least the fakes had bad coloring, or messed up back stamps so they were much more obvious.
Gadget was also definitely on the list, and like I said, she was all over lanyards at that time in 2007, but I had mine before then...
The trader I got my Gadget from did not have the Alpine Climbers set (but I remember those being all over lanyards too!), but he had a lot of pieces from these I still remember:
Pin 32426 WDW - A Family Pin Gathering - Jumbo Frame Set - A Magical Gathering Scrapbook
Pin 32433 WDW - A Family Pin Gathering - Large Frame Set - A Royal Family Gathering
Pin 32618 WDW - A Family Pin Gathering - Extra Large Framed 9 Pin Set (Bambi Family) - I actually got some of the pins from this set from him too but I don't have them now
Pin 27877 WDW - This Is Love - Large Pin Frame Set: Castle Scene
Pin 24537 WDW - Journey Through Time Pin Event 2003 (Disney's Cool Cats) Framed Pin Set
I don't know how I remember all this from over 10 years ago, but yeah. He had most of the pieces from those sets, had gotten them from a trader who had supposedly gone to all the events, but he got them already out of the frames. They weren't bought online.
But yeah, there's I guess just no way to tell unless someone had one to compare that was definitely in the frame set or you pulled it out of the frame yourself.

I have all the images I collected here. Including, listing all the pins from the images from Dizpins. The Scrapper Files Search Dizpins, and the individual posts regarding each image should pop up.

I have the link from Dizpins. I just tried to check if the Archive.org saved the images, but it's search is being problematic at the moment.

Got it: Known Scrapper/Counterfeit Pins

Note the dates on the Dizpins page. "Update February 2006." So if you doubt, my date of when these started showing up, at least acknowledge that Dizpins had researched this prior to being confident enough to post their warning in February 2006.

hopemax said:

I have all the images I collected here. Including, listing all the pins from the images from Dizpins. The Scrapper Files Search Dizpins, and the individual posts regarding each image should pop up.

I have the link from Dizpins. I just tried to check if the Archive.org saved the images, but it's search is being problematic at the moment.

Got it: Known Scrapper/Counterfeit Pins

Note the dates on the Dizpins page. "Update February 2006." So if you doubt, my date of when these started showing up, at least acknowledge that Dizpins had researched this prior to being confident enough to post their warning in February 2006.

Click to expand...

That was indeed the link I was remembering! I just didn't remember them showing up quite that early, but yeah, the update is dated. Just a bummer to know they have plagued this hobby for THAT long and Disney doesn't do anything about it :/

I think your pin looks good. Your friend’s pin has much thicker lines. Look at the hands. Your hands have good fingers. Hers are very thick. Also the lack of nubs and the pin color make me think that her pin is a fake and yours is real.