Pin Trading Beginner

[NiarrNDisney]

Right, no counterfiter would think to include those marks on the back. Even those using the original dies.

Well I'm sure there are Counterfeits out there using the same designs, marks, and dyes if they pass sobeit though that is unfortunate.
According to the official Pin Trading Rules - As long as a pin has the "Official" Pin Trading or Disney(c) mark it can be traded with a CM.

 

[dreamfinder]

All pins should have the Official Pin Trading or a Disney(c) mark on the back to be eligible for trading with CM's.

These are just the guidelines for what pins are eligible to be traded in park. Basically trying to trade an Olympics pin for a Disney pin isn't going to happen. (Unless that Olympics pin was somehow cross licensed by Disney)

Buy on ebay to start out. Make sure you buy from an experienced seller and read their feedbacks.

Read the feedback, but more importantly, look at what they have for sale/have sold. If a seller constantly sells lots of 25, 50, 100+ pins, and almost always uses the same description, "Guaranteed tradeable, no duplicates, selection may vary from picture", those are pretty much going to be fakes. If the lots are shown by picture, text isn't copy/pasted, and the user has variety, including single pins, sets, etc, then they may be real.

With the current state of trading with the CMs, they typically don't care, or don't know how to spot a fake. If you are looking to trade just for the enjoyment of it, and don't care about the value, then you know what to do. Trading with knowledgeable guests, or hoping to get pins that will have a higher value, heck, even some value, most pins from the bulk lots won't do you any good. Many serious pin traders will actually do what they can to remove scrappers from the market. Saw a posting from one who took a bunch of fakes they had and mixed them in with the concrete when they were doing some construction on their house. However, there are more than enough pins that have been faked that are easily available on CM lanyards to still make a good collection of it. For instance, of my 30-40 vinylmation pins, I think that maybe 10-15 are legit. Some of the others are obvious fakes, and some are questionable. But I'm not looking for value or long term worth, I'm looking for pins I like.

 

[jlevis]

Well I'm sure there are Counterfeits out there using the same designs, marks, and dyes if they pass sobeit though that is unfortunate.
According to the official Pin Trading Rules - As long as a pin has the "Official" Pin Trading or Disney(c) mark it can be traded with a CM.

And that is why so many counterfieits and scrappers end up on CM lanyards. It is often extremely difficult to tell legitimate pins from fakes. CM's can't do it so they trade and sometimes they get a 25 cent scrapper to add to their lanyard. And, that is why I don't trade.

 

[YoungNY]

Thank you all for the information. Do you think pin trading is valuable? What I mean is, I'm looking to build a collection that I could maybe save and pass down or sell one day for a profit. Do you think it's that kind of hobby?

 

[dreamfinder]

Thank you all for the information. Do you think pin trading is valuable? What I mean is, I'm looking to build a collection that I could maybe save and pass down or sell one day for a profit. Do you think it's that kind of hobby?

Hard to say. Most collectible markets bottom at at some point. Most of the value/perceived value in pin trading will be fairly limited. With the rare exception of an PP or AP pin that gets seeded out on the CM lanyards (the pin group does still occasionally put Preproduction Proofs and Artist Proofs on the lanyards, as well as other older/rarer pins), or pins that people traded without knowing their value, CM lanyard pins have next to no value. As we have pointed out, most of them are often scrappers/fakes, and even the ones that aren't are usually released in large numbers. Even finding an open edition pin on a lanyard can be tough. But most of the value tends to come from older or LE pins. So for special events, pin gatherings etc they will make pins that are LE 25/50, stuff like that. Those tend to be the ones that collectors want. Ones that are cool and hard to get. Or for instance in some of the lanyard series recently they have done 3 takes on the same pin. A traditional one that has the enameled colors on it, a gold version of just the metal, and a silver one of just the metal. No colors on either of the metal ones. Those they released in smaller numbers, so traders initially wanted them. And some subject matter is obviously going to be in higher demand than others. A cool LE 250 pin of the Haunted Mansion would probably end up being more in demand than say a LE 25 pin of Stitch's Great Escape.

But odds are, unless you live near the parks and have a flexible schedule, plus the ability to go the pin events, you won't be able to get your hands on the desired pins (affordably). You could end up with something neat to pass down. Getting pins that you like, or have some meaning to you means you can share all sorts of stories about them years down the road. But value? Look at Beanie Babies. I know people that paid hundreds of dollars for some of those, and now you can get the same ones for $5 on eBay. My words of advice, always collect what you like at a price you are willing to pay, not what you think will be worth money. If you think a pin is cool, and buy it, then you have a pin you like. But if you see a pin you think might be worth money, and buy it you could be getting a fake (not worth much) or getting one that ends up not being in demand and no one wants to buy.

 

[jlevis]

Thank you all for the information. Do you think pin trading is valuable? What I mean is, I'm looking to build a collection that I could maybe save and pass down or sell one day for a profit. Do you think it's that kind of hobby?

Personnaly, no I don't think it is valuable as an investment. I have seen pins that people were asking in the hundreds for. But asking and getting are two different things. Look at it this way, what are people on ebay getting for their pins? I'm giving a pin to each of my family when we are there, for my 70th birthday, in August. I hope that they will value it and keep it as a memento.