authenticating a pin without mickeys on back?

[lovepink42]

hi, i was just wondering if anyone had tips on authenticating pins that don't have the stamped mickeys on the back?

and i have particular questions about two pins:

ariel zodiac pisces pin - my concern with this one is that color is missing in part of the waistband of her tail and near the hidden mickey face
scrapper, counterfeit, or real?

and i have a turtle pin that has some sort of black number printed on the back next to the pin trading logo

thoughts?

 

[joebdisney]

The stamped mickeys on the back have nothing to do with the authenticity of the pin. I have real pins with without them and fakes with them. The best way to get a definite answer is to ask a cast member, they have the most experience/expertise in dealing with this. Some ways to tell is the quality of the metal, disney always uses a very thick smooth metal. If the side is at all scratched or not completely smooth when received, it's probably a fake. Another thing, which you touched on, is the color. With fakes you will see a paler and less vivid hue of each color. This can also come in with the silver or gold trim accents. If they are so thick that they may impair the image when looked at in light, it's probably a fake. The third give away is the size and thickness. For this it's easiest to compare it to another pin that you know is real. The thickness will be considerably thinner and the size is about 3/4 the original. This is not constant for all fakes though so it is harder to tell if you are not experienced. The final sign is the cost. I have known to many that buy 25 for 20 bucks and are surprised when they are all fake. Pins run about 12 dollars per and are that price everywhere. The bottom line is that if it is not perfect, it's not disney and you get what you pay for. If you could put a pic I could probably tell you definitely if it is real or not but by the info you are giving, I would have to say it is fake.

 

[lovepink42]

yeah i have plenty that don't have ears on the back it just seemed like it was easier to tell the counterfeit ones if they were stamped with the mickeys. i was trying to differentiate based on color and weight, but it was hard to determine weight or thickness...and i was trying to compare color but i can't really compare the computer colors with the pin...

here's a link if you care to take a look at the pictures, it would help me out a lot, i can't post the actual click through link cause i don't have enough posts

s518.photobucket.com/user/browncow199/library/pins?page=1

fairly certain the puffer fish is for sure not real, but gill and the turtle i traded for at WDW (course not guaranteeing anything)

 

[figment_jii]

fairly certain the puffer fish is for sure not real, but gill and the turtle i traded for at WDW (course not guaranteeing anything)

Here is the pinpic's page for the Gill pin.
http://gallery.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/group.cgi?group=1433&pin=39032

Here is the link for the Puffer fish.
http://gallery.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/group.cgi?group=1433&pin=39034

Based on the description, it seems like if the tops of the bags are anything but white, are most likely going to be scrappers.

Also, did you trade for this pin recently? They were first released in 2005. Sadly, most of the older hidden mickey pins on CM lanyards seem like they're fakes/scrappers.

 

[SupernaturalMommy]

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