How do you define A Grail?

[robinpomatto]

It feels like a pretty subjective term. Is it the cost, the LE number, the appearance? What's a grail to me may be an easy trader for someone else. 

 

How do you define the grails in your collection or your ISOs? 

 

-May the lanyards be ever in your favor! 

RP

[TheTwins]

You're absolutely right. "Grails" are very subjective. The basic idea is that it's the pin you are really wanting but is probably going to take a long time to get (if you ever get it). However, it's sort of used now for a variety of ISOs and can range from classic Grail pins (e.g. Profiles, HM Completer Chopper Droid, etc.) to a more attainable final piece in a mystery set.

 

It's funny, because my sister has had some Grail pins for a long time. I never really had a real one, so my "grails" were usually whatever I was looking for to complete a set or something. But in the last couple months, I've actually ended up discovering two "real" Grails.

 

~ Sarah

[buzz2001]

IMO it is an overused term.  Sellers throw it around for every pin just because it is expensive or low edition (usually goes hand-in-hand).  To me it has to be something hard to find. Price is not a factor. I have many open edition pins that I've been searching for that seem to be non-existent but there are "grails" out there being sold by the handful. So the term grail can be whatever you need it to be to help with your collection.

[robinpomatto]

12 minutes ago, buzz2001 said:

IMO it is an overused term.  Sellers throw it around for every pin just because it is expensive or low edition (usually goes hand-in-hand).  To me it has to be something hard to find. Price is not a factor. I have many open edition pins that I've been searching for that seem to be non-existent but there are "grails" out there being sold by the handful. So the term grail can be whatever you need it to be to help with your collection.

 

I agree with you. I sometimes see sellers say "ALL GRAILS FOR SALE" and it seems a little presuming. How do you know what I consider a grail, O Seller? 

[sithathoriunet]

I'm not interested in most of the pins that sellers consider grails.  My grails are the pins that are outside of my budget (I typically max out at $25+ per pin) so something I have to be mindful about and save up for, and those pins that will complete sets for me that aren't readily available.  If it's going to take me months or years to find it, it's a grail to me.

[mollyanne]

A Grail pin is a pin that is typically very sought after by the collector of that particular character, movie, attraction and so on. So it will differ by each collector.

As a seller, I can say a seller calling a pin a grail means that it is a grail pin of the collectors of that particular moving, character or attraction. It does not have to 

be expensive it could be a pin that is very hard to find out in the wild or even here on PinPics. Typically that even makes non-LE pins grails.....for example there

are some Winnie the Pooh pins and pin sets from Japan that are very hard to find and are therefore seen as grails by Pooh collectors. It might not be to every 

pin collector. So I am pretty sure that sellers are using that term in a subjective and objective way.....it might not be your grail but it is probably someone else's.