"Every artist has their own special way of grading pins, so some might be a bit more forgiving while others are a little stricter. Please Keep this in mind when buying my pins."How I Inspect my Enamel Pins
I like to evaluate my pins by holding each one out at arm's length and carefully checking the surface for any defects. I look for plating issues, gouges, insufficient fill, scratches or scuffs, and screen printing error.
I manually check each of my pins and sort them into three categories: A (Standard), B (Seconds), and C (Free grade).
Additionally, certain plating options like black nickel or rose gold might have some polished areas that show tiny surface scratches, but these are still considered acceptable for the standard grades.
A (Standard)
A-grade pins are evaluated mainly based on their front surface. These pins may have some tiny blemishes or imperfections, but they're typically only visible upon close inspection and under bright light.
Blemishes may include, but are not limited to:
☆ Light scratches on the enamel
☆ Light scratches on metal plating
☆ Minor dust mixed into pearl/glitter areas
☆ Pearlescent area has minor scuffs or specks of dust
B (Seconds)
B-grade pins are evaluated mainly based on their front surface. These pins might have a few noticeable flaws that become clear when you look at them in regular light and from a distance. Some have minor blemishes, while others may have more significant ones.
Blemishes may include, but are not limited to:
☆ Noticeable scratches on the enamel
☆ Noticable imperfections in the metal plating
☆ Noticeable marks on enamel
☆ Noticeable debris/dust mixed into pearl/glitter areas
☆ Pearlescent area has minor bubbles
C (Free Grade)
C-grade pins are evaluated mainly based on their front surface. These pins may have several noticeable defects that are easily seen from arm's length and under normal lighting conditions. The defects are significant enough that a collector might not want to display them, however, it is a good option for wear
Blemishes may include, but are not limited to:
☆ Large scratches on the enamel
☆ Large imperfections in the metal plating
☆ Large areas of under filled enamel
☆ Large marks on enamel
☆ Pearlescent area has several rasied bubbles
☆ Areas of missing enamel
If my listing does not include grades for the pins, they are considered standard unless otherwise stated.