Pin Grading Scale

There exists a few grades of pins. Everyone's criteria for what makes an A Grade (Standard) versus a B Grade (Second) is different, but these are mine. I use this grading scale to determine which of my pins is considered a Standard Grade (A Grade) or a Seconds Grade (B Grade), and more.

I inspect my pins in either natural sunlight or a well-lit room and hold them at a little closer than arm's length.

A Grade/Standard Grade

Pins are handmade items and can vary from unit to unit. Very few pins are perfect, but these are close. These are pins that have some very minor faults to them. Some of these minor faults include...

tiny, not noticeable air bubbles
very minor enamel under fill
some light imperfections in the metal plating
light surface scuffing or light scratches on the enamel or metal
light or very small nicks on the enamel or metal
some small areas of plating imperfections on sides of pin
some minor dust on soft enamel pins
encased posts with slight wiggle
plating imperfections on the back of pin

I test and polish all A Grade pins to ensure that they conform to the artwork and specifications of my design. Most A Grades are eligible to be paired with a custom color rubber pin back or a metal locking pin back.

These pins are sold at full price and make nice gifts or additions to a collection. They are beautiful and are great for wear or display purposes. The vast majority of pins that I sell are A grade or Standard grade.

C Grade/Junk Grade

Pins in this category have multiple and massive defects that prevent them from being sold as standard or even seconds. Their defects are so severe that it would impact their wearability. Some of these defects include...

large and very noticeable areas of scuffing
large or deep gouges in enamel
large or deep scratches in enamel
large areas of under filled enamel
multiple defects or imperfections in the metal plating
large and multiple air bubbles in soft or hard enamel
multiple areas where glitter has been misapplied
large or multiple areas of missing metal lines
multiple areas of enamel staining or discolored enamel
low quality enamel or metal work
missing or incorrect back stamp
duochrome plating is missing on over 40% or more of metal
significant areas of low-fill
more than one unfilled enamel area
broken or missing pin posts
color changing enamel does not color shift
areas where enamel is missing

These pins are never put up for sale and are only sometimes offered for free during specials or sales. Pins without my back stamp or an incorrect back stamp are never given away or sold.

B Grade/Seconds Grade

These pins have noticeable flaws, some more minor or major than others. Some of the flaws that would qualify a pin as a B grade include...

noticeable or multiple areas of under filled enamel
moderately scuffed enamel or metal
multiple points of imperfections on the metal plating
multiple air bubbles in the enamel
missing metal lines
missing enamel on a small portion of the pin
noticeable off-set screen printing
areas of low glitter
one unfilled area of enamel
enamel staining on sides or back of pin
overfilled enamel that floods some metal lines
some missing plating on duochrome pins
large amounts of glitter in areas where there shouldn't be
noticeable amounts of dust on soft enamel
small gouges or marks on enamel
encased posts that have significant sway
large areas of imperfection of the metal on the sides of the pin
large areas of plating missing on back of pin

A seconds grade pin might not be as nice as a Standard Grade, but it is still highly wearable and can make a good additional to a collection if the imperfections noted above are not bothersome to a collector.

On occasion, I may sell "B2 Grade" pins, which are pins that I consider to be slightly more defective than a Seconds (B Grade) pin, but are not considered junk, for a deep discount.

S Grade/Collector Grade

These pins are perfect. I don't have many S Grade pins and will dig through the batches to find and keep an S Grade as a model for photography, for my portfolio of work or for display purposes. I do not sell S Grade or Collector Grade pins.

Oopsies Pins

Oopsies pins are not a grade, I typically use this category to denote pins sold at a slight discount because the artwork may be incorrect among an entire batch. Incorrect artwork that qualifies pins as an Oopsies can include incorrect color fill, incorrect pin size, missing metal lines, or wrong plating. Oopsies aren't necessarily flawed and are sold like regular pins, except with a small discount.

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