pin grading.
How do you grade your pins?
Enamel pins are handmade items; each area of the pin is filled manually with a syringe. The quality of each batch and the quality amongst the batch can vary greatly. Faults on the front of the pins are graded harder than the sides or the backs of pins. Flaws in the face and around faces are prioritized when grading; a pin with facial defects will never be an A Grade/Standard.
A Grade/Standard
Pins with minor flaws. They generally have one or two minor defects.
•Some paint in the wrong section/bleed
•Small paint dip(s)
•Screen printing slightly out of place
•Insignificant chips or marks on the enamel
•A couple of bubbles in glitter enamel
•Minor fleck or dust in the enamel
•Small area or insignificant buffing marks on the metal
•Insignificant scratches on the metal/paint
•Minor plating imperfections on the front of the pin
B Grade/Seconds
Pins with multiple defects listed above and/or those defects cover a larger area.
•Multiple or large air bubbles in the enamel paint
•Large paint dip(s)
•Screen printing majorly offset
•Large areas of paint missing or chipped
•Posts that are significantly bent or loose
•Large areas of buffing marks on the metal
•Large or significant scratches on the metal/paint
•Significant plating imperfections on the front of the pin
C Grade
Pins with multiple defects listed above and/or those defects cover a larger area.
•Multiple or large air bubbles in the enamel paint
•Large paint dip(s)
•Screen printing majorly offset
•Large areas of paint missing or chipped
•Posts that are significantly bent or loose
•Large areas of buffing marks on the metal
•Large or significant scratches on the metal/paint
•Significant plating imperfections on the front of the pin