Pin Grading Policy

Pin grading is the process where pins are checked for faults or flaws and assigned a grade which assumes the quality of the grade. I care very much that customers receive the best quality pins I can provide. That being said, each pin is made by hand and for that reason not every pin will be the same and may have some flaws.

I do not grade the sides or backs of pins with the exception of loose, bent, or missing posts. Pins with these flaws will automatically receive a B or C grade depending on severity.

Collector’s Grade Pins

Perfect pins are extremely rare and for that reason, should I find any in a grading process they will be kept for my portfolio and not available for sale.

Standard Grade / A Grade

Pins may not be perfect, but Standard or A-Grade is as close as it can be. These pins may have flaws you don’t notice at first glance or can only see under certain lighting , up close or certain angles. These are the best of the batch and will have little to none of the following:

*Fine scratches on the enamel

*Small areas of overpolishing

*Small ‘tarnishing’ of the metal.

*Variance in screen printing including and not limited to chips, slight

*Swirls in the enamel

*Minor under or overfill

*Small dents, scratches, tiny bubbles, dust in enamel or metal on non central part of the pin

Note: If there is a flaw across a majority of the pins that is not a major flaw these will become ‘standard’. This flaw will be noted in the listing of the pin. Pins with large portions of metal are more likely to have noticeable scuffs and scratches.

Seconds Grade / B Grade

B-Grade or Seconds pins have slightly more noticeable flaws than Standard or A-Grade pins. These pins, however, still look great and are a good option for those looking to add a pin to their collection at a discount.

B-Grades/Seconds pins may include some of these flaws:

*Scratches or Dents in the metal or enamel

*Splatters of paint, dust, or large air bubbles.

*Small areas of misfilled or wrong enamel color

*Small ares of missing enamel

*Missing or off center screen print

*Discolored enamel or enamel staining

*Over or underpolishing of metal

B-Grades or Seconds pins are available at a 30% discount. B-Grades / Seconds pins are not guaranteed to come with a backing card depending on availability.

Flawed Grade / C Grades

C-Grade or Flawed pins are very noticibly flawed and sold at a 60% discount when available.

They contains flaws such as :

*Large areas of missing enamel/ screen printing

*Large ares of tarnishing

*Multiple B-Grade faults