As a long-time collector of hatpins and hatpin holders, I have now amassed a rather large and impressive collection.  I have most displayed in hatpin holders although the holders are not the focus of my collection.  The cream of my collection of course are my three compact hatpins of which two are engraved brass and the other sterling silver.  One of them even has the tiny powderpuff!  Other favorites are my large colored stones accented with clear rhinestones, a pair of enameled butterflies, a sterling full-figural umbrella hatpin, a sterling full-figural Uncle Sam hatpin, and the wonderful figural  flower, butterfly, bird and buffalo nodder hatpins which I really adore.  (Thanks for the buffalo Joe and Kathy!)  Special hatpin holders would be the sterling overlays, the Royal Bayrueth "Girl Walking Dog" and "Rose Tapestry" and my sterling Unger Bros. holder.  I also love the carded hatpins for their incredible graphics!  Victorian and Edwardian era hats, clothing and shoes are another passion.

In collecting hatpins I had to learn a lot because the great majority of them today are out-and-out fakes and some very well-done reproductions.  For new collectors (and dealers) it is very important to find resources that you can trust before buying hatpins.  The Lillian Baker books are a necessity and they can usually be found on ebay, even the first edition of  "The Collector's Encylopedia of Hatpins and Hatpin Holders" with the pink and blue cover will eventually show up at auction.  The smaller edition entitled "Hatpins and Hatpin Holders" is useful for taking along on your hatpin hunts.  Some of my own hatpins are featured in the purple-covered edition of the Baker Encyclopedia!  Another invaluable resource for collectors are the clubs. The American Hatpin Society sends quarterly newsletters that offer incredible color pages of authentic hatpins so that you can see first-hand quality pieces.  And best of all....they have a website too with a couple of very informative articles that are a must  read.  The Hatpin Society of Great Britain  (web site too!) also sends quarterly newsletters with some great information for collectors.  If you desire contact information for either club, e-mail me and I'll send along the info or easier yet, just do a web-search.  Also, acquainting yourself with an experienced collector is the best resource of all!  See something on ebay that you like?  Ask questions as most collectors are very willing to help out.  But remember you must ask BEFORE bidding on ebay or we really can't help you on that specific auction!  We are a great group of collectors from all walks of life who just happen to share a passion for hatpins and the more the merrier!  We even hold conventions and message board conversations!

Lastly, remember not all hatpins are authentic to the Victorian or Edwardian era.  Those that followed those eras are shorter and not nearly as decorative nor as collectible.  Not all authentic hatpins are rare, but they still are a little hard to find these days, even with ebay and the rest of the internet.  Certainly not all hatpins described as being "vintage" or "antique" on ebay actually are.  Unfortunately, most in fact are fakes.  I know a lot of sellers don't want you to realize that but as the collector you should educate yourself so that you have a quality collection and not rely on sellers to know everything about what they are selling.  Few really know about the hatpins they are selling and even if they do, they are going to want to recoup their money rather than take a loss themselves! (Do you blame them?)  Honesty is not the first policy of ebay so it is up to you to KNOW your collectible if you mean to purchase authentic pieces.  The rule of thumb should be "When in doubt, do without."  Otherwise, buy what you love and love what you buy!  There are a few collectors who like both the old and the newly made-up hatpins.  If you are one of those collectors you can just buy what you like with little other care!

A few notes on some common fakes to avoid if you want an authentic collection:  Images of a Flapper wouldn't be seen on an authentic hatpin because that era brought about the bobbed hair and the tight-fitting cloche hats that ended the necessity of the hatpin.  Flappers are POST-hatpin era!  The bronze-color machine stamped hatpins (some with glued-on rhinestone accents) are reproduction that were made in the early 1980s and new designs are still being found.  Common designs of these are the rhinstone accented horse, a clown or jester, Indian Maiden, Scotty-dog, art-deco lady, Victorian lady, 4-kitten, Egyptian-style lady, butterfly and many, many more.  Beads were never stacked one-on-top-of-another to make a hatpin. These beads-on-a-stick are pretty, but not vintage nor antique. Watch out for beautiful glass stones (especially if only faceted on one side) that are set on-end with a metal filligree piece wrapped around it as a setting.  There is typically a lot of sodder showing on these hatpins which is a good clue to them being modern.  Lastly, newly put-together hatpins, even when made out of antique parts are NEW HATPINS. 

There are quality sellers on ebay who advertise honestly and truly know what they are selling.  If you don't know the history of your hatpin and want to properly describe it when you list it....do some very simple research.  We collectors WANT you to learn about authentic hatpins so that when you go to the estate sales, auctions or wherever, you will find quality pieces that we can then buy from you!  Lastly, if you really don't know the age of your hatpin, don't care to do research, or refute any knowledge that you come across, then don't make claims as to age, vintage, rarity, etc.  Then certainly no one will have any argument with you!

Questions or comments?  Just ask!