Graded pins

[JeffM]

So...um how long have these companies been grading pins. That is on of the things I really didn't like about the sports card or the comic industries. Is anyone familiar with this?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Back in July at the NFFC Convention in Anaheim I spoke with a couple of people from a company, Global Authentications. They had been in the card/comic grading and were trying to branch into pins.

From what I saw they were worse than useless. They would determine if a pin had any flaws, give it a grade, and then seal it in plastic. However, the methodology they were using made it impossible to see the back of the pin once it was sealed.

Since some pins are serially numbered the number would not be visible, although that can be compensated for in the cover.

But how do you deal with a pin that has been signed by the designer, or an individual who played/voiced a character.

Basically I think they are someone who created a problem so they could charge to resolve that problem. It is very easy to see if a pin has flaws or damage, and people tend to buy/trade pins for their collection and not for their absolute value.