Pin grading – 6 categories for my products
Pin grading
I use pin grading to describe the quality of my pins, keychains and charms. Everyone has their own way of grading their pins—some artists are more lenient, some are more strict. The important thing to remember is that all handmade items are unique and may vary slightly from one unit to another. Here’s a summary of my method.
How I inspect my pins
I always inspect the pins in natural sunlight, before packing them. I take every piece and look at it with a stretched arm. I look for gouges, low fill, large scratches, large areas of scuffing and anything I can think of. Next, I check the sides for larger areas of missing plating and, finally, I turn the pin to see the back and check the post. I put most scrutini to the front of the pin and way less to the back or the sides.
Even though I grade my pins by hand and try to sort the A’s from the B’s, it is inevitable that some mistakes will occur. Pins are handmade, and no pin will be 100% perfect. Also, pin grading is a subjective matter so standards vary from artist to artist.
Pins with special features—larger in size, plated in black nickel or rose gold, or that have large areas of polished metal—may have some minor surface scratches and still qualify as A-grades.
Only collectible items are graded (pins, charms, etc). Special items, like handmade jewellery are, well, handmade by myself and as such are always perfect ;).
A-grade, standard grade
These are usually pins that have some minor blemishes or flaws that only become apparent when inspected closely. Some common examples of these defects include…
- small air bubbles
- small enamel under fill
- some light imperfections in the metal plating
- surface scuffing or light scratches on the enamel or metal
- small, singular nicks on the enamel or metal
- some minor dust mixed into glitter
- some areas of overturned glitter
- minor paint pooling on screen printed pins
- small specks of dust on soft enamel pins
- encased posts with slight wiggle
- minor offset in screen printing
- not noticeable plating imperfections on the front of pin
These defects are only noticeable if inspected very closely and under bright light.
I always test and polish all of my pins to ensure that they meet thestandards I have set for myself. A grade pins may display small cracks or chips in the metal, minor imperfections in enamel work, and slightly worn plating on edges—and still be considered an A-grade pin. These pins are sold at full price and make nice gifts or additions to a collection. They’re beautiful and can be worn or displayed—the majority of the ones I sell fall into either A-grade or Standard grade categories.
B-grade pins (happy accidents)
B-grade pins are available in Happy accidents category.
These pins have noticeable flaws that are easier to see in normal light and at a distance. Some have more serious blemishes than others. Blemished pins can still be valuable to a collector if they’re willing to overlook imperfections, and such pins make good wearables.
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
- some missing 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 B-grade pin might not be as nice as a A-grade, but it is still highly wearable and can make a good addition to someone’s collection if the imperfections noted above don’t bother them.
C-grade pins (not-so-happy accidents)
These are pins that have obvious, easily seen defects; you would see them immediately if the pin was in front of you. These blemishes prevent them from being sold as A- or B-grades. While their defects make them unfit for display, these are still functional. 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 not for sale, but some customers may receive them in the course of their order as a freebie. To be honest, my manufacturer is quite talented and I’ve never had a C-grade pin in the history of my store.
Junk grade pins (the unworthy)
These pins are so badly made that no self-respecting artist would ever put his or her name on them. Pins whose posts have fallen off are also classified as junk grade pins. These pins are not given away or sold. They are collected and sent to a recycling facility.
S-grade pins (collector’s grade)
These pins are high-quality ones that I keep for photography, for my portfolio of work, or to display. I do not sell S-grade pins.
Due to the varying nature of pin grading practices and the handmade quality inherent in pins, I will not take requests to scrutinize any particular batch or set of pins for a customer.
Clearance pins
This is my own category of pins that I messed up for some reasons. Usually I ordered a batch and after receiving them I realized that there’s something wrong with the design, or they are too small/large. Those are also pins that I decided to no longer have in my offer and just want to clear the stock out. Those are available at a large discount, usually over 60%.
Clearance pins are available here and in my Etsy store.