Identifying Pins/buttons

[caver]

Saw this> eBay Auction -- Item Number: 120631276069

 

And was wondering. Is there any way to tell weather they are official Atari merchandise or if it's just some guy with a button machine?

 

Anyone know?

 

Just had a look at his other items, and he seems to have a lot of (only?) buttons, not a good sign. But my question still remains, how do I tell if he's just making them or if they are official merc.?

Edited October 8, 2010 by caver

[+orpheuswaking]

Looking at the quality (offset graphics is a big indicator) I would say these are churned out by the dozen in his basement button factory.

[Buyatari]

They could be vintage? Who knows when they were made but they certainly aren't official licenced items. Put down another vote for basement factory.

[pinball22]

Yeah, I'm going with homemade on these too... and if you just wanted them for their decorativeness, I'd look around more. There are a lot of button makers on eBay with higher-quality stuff.

[caver]

After looking at his other offerings I figured as such, but was hopping for more general direction on what I'm supposed to be looking for or maybe some kind of pin database?

 

The tip about the graphics being off center was a good example of what I'm hoping to learn.

 

Any other things I should be looking for? Any suggestions on where to look, I keep getting Keyword mis-matches (Pin as in connector pin, button as in joystick button).....

[Buyatari]

After looking at his other offerings I figured as such, but was hopping for more general direction on what I'm supposed to be looking for or maybe some kind of pin database?

 

The tip about the graphics being off center was a good example of what I'm hoping to learn.

 

Any other things I should be looking for? Any suggestions on where to look, I keep getting Keyword mis-matches (Pin as in connector pin, button as in joystick button).....

 

Hard to say what to look for. Originals were made with different styles. I see the Centipede one often which is fairly large but they are cheap when they come up for sale. Often the context of the auction/seller gives it away. If the seller has 20 NEW Atari t-shirt auction running at the same time chances are the pins aren't real either.