Q: What is pin grading? How does it work in your shop?
A: Enamel pins are colored and polished by hand. This causes natural variations and slight flaws during the production process. We sort our pins into three grades: A-Grade (flawless), Standard Grade (minor flaws), and B-Grade (major flaws).
A-Grade pins:
No noticeable defects but may have one of *very-hard-to-see* or *visible-from-certain-angle* imperfections on metal or enamel:
✦ low-fill enamel in small areas
✦ small traces of random debris (dust, fuzz, random glitter piece, etc.)
✦ tiny bubbles in enamel, glitter, or epoxy coating
✦ light scuffing / scratches / dents
Standard Grade pins:
Has a small mark or defect that is not noticeable enough to be considered B-Grade. Have several imperfections from the list:
✦ small recessed parts filled with enamel that shouldn't be there
✦ missing areas in metal plating on pin sides
✦ low-fill enamel in small areas
✦ bigger traces of dust, fuzz, etc. stuck in enamel
✦ tiny bubbles in enamel, glitter, or epoxy coating
✦ random glitter piece stuck in enamel
✦ light scuffing / scratches / dents / enamel bleeding
B-Grade pins:
Has more noticeable flaws on the enamel or metal, such as:
✦ large dents / divots / scratches
✦ moving posts
✦ low-fill in large areas
✦ discoloration / staining
✦ missing enamel / plating
✦ wrong enamel fill colors
✦ excessive bubbles / scratches / dents / divots
✦ foreign materials embedded in enamel, glitter or epoxy
B-Grades may or may not have a backing card or special packaging. Good choice for everyday wear!
C-Grade pins:
We don't usually have them in our batches / put them on sale, but here are their characteristics just in case. They have very major defects mentioned above, or might have:
✦ missing post
✦ tarnished plating
✦ very tainted enamel