New fake hatpins show up all the time and ebay makes it especially easy to offer these fakes to the public. The latest fakes offer descriptions as being from the 1930s and 1940s.  However they share absolutely nothing in common with the actual hatpins used during those eras.  Hatpins for those eras were little more than short pearl-topped pins that we commonly see used as corsage pins still today. You will often see hatpins of this era that are pearl-topped with the addition of a small circlet (rondell) of set rhinestones underneath the pearl or sandwiched between two pearls.  More elaborate hatpins of that era were made out of larger plastic or glass "pearls" set in filligree or cubes or other shapes made out of the new plastics of the era with a 4-inch pinstem.  An authentic hatpin of this era will NOT be found with a pinstem longer than 4-inches.  Nor will you find elaborate colored jewel hatpins.  Those currently on ebay have actuallly been made out of old 1950s and 1960s and even later era brooches and earrings.  When one studies the styles and construction of jewelry to the different decades, cuts and colors of stones and the styles of the settings/findings one will learn to easily recognize when a 1950s brooch has had a long-pinstem attached to make a fake hatpin. 

There are many of the newly made-up Czech hatpins with claims to being from the 1930s too.  But read many of those auction descriptions very carefully.  Many are actually claiming that it is the STONE or GLASS decorative piece that is from the 1930s rather than the hatpin itself.  "1930s Czech rare antique cut-glass stone hatpin" = old stone set in a newly constructed hatpin even though the hatpin itself is purposely made to appear quite old!  None of these hatpins is antique, vintage or old at all.  To knowledgable collectors, a recently made hatpin is NEW regardless that it is made out of old pieces or a mix of old and new.  Don't fall for the 1930s and 1940s "German" hatpins that have been found on ebay recently.  They are not original, authentic hatpins.  Look carefully at any hatpin to make certain that the stones actually fit  the settings.  Settings were made to fit the stones, not vice-versa.  And check for prongs that are stretched straight upward too.  Prongs were made to fit the stones just as settings were.  They shouldn't be stretched so high that they barely hold the stone.  And I cannot emphasize enough that it is important to know what styles of findings were used during the Victorian and Edwardia era (1850-1920) on hatpins.  Findings are the first clue to a hatpin being a fake but that said, they are not the only thing to look for either.  One can easily take an old finding and pinstem and attach it to an old brooch.  So check carefully for proper construction too.  Remember, hatpins with LONG pinstems were only in fashion from about 1880 to 1915.  Don't be taken in by fakes with claims to be from the 1930s and 40s that have long pinstems!

Do you want authentic hatpins in your collection that will actually have value?  Then do your homework and learn about your collectible.  Ebay puts NO requirements for truth-in-advertising for sellers; it is up to YOU to know better.  Read what you can about hatpins, study the fashion styles of the different eras and especially the style and construction of the jewelry popular during those eras so you can begin to see when a 1950s brooch has been ruined in order to re-style it into a pre-1920s hatpin.  If you are a hatpin collector you NEED the books by Lillian Baker.  You should study her books even before ever buying a hatpin.  Contact other collectors and talk hatpins.  Join a collecting club.  The American Hatpin Society and the British Hatpin Society both offer web-sites and quarterly newsletters that are invaluable.  There are a lot of hatpins on ebay that are authentic BUT even on a good day, more than 90% of them are FAKES that are purposely made to fool YOU the collector and dealers alike.  Many of the authentic hatpin get passed over for the flashy fakes.  But those fakes actually have little if any value.  I don't sell hatpins....I COLLECT them only.  I just hate to see collectors get taken in by junk when they are passing up the real-deal.