How To Spot a Fake

Disney pin trading and collecting has become a very popular activity at the Disney Parks and Cruise lines, it has managed to create a demand for several types of pins. Disney pins are manufactured in China, and often times after a certain type of pin has been created, the left over mold is used to create what is called “Scrappers” or counterfeit pins. The quality is the biggest and easiest way to know, because Disney is a company that takes the quality of their product very seriously.

A majority of these scrappers or counterfeit pins have made their way into the parks, due to many people not even realizing they are fake. I myself managed to grab some the first time I was pin trading. A place like Ebay is one of the most common places to pick up fakes. Telltale signs to look for when purchasing pins on Ebay is, where the pin is coming from; generally if the pin is coming from China, there is a very good chance the pin is fake. If possible, always try to buy pins from the Orlando or southern California areas. Another thing to look for, if the price is really good, like 20 cents per pin, it is very likely that pin or set of pins is fake.

Pictured below are 2 fake pins, the Mickey ghost pin has very subtle differences, where as the Minnie pin is and obvious fake.

Fake Pins

 

 

Real Pin Set

Another common way to spot fakes, is by the spelling. Due to the lower quality of making these pins, spelling mistakes are very common, as pictured below.

Color and weight are also good indicators if you have a fake pin. Scrapper pins are normally a lot light than real pins, and once you are really into pin trading and have handled many different pins, you will be able to tell the weight of real pins better. With color, the pin will be either faded or for instance, things like eyes may not have been colored properly. 

Also on newer pins that feature the stamped Mickey head pattern on the back, the fake pins the pattern will have a border around the edge, as opposed to the real ones, the pattern will continue over the edge with no border.

PinPics and Dizpins are great resources to check and see if your pins are real or fake. Dizpins has a catalogue of counterfeit pins. PinPics goes into great detail, included with pictures.

At the end of the day, don't let the fake pins keep you from enjoying the fun of pin trading. It can be frustrating, but every trader will tell you they have encountered fake pins and some may have fake pins in their collection. As I come across more fakes, I will post pictures of them.

Happy Trading

-The Pin Boys