Welcome to Part 2 of my Disney Pin Trading Series. This one today is about how to tell if a Disney Pin is a Scrapper. There are probably other ways to tell if a pin is a fake. However, these are the methods I use when looking for fakes. I, like all Disney Pin Traders, don’t always get it right 100% of the time, but if you follow these easy methods when looking at Pins, I’m sure you’ll rarely get traded a Scrapper. Here are my Top Ten Tips for telling if a pin is a scrapper 1.

Has anyone had any luck getting authentic trading pin lots from eBay? A picture of the front and the back of the pin so I can verify the Disney trademark and/or serial number. Also check out the shop Disney parks app!

Are the edges sharp? For all Disney pins if you run your finger around the edge of the pin, there should be NO SHARP EDGES.This is obviously due to health and safety and ensuring that all Official Disney pins are of the highest standard. However, if you see or feel any sharp edges chances are, chances are you have a scrapper! Does the pin feel heavy enough and are the colours correct? (Pin on the right is genuine). Another easy method of checking if a pin is a scrapper is feeling the weight of a pin and looking at the colours on the pin. Disney Pins are often quite heavy, due to the high quality metal.

However, a scrapper pin is likely to be very light and does not feel very well made. Also, by looking at the colours on the pin, is a big give away. If the colours on the pin are not very vivid and seem to be a bit dull, chances are you have a scrapper. If you are still unsure check pinpics.com as that is a database which features near enough all Disney pins, so go compare the picture. How does the front of the pin look in general?

Have a look at the front of the pin, and feel over the top. If you notice any brush marks on the pin, chances are this pin is a scrapper. In addition, if when you run your finger over the pin, and it feels very flat, chances are you have a scrapper. Authentic Disney pins usually have raised borders on the front of pins. Are the eyes ‘off’ on the pin? As you can see on this picture. The eyes do not look right With eyes it is quite easy to see if the character looks a bit mishapen, or just ‘does not look right’.

Is there any missing parts on the pin? Another indicator of a scrapper is missing parts on a pin. An example of this being a Disneyland Paris Stitch invasion pin I own. This pin appears to have no limited edition number on the back of the pin. This could suggest that it is an example pin badge used by the factories; however, chances are it is a fake. Also some pins may be missing pieces of enamel, which can be a key indicator that a pin is a fake. Turn the pin over is there a ‘mickey waffle’ print going off the edges?

This one is a bit tricky to tell if a pin is a fake. Since 2012, (I think) every Disney pin, has had a ‘mickey waffle’ background. These backgrounds often run off the end of the pin, and do not have a border around them. However, Disney Studio Store in Hollywood Pins, actually have a mickey waffle pin back, which actually has a border. Summary of greenberg avant garde and kitsch.

Confusing or what!? Oh and older Disney Pins do not have a mickey waffle background. I think it is around the late 2000s that they started to introduce it. So if your pin does not have a mickey waffle background, it does not mean it is a fake.

Are there two little ‘nubs’ on the back of the pin? This is another tricky one.

As a lot of older Disney pins do not have these extra nubs on the back, if the pin has none at all. Also some scrapper pins are featuring the nubs now too! Just check the other methods to see if it is a fake. How does the back of the pin look in general?

(middle pin is genuine) If the pin on the back is too long/ or is a bit wobbly, this can be a sign that it is a fake. Remember like I said before Disney are all about safety. Therefore, Disney will never make a pin that has a pin longer than the pin back. Also the font on the back of the pin is likely to be evenly spaced / not squished together. Also a basic thing is check for spelling mistakes, often scrappers have words spelt wrong, which can be a dead giveaway of a scrapper.

Does the pin have a serial number? Recently, Disney have started issuing serial numbers to the back of the pins (not all pins as of yet though). If it is a newish pin I would always recommend checking that the serial number is there just to make sure it is a genuine Disney pin. (The serial number is the black writing on the pin). I would make sure that you check the quality of the serial number. Make sure that there are no blurrings in the font and that the numbers are not squashed together, as some fakes have started to add serial numbers to their pins! Does the pin make a “PING” when it hits a hard surface? This is a test that I very rarely carry out as I am scared about damaging my pins.