Ty Cobb pin?

[gnaz01]

The stick pin itself looks relatively new compared to the wear on the button. Neat item though.

[drcy]

When looking at a pin, corrosion and rust on the back, and especially the needle, is good evidence it is antique. The needles on most turn of the century pins are very rusty and dark.

Aluminum tends not to corrode, but most antique baseball pins weren't aluminum. Either way, that's obviously not aluminum as aluminum is silverly white (and light in weight). Gold also doesn't corrode, but it's a safe guess the back and needle aren't gold.

[aelefson]

Thank you David and Greg! I think the pin might have been added more recently, and then it fell off (that might be why there is a bunch of gunk on the back). Has anyone ever seen this before? Alternatively, has anyone ever seen this particular image of Cobb (with or without a facsimile autograph)?

Thanks,
Alan

[gnaz01]

Originally Posted by aelefson

Thank you David and Greg! I think the pin might have been added more recently, and then it fell off (that might be why there is a bunch of gunk on the back). Has anyone ever seen this before? Alternatively, has anyone ever seen this particular image of Cobb (with or without a facsimile autograph)?

Thanks,
Alan

Alan,

Reminds me of this:

[drcy]

I'm not pin or jewelry expert, but did hear an expert jeweler say that you can tell if a brooch or similar has been restored or altered just by examining the back. It will have obviously added metal, soldering, other. Just looking at the back mess of your pin, it is possible it was restored and/or converted with a new needle added.

[thecatspajamas]

It's hard to tell from the scans, but does the pin actually fit into the back of the button, or was it somehow adhered to the back (resulting in the mess-of-whatever visible on the back when it popped off)? My eyes could be playing tricks on me, but it almost looks like a disc of some sort that someone had glued a pin onto in an effort to make it into a pin/button. If originally a pinback, I would find it more likely that the pin portion would fit into the back of the pin, within the lip of the curl, rather than being glued onto the back.

I also think a closer-cropped scan would be more helpful/clear (we don't need to see the empty space of the entire scanner bed).

[perezfan]

Great point... A bigger/clearer scan of the reverse would reveal a lot.

I think I see a recessed area where the curved pinback might fit in. If so, the pin portion does look to be a replacement, as it doesn't match the wear/corrosion of the "Button" portion. But the reverse scan is such a blurry mess, that it's to hard to tell. To Lance's point, it also appears possible that another pin (or attaching device) has long since become detached from the center.