How to determine if a pin is real/fake?
 

Hey,

I've been looking at a pin that I was thinking of picking up and realized I have no idea how to tell if a pin is real or fake (or a recent reproduction).

I looked back at some posts here that mentioned some pretty good looking fakes, but nothing on how to ID them.

I'd rather not post the pin publicly, because I think it probably fits the collection if there's a way to help without that. The pin I am looking at is not super intricate (more a basic pin with some words on it). The font and lettering looks like the other examples I've come across, and the back of the pin definitively looks old, but I know that's not enough. Front looks cleaner than other copies I've seen, which is part of the reason I'm concerned.

Any help or guidance is much appreciated. If resources on this already exist, I'd appreciate a pointer to them. Thanks!

well
 

No disrespect. It's very hard to guide you without the pinback in hand and I'd say near impossible without so much as a close-up front and back. Maybe someone else has a better response although I tend to doubt it. Any manner of front can be replicated and any marriage or replacement can be made on the obverse. Generally the higher the value and the more scarce the item - the greater the possibility it can be faked. Incentive (by way of profiting) generally drives the equation. Your biggest problem in eliciting responses is there's too limited information going in and too diffuse a question in the end....

Henry responded exactly as I was tempted to... but his wording was far more eloquent.

Bottom line... if you want an informed response, you'll need to post the pics!

+1 Need to see the item before any of us will give you an answer. If not your on your own and good luck! Hell take a chance you can always send it back...:rolleyes:

I thought that might be the case.

Here are the images.

Jeff the pin is good!

I'd say good. Anybody know what it was for?

Hank the only thing I can determine is it might be for his Tour of Japan team...

Thanks!

I believe the pin was connected to the Barnstorming Tours he did. The Bustin' Babe's and Larrupin' Lou's.

Awesome, thanks!

That makes sense, and makes it a great piece. Wonder if there was a Lou version?

I'm not super knowledgeable about pins. My assumption was that there probably was one, but a quick Google search didn't turn anything up.

I agree with Al's knowledgeable opinion.

Thanks for the help everyone. The seller had listed a bunch of pins that he said came from a collection of an older individual, so was hoping that it was good. I love how clean it looks.

I collect barnstorming related items, and have mostly been limited to the 40's and 50's (Paige, Feller, Lemon, Jackie Robinson, Campanella etc). Love that era, but excited to find an earlier, Ruth barnstorming item.

edit: It looks like PSA grades pins. I'm thinking of going that route, though don't see info on how to go about it on the PSA website. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'm sure I'm just overlooking it. (Obviously don't have the pin in hand yet, but thinking about it when I get it.)

But why would you want to do that?

+1 Thanks Rob... ;);)

Was wondering the same...

How does slabbing it make it any better? Why waste the time and money, when the people here are 10X more knowledgeable about vintage pinbacks? If PSA is obsolete or gone in 10 years, do you really want it to reside in that unsightly bar-coded case?

Seems like people are automatically conditioned to flock to them, despite all of the “errors” and corruption. I’d try to resist the hyperbole and just enjoy the Pin for what it is!

I completely agree with Mark about the slabbing. I have thousands of pins in my collection and none are encased. Raw is the way to go.