[perezfan]

It's a great question, and is definitely an issue that threatens the integrity of that segment of the hobby. I'll just speak for myself here...

I wish I could proudly boast that I can spot a fake press pin at a glance. But it's become quite difficult, as you say. Often there are tell-tale signs that instantly give away many of the lesser fakes. And often there are sellers with integrity who will disclose that the Pin is a reproduction.

But there are many more sellers who never disclose a thing (and in some cases, I bet a good percentage of these sellers don't even know, themselves). The fakes have gotten better, so it's difficult to discern the authenticity from a photo or a computer screen. I'd like to believe that if one had the Pin in-hand, it would be easier to spot any anomalies.

Hopefully that's indeed the case. It sure seems like the act of creating fake press pins would be a major investment in terms of time, effort and money (creating the molds, etc.) Hard to believe it's a lucrative venture, given the small segment of the hobby that it is.

Maybe Al S. can chime in here. He seems to focus more on vintage Pinback Buttons, PM10s, etc. But he's very adept at identifying counterfeit Pins and Reproductions. Perhaps he can share some insights on Press Pins as well.