Product Information:
Enamel Pin Grading

It is important to me that the products I sell are high quality. Enamel pins are handmade and there is striving for absolute perfection in unrealistic. Being handmade, there are natural variations and slight flaws that can occur during production. Everyone's criteria for pin grading is a bit different, but listed below is information on my pin grading scale.
Please note that I do not offer a separate grade for "Collector's Grade."

A-Grade / Standard

A grades have the best overall appearance in a batch of pins - but it is possible that they exhibit very minor imperfections that can be seen under scrutinous inspection. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Very minor under or over-filled enamel
  • Slight imperfections in metal plating
  • Light surface scuffing or scratches in the enamel and/or metal
  • Small nicks in the enamel or metal plating
  • Stray pieces of glitter or dust
  • Plating imperfections on the sides/back
  • Slightly misaligned screenprinting

B-Grade / Seconds

B grades have noticeable flaws - some may be more minor than others. Seconds pins may not be as nice as a Standard grade, but they are still high quality and are a great addition to a collection if the imperfections below are not bothersome:

  • Low-fill or overfilled enamel in large areas
  • Multiple imperfections in the metal plating
  • Moderately scuffed enamel and/or metal
  • Small gouges or marks in the enamel
  • Air bubbles in the enamel or epoxy 
  • Large amounts of misplaced glitter, dust, or debris
  • Large areas of plating issues on the sides and/or back
  • Noticeable misaligned screeprinting
  • Wiggly posts
  • Lightly discolored enamel and/or tarnished metal plating
  • Wrong enamel colors

C-Grade

C Grades typically have multiple flaws and defects. I typically do not sell C-Grades - they're only available during special instances. C-grade pins may have the following issues:

  • Broken or missing back posts
  • Large and noticeable scratches and/gouges in the enamel
  • Multiple large areas of plating issues
  • Significant areas of under-filled enamel or missing enamel
  • Heavily discolored enamel
  • Heavily tarnished plating

Frequently asked questions about pins:

It is important to me that the products I sell are high quality. Enamel pins are handmade and there is striving for absolute perfection in unrealistic. Being handmade, there are natural variations and slight flaws that can occur during production. Everyone's criteria for pin grading is a bit different, but listed below is information on my pin grading scale.