Home >> Collecting >> Other Collecting

How to Identify a Fake Pin Set

Pin trading is a popular hobby, bringing pleasure to hundreds of thousands of participants around the world. Rare pin sets can be worth several hundred dollars each. This incentive, combined with the fact that many fans are keen to complete their collections, has led to a rash of counterfeiting on the market. Many fake pins are shoddy, low-quality replicas but others are produced to a high standard and are difficult to tell apart from the real thing. Here are a few ways to ensure you don't get caught out.

Instructions

- 1
  Check fan sites and official suppliers to ensure the pin set you are interested in was actually issued. There are, for example, a large number of Disney pin sets in circulation that are shaped like letters and spell out the name of a Disney character. Only a tiny number of genuine sets of this design have ever been produced, a clear indicator that almost all those being sold today are likely to be counterfeit.
- 2
  Examine the history of the seller if you intend to make a purchase online. In particular, see how many of the pin sets are being offered for sale. If the seller seems to have an abundance of identical items, he may be involved in trading fakes.
- 3
  Check the quality of the lettering and the finish. If you are unable to view the item in person, ask the seller to provide a close-up photograph of the item. Fake pin sets will often have blurred lettering and uneven coloring.
- 4
  Sign up for a fan-run pin trading website linked to the type of pins you wish to collect. This will give you access to a community of collectors who will be willing to share knowledge about fake sets in circulation. You will also be able to compare photographs of real and bogus products to help you avoid scrappers -- pins made by authorized makers but exhibiting minor imperfections. Instead of being "scrapped," as the label would indicate, many such pin sets find their way onto the trading market.
- 5
  Ask about the background of the items being sold. New pin sets should be in official packaging or attached to backing cards. In many instances, including the issuance of pins made in connection with the Olympic Games, the backing cards will contain an official hologram logo. Such items are expensive for counterfeiters to forge and are therefore usually absent from bootleg products.

Other Collecting