Enamel pins are made by hand and individually filled and polished by workers, therefore some of them can have imperfections. The more defects a pin may show, the cheaper it will be.
A Grades
These pins are almost perfect and I say almost because they are handmade and there is no such thing as a perfect pin, but they are the best of the batch.
✿ Small scratches or scuffs on the metal or enamel, barely noticeable.
✿ Minor imperfections in metal plating, barely noticeable.
✿ Slightly noticeable specks/dot or darkened specks in glitter areas on pins with glitter, this is expected variation in glitter pins.
✿ Faint/light and small dot or small smudge on enamel, barely noticeable
B Grades
These pins come with little flaws.
✿ Superficial bubbles/speckles/pores on enamel
✿ Slightly underfill, overfill, or uneven fill of enamel that only noticeable at a certain angle/lighting
✿ Scruffs on the side or back of pin (NOT the front)
✿ Slightly misaligned screenprinting
C Grades
These pins come with more noticeable flaws than A and B, and will be sold at a discount. They may contain at least one or more of the following:
✿ Intermediate and noticeable black dot, small smudge, or bubble on enamel
✿ Some area of missing plating and/or deep scratches on the metal across the pin
✿ More noticeable underfill, overfill, or uneven fill of enamel
✿ Very misaligned or missing screenprinting in pins that have screenprint
Seconds
These pins come with major flaws that I rather give them a home than simply tossing them away. They are sold at a large discount.
✿ Noticeable holes
✿ Large black dot, small smudge, or bubble on enamel. Pin may appear dirty/dusty
✿ Large area of missing plating and/or deep scratches on the metal across the pin
✿ Significant underfill, overfill, or uneven fill of enamel. The pin may appear to be soft enamel and not hard enamel
✿ Incorrect enamel color in larger area of the design
✿ Any other imperfections that may alter the actual design a little
