Pin Grading Information

This is the guide I use to grade my pins. Enamel pins are manufactured by hand so varying degrees of flaws and imperfections are to be expected. Not all pins will be perfectly made so please keep this in mind. 

 

A Grade/Standard Grade

The highest quality pins I offer. These pins are close to perfect or have minor imperfections that are not visible at first glance and/or are mostly visible under certain lighting conditions and angles. These flaws may include some of the following:

 

• tiny air bubbles
• tiny specs of dust
• very minor enamel under/over fill
• some light imperfections in the metal plating
• light surface scuffing on the enamel or metal
• minor off-set screen printed areas
• minor dents and scuffs in the hard enamel
• minor streaks from polishing

 

 

B Grade/Seconds Grade (20% discount)

These pins have some more noticeable imperfections and may not be as nice as an A Grade/Standard Grade but they are still highly wearable. They are good additions to a collection if the imperfections are not bothersome to a collector. The flaws range a bit more and may include a combination of the following:

 

• noticeable or multiple areas of under/overfilled filled enamel
• moderately scuffed enamel or metal
• multiple points of imperfections on the metal plating
• multiple bubbles in the enamel
• missing metal lines
• small areas of missing enamel
• under polished areas on metal plating or enamel
• off-set screen printed areas
• areas of low glitter
• enamel staining on sides or back of pin
• large amounts of glitter in areas where there shouldn't be
• noticeable amounts of dust on enamel
• small gouges or marks on enamel

 

C Grade (50-70% discount)

These pins exhibit major flaws and imperfections. Multiple imperfections may include, but are not limited to the following:

 

• large areas of underfilled, overfilled, or missing enamel
• tarnished, dented and/or heavily scratched metal
• heavily scratched enamel
• large areas of the wrong color enamel
• large amounts of glitter in areas where there shouldn't be
• noticeable amounts of dust/specs in enamel
• gouges, chips, or marks on enamel
• major off-set or distorted screen print
• loose back posts

 

 

⚠️ DISCLAIMER ⚠️

Photos have been edited to be as accurate to true colors as possible, however colors may still vary depending on your monitor/screen. When purchasing any enamel pin, it is assumed that you have read, understood, and agreed to this grading scale.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

-Taso