Posted By:
Paul MuchinskyMike,
Sometimes, but not always. I have some 1.75" "crossed bats" team pins with metal so smooth and shiney you would swear they were made early this morning. But they are vintage. I cannot explain the variation in metal tone in pins. I have seen the porous nature you describe, inexplicable "yellow" colored metal, and what must be very thin metal, as these pins seem to be often dented or dimpled. As a rule, you are correct, the metal is a "tell", but I have seen enough variation to know it is not 100%. While on the subject, one of the classic fantasies (a pin that was not made at the time period suggested on the pin) is a B/W pin of an old Babe Ruth posing with a young Ted Williams. The photo was taken around 1940. The pin from which the photo was based was made around, I would guess, 1980-85. I have seen some "Academy Award" winning efforts to "age" this pin, a series of techniques called "distressing" the pin--the taking of deliberate actions to LOWER the quality of the pin to increase the deception it is vintage. The grand prize winner was to take a sharp metal object, like a nail, and make a few very small scratches in the back. Then with an eyedropper (I'm guessing), a few drops of water were selectively placed on the scratches. Let nature run its course, and in time you have some impressive ferrous oxide looking back at you, AKA "rust", on a pin featuring two of the greatest players of all time. "C'mon buddy, no NEW pin can be rusty. It's gotta be vintage".
Paul