So I decided the community needed someone to systematically search the internet and create an independent listing of pins that have been offered by Chinese manufacturers.
All of my information comes directly from the websites of the Chinese manufacturers, or through postings on marketplace websites such as Trade Key, EC21, TradeEasy, etc. Anyone interested in doing their own investigating simply needs to Google a combination of words such as Disney Pin Manufacturer China. Click on the Google Image results. If you get a factory name, Google that too and you might find images on other marketplaces. I'm not sure how often images get updated. Most of the images, I gathered in March 2012 are the same ones I saw several months earlier, when I first started Googling. I've also gone through the pictures on the Dizpins Scrapper page.
I will list the Pinpics numbers, and a link to the original internet page where the pin was pictured. I am not sure if I can include the picture of pins myself, ironically due to copyright issues. But I am saving pictures and screenshots to my personal computer in case the link ever ceases to function or the photo is removed from the internet. I'm providing small pictures for now, because I know people like visuals. I hope that qualifies as "fair use."
Unfortunately, this database will not include many of the highly desired, low edition pins that have also been counterfeited. Yes, they are out there, and I'd love to include them. However, I already know that Disney gives Pinpics a hard time about marking them without photographic evidence such as on a Chinese manufacturer website. Unfortunately, multiple Ebay auctions does not seem to meet Disney's standard of proof, so I am hesitant to include them. Nor will all the lower quality pins that are easily found on Ebay appear, until they show up in the other places. So unfortunately, a lot of newer pins will not be included, but sometimes we get lucky.
So What is a Scrapper?
A scrapper is an item that was discarded during an officially commissioned merchandise run for bad quality, or because the appropriate number of needed items had been reached. When Disney pins first showed up with the slight differences from the official pins, such as spelling errors or color errors, people assumed that these were pins that were made wrong, discarded, got taken home by entrepreneurial factory workers who realized that there was a market for this stuff in the USA. And that probably is where things started. However, with images like these, what we're really talking about are counterfeits. Either pins made from molds that were reused after making the official Disney ones, or with new molds made by copying a real pin. These days, "scrapper" is a catch-all term that encompasses any unauthorized pin that is in circulation. So those would be both the discards and the counterfeits. We know these are counterfeits, because when you read the details on the page they say they can provide any number, and some even list number available in the thousands or even millions. There simply isn't that much "scrap" produced in an official Disney run.
When did this counterfeiting start?
The first counterfeits hit the market in the first year or two after pin trading started. So 2001-ish. The counterfeits of those days were high valued pins. I suspect people in the US sent their authentic pin off to be duplicated, hoping to turn a quick buck. Unfortunately, the message boards where these things were discussed weren't archived, so there is no record of all what those pins were. Plus, the conversations were more hush-hush. No one knew for sure, and posting without proof could get you in trouble. The pins with major discrepancies like the Donald Wet Paint and its neon counterfeit are recorded on Pinpics.
I first remember seeing what I think were the actual scrap appearing in 2004. People were always on the lookout for the cheapest price for lanyard trading. We went through the leftover Coca Cola pins, European Propins, Spanish Sedesma pins, and I think at some point, someone with experience in these matters realized that there had to be stuff being thrown out from the Chinese factories. I remember attending NFFC conventions and seeing people that were selling bags of 25 pins for about $50. I bought one, and was very confused on why there was a LE200 pin in the bag. And then there were pins like http://gallery.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=25287 .We didn't know where these different pins came from, so people called them prototypes. I suspect now that they were the scrap.
Personally, I also bought a couple 100 Years of Dreams state pins on Ebay from a seller in Hong Kong in January 2005. The Iowa pin didn't have all its metal cut out and so I asked the seller if they were "factory seconds." There was no stigma at the time, and so he freely admitted they were. I believe that scrap is still making its way out, and that's what some of the "more expensive to duplicate" pins that show up from Chinese sellers prior to release, or with defects like broken elements, missing their silkscreening, etc are coming from.
By the summer of 2005, the massive counterfeiting by Chinese manufacturers was in full swing. Lanyards were covered with bad copies of the Global Lanyard Series pins. And that was that. We know that two men were arrested and convicted of importing counterfeit Disney pins that were made by copying real pins. But it doesn't seem like the factories need US based people to ask them to get pins anymore. They know there is a market and so they make their own. Often now, releasing them into circulation before Disney has even had a chance to release them officially.
This is so discouraging, why would I still want to collect?
Dizpins and Pinpics warns that any Disney pin has the potential to be scrapped, and while this is technically true, many pins are both too expensive for the Chinese factories to duplicate, and not valuable enough to be asked to be duplicated by unscrupulous people looking to make a buck. So far, this site has identified over 2000 pins, and when I've finished publishing the images I've already collected, there will probably be over 2500 pins. But Pinpics lists over 73,000 Disney pins with more added daily. Let's assume that what I think I will find is only half of what has actually been counterfeited, or a total of 5000 pins. That's still only about 7% of pins. Let's double that number again, and that still leaves 85% of pins as being safe.
The majority of counterfeit pins are made up on the low-end with Hidden Mickey, Vinylmation, Starter set, Booster pack, mini pin sets. Another chunk, are the high-end pins that unfortunately, this blog does not have the ability to list. That leaves a huge middle territory to find and build a collection around. Buying the "troublesome" pins directly from Disney may be more costly, but at least you can be safe knowing that your pin is authentic. Hidden Mickey's can't be bought (except sometimes in blind packs) and most people rely on lanyard trading to complete their sets. The best way to protect yourself is to collect them as close as you can to release, at the PARK they have been released at. You may be excited to find a DLR Hidden Mickey at WDW, but you should probably stay clear.
My pin isn't listed, does that mean it's authentic?
Maybe. Unfortunately, I have seen many pins that have been counterfeited, on lanyards, in the parks for which I have not found images that they are being sold by a Chinese Manufacturer. If your specific pin isn't listed, but the other pins in the set are listed, that's not a good sign. If your pin is a Hidden Mickey, Mini Pin/Booster set, or other "frequently" counterfeited pin, that's not a good sign. For your average park pin that is of a higher quality or detail (pin-on-pin, dangles, spinners, etc) or limited edition pin, things that are too costly for the counterfeiters to reproduce, and as long as there aren't Pinpics comments I would feel more confident that it is okay. Especially, if there is no "market" for that pin.
I will list the Pinpics numbers, and a link to the original internet page where the pin was pictured. I am not sure if I can include the picture of pins myself, ironically due to copyright issues. But I am saving pictures and screenshots to my personal computer in case the link ever ceases to function or the photo is removed from the internet. I'm providing small pictures for now, because I know people like visuals. I hope that qualifies as "fair use."
Unfortunately, this database will not include many of the highly desired, low edition pins that have also been counterfeited. Yes, they are out there, and I'd love to include them. However, I already know that Disney gives Pinpics a hard time about marking them without photographic evidence such as on a Chinese manufacturer website. Unfortunately, multiple Ebay auctions does not seem to meet Disney's standard of proof, so I am hesitant to include them. Nor will all the lower quality pins that are easily found on Ebay appear, until they show up in the other places. So unfortunately, a lot of newer pins will not be included, but sometimes we get lucky.
So What is a Scrapper?
A scrapper is an item that was discarded during an officially commissioned merchandise run for bad quality, or because the appropriate number of needed items had been reached. When Disney pins first showed up with the slight differences from the official pins, such as spelling errors or color errors, people assumed that these were pins that were made wrong, discarded, got taken home by entrepreneurial factory workers who realized that there was a market for this stuff in the USA. And that probably is where things started. However, with images like these, what we're really talking about are counterfeits. Either pins made from molds that were reused after making the official Disney ones, or with new molds made by copying a real pin. These days, "scrapper" is a catch-all term that encompasses any unauthorized pin that is in circulation. So those would be both the discards and the counterfeits. We know these are counterfeits, because when you read the details on the page they say they can provide any number, and some even list number available in the thousands or even millions. There simply isn't that much "scrap" produced in an official Disney run.
When did this counterfeiting start?
The first counterfeits hit the market in the first year or two after pin trading started. So 2001-ish. The counterfeits of those days were high valued pins. I suspect people in the US sent their authentic pin off to be duplicated, hoping to turn a quick buck. Unfortunately, the message boards where these things were discussed weren't archived, so there is no record of all what those pins were. Plus, the conversations were more hush-hush. No one knew for sure, and posting without proof could get you in trouble. The pins with major discrepancies like the Donald Wet Paint and its neon counterfeit are recorded on Pinpics.
I first remember seeing what I think were the actual scrap appearing in 2004. People were always on the lookout for the cheapest price for lanyard trading. We went through the leftover Coca Cola pins, European Propins, Spanish Sedesma pins, and I think at some point, someone with experience in these matters realized that there had to be stuff being thrown out from the Chinese factories. I remember attending NFFC conventions and seeing people that were selling bags of 25 pins for about $50. I bought one, and was very confused on why there was a LE200 pin in the bag. And then there were pins like http://gallery.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=25287 .We didn't know where these different pins came from, so people called them prototypes. I suspect now that they were the scrap.
Personally, I also bought a couple 100 Years of Dreams state pins on Ebay from a seller in Hong Kong in January 2005. The Iowa pin didn't have all its metal cut out and so I asked the seller if they were "factory seconds." There was no stigma at the time, and so he freely admitted they were. I believe that scrap is still making its way out, and that's what some of the "more expensive to duplicate" pins that show up from Chinese sellers prior to release, or with defects like broken elements, missing their silkscreening, etc are coming from.
By the summer of 2005, the massive counterfeiting by Chinese manufacturers was in full swing. Lanyards were covered with bad copies of the Global Lanyard Series pins. And that was that. We know that two men were arrested and convicted of importing counterfeit Disney pins that were made by copying real pins. But it doesn't seem like the factories need US based people to ask them to get pins anymore. They know there is a market and so they make their own. Often now, releasing them into circulation before Disney has even had a chance to release them officially.
This is so discouraging, why would I still want to collect?
Dizpins and Pinpics warns that any Disney pin has the potential to be scrapped, and while this is technically true, many pins are both too expensive for the Chinese factories to duplicate, and not valuable enough to be asked to be duplicated by unscrupulous people looking to make a buck. So far, this site has identified over 2000 pins, and when I've finished publishing the images I've already collected, there will probably be over 2500 pins. But Pinpics lists over 73,000 Disney pins with more added daily. Let's assume that what I think I will find is only half of what has actually been counterfeited, or a total of 5000 pins. That's still only about 7% of pins. Let's double that number again, and that still leaves 85% of pins as being safe.
The majority of counterfeit pins are made up on the low-end with Hidden Mickey, Vinylmation, Starter set, Booster pack, mini pin sets. Another chunk, are the high-end pins that unfortunately, this blog does not have the ability to list. That leaves a huge middle territory to find and build a collection around. Buying the "troublesome" pins directly from Disney may be more costly, but at least you can be safe knowing that your pin is authentic. Hidden Mickey's can't be bought (except sometimes in blind packs) and most people rely on lanyard trading to complete their sets. The best way to protect yourself is to collect them as close as you can to release, at the PARK they have been released at. You may be excited to find a DLR Hidden Mickey at WDW, but you should probably stay clear.
My pin isn't listed, does that mean it's authentic?
Maybe. Unfortunately, I have seen many pins that have been counterfeited, on lanyards, in the parks for which I have not found images that they are being sold by a Chinese Manufacturer. If your specific pin isn't listed, but the other pins in the set are listed, that's not a good sign. If your pin is a Hidden Mickey, Mini Pin/Booster set, or other "frequently" counterfeited pin, that's not a good sign. For your average park pin that is of a higher quality or detail (pin-on-pin, dangles, spinners, etc) or limited edition pin, things that are too costly for the counterfeiters to reproduce, and as long as there aren't Pinpics comments I would feel more confident that it is okay. Especially, if there is no "market" for that pin.
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