Higher quality heads and heads set with genuine stones are usually mounted on gold gilded shanks.
The majority of original shanks are nickel plated or finished in a silver color. Japanned (black lacquer) shanks were used on the most inexpensive period pins. Tin, copper and pewter were never used for shanks and stainless steel was not used before the first quarter of the 20th century. Such inconsistencies are almost always a sign of a fake.Īuthentic period shanks are most commonly made of either steel or brass but were also made in nickel, karat gold and sterling silver. Nor would it usually be acceptable to find a common base metal ornament on a gold filled shank. It's also logical to be suspicious of a marked 14K bauble on a silver-colored steel shank. You should never expect to find, for example, a bluish gray tempered steel shank with gold or silver colored heads. Beware of a gilded head mounted on anything other than a gilded, carat gold, or yellow brass shank. Original hatpins were important fashion statements and head, shank and finish were a carefully coordinated total design. If the finding is missing and there is visible glue or solder it's nearly certain the hatpin is either new, a "home-made repair" or an intentional fake such as the Kewpie.īe sure to compare the finish and color of the shank with the finding and the head. The individual parts may very well be old but they must be joined in a logical way with an original finding to constitute an authentic antique hatpin in original condition.
When a buyer questions a seller about solder or glue, some sellers attempt to explain them as "repairs" or "reinforcements" while maintaining the parts are old. The finding on the authentic Kewpie shows, like many other original findings, the gentle marks of a crimping tool. The authentic Kewpie has an original finding which finishes off the joint and provides additional support to keep the Kewpie at a perfect right angle to the shank. The forgery on the left is attached to the shank with a blob of solder and is at an angle to the shank. Compare the new and old Kewpie pins in Fig. Original findings give old hatpins their finished look. Use a black light to detect the glue in more carefully prepared fakes. Sloppily glued pins are easily detected with your eye or a magnifying glass. Here, they don't contribute to the strength of the joint, they just hide more glue and solder typically used to fasten the head to the shank. Many new findings are simply glued to the bottom of the head in an attempt to appear legitimate. 9) that have more than one finding.Īuthentic findings are almost always fastened to the shank by crimping you should never see any signs of glue or solder. Genuine hatpins should only have one neatly fitted finding. In some hatpins the finding is built into the head but most findings are separate distinct pieces. 6 and 6-A.Īuthentic old findings were carefully matched to the heads to give strength and conceal the shank to head joint. Typical old original findings are shown in Figs. There are two basic things to look for in judging hatpins: How is the head mounted to the shank and what kind of finding is used. A finding is a small piece of metal used to hide the joint where the head is mounted on the shaft. The shank is the pointed metal shaft the head is mounted on. The head, also called the ornament, is the decorative part of the hatpin.
The faked pin, left, is made from a modern Kewpie-like charm an original Kewpie hatpin is shown on the rightĪn authentic hatpin has three distinct parts: 1) the head, 2) the shank, and 3) the finding. Anything small enough to fit on a shank seems to eventually be destined to be offered as a hatpin.
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