A Question Regarding Pinback Buttons

[Tigerden]

Mike-Great thread. The questions that you have in regards to ribbons were some of the same questions that I had when looking through Paul's book. Yes, the increased value of pins with ribbons attached is subjective. My rule of thumb is that a generic,common ribbon would add zero value to the pin and Muchinsky's guide touches on this. I am amazed when people get into a bidding war on eBay for a fairly common pin because it has a charm attached. However, like pins, there are also rare ribbons specific to a particular event. The best example in the Muchinsky guide is the 1962 San Francisco Giants World Series pin (X-246)with the rare World Series ribbon. The pin is a generic crossed bats design and by itself, not a rare pin and priced accordingly. The ribbon seems to be rare and with the pin together, highly sought after. Until a box of these ribbons surfaces this pin greatly increases in value with the attached ribbon. The ribbon attached to the 1968 Tigers World Series pin that you cited (X-326)is not rare , but scarce. I would add $25 to the value of the pin with this ribbon. The ribbon can also be found on pin (X-319) which I happen to own. The large size varient (X-319) of this fairly common pin design is very scarce. I would deduct $25 from Paul's book if the pin was found without the ribbon. So yes, as your aware, in many cases the ribbon adds value to the pin. A very common ribbon for the 1968 World Series can be found on pins X-323 and X-324. These ribbons can be found in large quantities by themselves and would add little value to the pin. I would not pay a premium for this pin with the ribbon, which by itself, can be purchased for $5.