Hello! I am a newly minted pin hunter and need advice on - Everything!

Greetings one and all!

I think I just fell in love with Disney pins, it was an accident, I wasn't planning this at all. My 8 year old niece is going to WDW in February and I had heard of Disney pin trading so I thought I would get her a starter kit for Christmas so she could join in the fun. I found lots of picture online and starting reading all I could find. Well, I really started to like the pins. It seems like the more I read, the more questions I had and the more I was drawn to these shiny little things. I bought a couple of lanyards with pins on ebay. I was careful not to buy anything from big lot sellers, the two I bought seem to be coming from just regular folks whose kids didn't want them anymore. Well, when they came in the mail I was more like a kid at Christmas than a 53 year old in August. I found myself falling in love with these cute little chunks of metal. I then did a search for reputable pin sellers and did some more shopping, a lot more shopping. I now have a stack for the 8 year old and a stack for me. I guess my first question is where should I post my questions? I have lots and lots of questions! Probably an annoying amount of questions but I will beg your indulgence for my newbie enthusiasm.

I now have my husband talked into a trip in February! We will be at WDW on Valentines day and I guess my next question is if there are special pins available for that occasion and where would I go to find them? I am already putting away some money each week to fund what I am sure will be an epic pin buying binge. I will be especially looking for Cleo and Figaro. Thankfully we will be driving down, I don't think I would be able to make it past the metal detectors in the airport on the way back. :hsugh:

I would love to hear from anyone out there that has advice for a clueless new collector. Are there any books that would be helpful? What do I look for? What do I run from? How do I tell the difference? Will I ever be sane again? Wait, strike that last question, I am happy and I don't think I care.

I want to thank Cicada for the welcoming message and information about this wonderful site! You made me feel at home before I even introduced myself and I really appreciate that.

I know I shouldn't write this and immediately toddle off to bed but I have a very early day tomorrow. At break time I will be sitting down with a cup of coffee and soaking in all the wonderful advice. Thank you in advance - I very much look forward to hearing from you! :wavey:

Please post your specific questions on your coffee break! I'm sure all of us are eager to answer any questions you might have, and welcome to DPF.

Also I have a question for you: do you have a Pin Pics account, if not you should consider making one!

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Welcome to DPF and your new addiction, I mean hobby. I may be able to help with the following question(s).

ILuvCleo said:

We will be at WDW on Valentines day and I guess my next question is if there are special pins available for that occasion and where would I go to find them?

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Yes, there will be special pins that will come out for Valentine's day. If they are open edition, they will most likely be available most places that sell pins but if they are limited edition, you would need to get them at either Pin Central in Epcot, Fantasia in The Contemporary, Frontierland Trading Post or Pin Traders in Disney Springs (Downtown Disney). There is a Disney App available that will usually let you locate them when you are there. Best of luck.

Welcome to the forum. Before you know it you will have tons of pins and be as broke as all of us...lol. pinpics account is a must to have. We'll be waiting to hear what questions you have.

Will I ever be sane again?

NO LOL

Welcome:wavey:

Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney Pins!!! I agree, it is an addiction, but not a bad one.

Thank you all very much for the kind replies! I will definitely be hunting down that App to help me find the LE Valentine pins - Thank you!!

You asked for my questions so here we go after a little background info.

Scrapper pins do not appeal to me at all. One of my favorite pins that I got on one of my ebay lanyards was a scrapper and it broke my heart just a little. According to what I have read it is definitely a scrapper, wrong metal color, and it will stick to a magnet. I know the magnet thing has been partially debunked but I just figured that was the final nail in the coffin for that particular pin. The pin is 57931, the 2007 hidden Mickey orange fruit pin. From looking at my watch list on ebay I realize that I must have a thing for mouse ears. Who knew?!

All of that just to bring up my first question. Is there a line in the sand, so to speak, as to what year(s) scrapper pins go back to? Say anything before 2005 is probably real? (just to throw a number out there, that year is based on exactly nothing)

Along the same line of questioning I am also wondering what year Disney added the no-spinny nubs on either side of the pin? I was just wondering as a possible way to spot scrapper/fake/fraud/generally ooky pins.

In my effort to keep my budding collection as unsullied as possible, I was wondering if it would be feasible to begin my collection with: 1) older pins that have not been offered as scrappers, 2) pins purchase only from reputable sources or bought new by myself. I realize that this would probably preclude any trading at this point but it is very important to me to only trade good pins for good pins. I would also rather wait to trade until I have some idea of what I am doing. I probably don't even know how much I don't know at this point. To me it just seems totally unethical to trade scrapper pins to CM and then have them passed onto other unsuspecting people.

If it is allowable, I would love to hear who you pros consider reputable online sellers!

Which brings me to the next question - are there particular places or CMs or park regulars that could help guide me and where would I find them? I would just love to have someone to give me some hands on advice if they have time. I promise many thanks and undying gratitude in return!

Well, my coffee is gone and so is my time for now. I will be back on this afternoon with a notepad and pencil in hand so I don't forget a word!

I am Karen, and my pins and I live in Dallas, Georgia.

Nice to meet you Karen!

As for trading for "real" pins, honestly I haven't been trading for that long, and it has really surprised me what people have been able to fake! If you're really new I would suggest making a trading thread showing off pictures of pins you're willing to trade, and let the community take it from there. Lots of people here trade all the time and have quite a reputation for being good traders!

EBay I'm not an expert on, but I usually only buy Limited edition pins (as their less likely to be scrapped). I also would try to stick away from hidden mickey pins as much as possible. I'm not saying they're all fakes, however if you trading off a lanyard/board they probably are unfortunately.

If you can't make frequent visits to the parks forums and trading groups will be your best friend so get around, say hi, and get to know some friendly faces!
I've only been trading for almost a year now, so hopefully this will help!


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Welcome to the fun!

Hello Karen
Welcome to DPF
If you're looking for guaranteed genuine pins this is a good place to start
You'll find a few threads here offering at cost pickups of recent releases :
DLR ~ Speezard
WDW ~ Merlin_Emrys
DSF ~ Timeerkat
DLP ~ Taram (OE at least)
As for starting with older pins , that might not be of any benefit . I've personally found it easier to try and get pins shortly after their release if I want to guarantee authenticity .
When I'm trading at the parks (seems years ago now ) I try not to worry too much about getting scrappers as it ruins the fun of trading for me , I undoubtedly have a few fakes amongst my collection but since they're not re-entering the trading pool I can live with them , and the really poor quality ones aren't too hard to spot and then avoid , it's just a learning curve you'll get used to .

AvatarAng1 said:

EBay I'm not an expert on, but I usually only buy Limited edition pins (as their less likely to be scrapped).

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I hate to disagree with Mark but there are numerous sellers of fake limited edition pins , and they're harder to spot than the sellers of fake HM pins . If you're interested in buying LE pins off eBay there are a few to avoid , I'm a member of a Facebook group that keeps an updated list so I can PM you a list if you'd like .

Thank you all for the information! I am taking notes as I learn and trying to keep them in some kind of logical order for when I need to refer to them. I stopped at a thrift store on the way home and actually found a pin for sixty nine cents. It is 75144, Brights Hidden Mickey from 2010. The lettering on the back looks crisp and is raised, I know that with these I will never know for sure but I am hopeful that it is not a scrapper. I honestly didn't expect to find anything and I was shocked when I saw it.

I have found my now 21 pins on PinPics and have them listed under my name. I have about that many more set aside for my niece, I also know that for her I am going to have to buy an Elsa pin for her for Christmas, Elsa is her favorite Disney character. I don't think I am ready to trade anything yet, I am just happy owning them for now. I will have plenty of time to trade in the future. My Cleo pin 67918 arrived today and I can't stop looking at it, it makes me smile, it is on the card, the numbers match and I don't think I could possibly love it more. I am pretty sure this is just the first of many Cleo and/or Figaro pins that will be living with me.

speedwaystar1 - I would love to have that list! I am not on Facebook, never have been, I know myself well enough to know that I would never get anything else done in my life if I ever started. At least I know my weaknesses. :facepalm: Face palm of shame...

I was really hoping that there was some kind of line of demarcation in the timeline of Disney pins as far as scrappers are concerned. The fact is, I find myself drawn to some of the older ones that apparently no one but me wants. :dunno: That's okay, I have collected many things in my life, vintage jewelry and purses, model horses, postcards, old aquarium decorations, etc. and I know to collect what I love and I will be happy. I'm not overly concerned with the latest, greatest got-to-have-it-now things, just what appeals to me. I am planning to display them in my hallway with my old Six Flags Maps so I can see them everyday.

speedwaystar1 said:

I hate to disagree with Mark but there are numerous sellers of fake limited edition pins , and they're harder to spot than the sellers of fake HM pins . If you're interested in buying LE pins off eBay there are a few to avoid , I'm a member of a Facebook group that keeps an updated list so I can PM you a list if you'd like .

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That's totally true! I think most scrappers are listed on Pin Pics as well.

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Hi karen
welcome to dpf ...if u have ??s more of them you need to ask ,go for it ..Judy

Welcome!!

And they usually have special valentines day pins for sale. Oh and no you won't be the same again

Cleo is a very nice character to collect! I hope you have fun growing your collection

About the trading and being afraid of scrappers.. I totally get your fear, but please don't let it ruin the fun of trading!

Hi and Welcome to DPF! Hope to "see" you around the boards.

Welcome. Sounds like you got into pins the same way I did (minus the niece) I was searching things to do at WDW world before a trip (after a 20 year hiatus), found out about trading, found this site, and now my bank account hates me.

Have fun! There are tons of helpful people around here.

Welcome! I have a few Elsa pins for sale if you ever need any