diff --git a/pinner/pinmgr.go b/pinner/pinmgr.go
index 93cdae34..14fb0a6e 100644
--- a/pinner/pinmgr.go
+++ b/pinner/pinmgr.go
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 package pinner
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
-	"encoding/gob"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
@@ -66,9 +64,9 @@ type PinManager struct {
 	pinQueueIn       chan *operation.PinningOperation
 	pinQueueOut      chan *operation.PinningOperation
 	pinComplete      chan *operation.PinningOperation
-	duplicateGuard   *leveldb.DB
-	activePins       map[uint]int // used to limit the number of pins per user
-	pinQueueCount    map[uint]int // keep track of queue count per user
+	duplicateGuard   map[uint64]bool // track whether a content id already exists in the queue
+	activePins       map[uint]int    // used to limit the number of pins per user
+	pinQueueCount    map[uint]int    // keep track of queue count per user
 	pinQueue         *goque.PrefixQueue
 	pinQueueLk       sync.Mutex
 	RunPinFunc       PinFunc
@@ -143,7 +141,7 @@ func newPinManager(pinfunc PinFunc, scf PinStatusFunc, opts *PinManagerOpts, log
 	if opts.QueueDataDir == "" {
 		log.Fatal("Deque needs queue data dir")
 	}
-
+	duplicateGuard := buildDuplicateGuardFromPinQueue(opts.QueueDataDir, log)
 	pinQueue := createDQue(opts.QueueDataDir, log)
 	//we need to have a variable pinQueueCount which keeps track in memory count in the queue
 	//Since the disk dequeue is durable
@@ -157,7 +155,7 @@ func newPinManager(pinfunc PinFunc, scf PinStatusFunc, opts *PinManagerOpts, log
 		pinQueueIn:       make(chan *operation.PinningOperation, 64),
 		pinQueueOut:      make(chan *operation.PinningOperation),
 		pinComplete:      make(chan *operation.PinningOperation, 64),
-		duplicateGuard:   createLevelDB(opts.QueueDataDir, log),
+		duplicateGuard:   duplicateGuard,
 		RunPinFunc:       pinfunc,
 		StatusChangeFunc: scf,
 		maxActivePerUser: opts.MaxActivePerUser,
@@ -178,11 +176,9 @@ func (pm *PinManager) complete(po *operation.PinningOperation) {
 	defer pm.pinQueueLk.Unlock()
 
 	opData := getPinningData(po)
-	err := pm.duplicateGuard.Delete(createLevelDBKey(opData, pm.log), nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		//Delete will not returns error if key doesn't exist
-		pm.log.Errorf("Error deleting item from duplicate guard ", err)
-	}
+
+	//delete from duplicateGuard
+	delete(pm.duplicateGuard, createLevelDBKey(opData, pm.log))
 
 	pm.activePins[po.UserId]--
 	if pm.activePins[po.UserId] == 0 {
@@ -297,33 +293,33 @@ func (pm *PinManager) closeQueueDataStructures() {
 	if err != nil {
 		pm.log.Fatal(err)
 	}
-
-	err = pm.duplicateGuard.Close()
-	if err != nil {
-		pm.log.Fatal(err)
-	}
 }
 
-func createLevelDBKey(value PinningOperationData, log *zap.SugaredLogger) []byte {
-	var buffer bytes.Buffer
-	enc := gob.NewEncoder(&buffer)
-	if err := enc.Encode(value.ContId); err != nil {
-		log.Fatal("Unable to encode value")
-	}
-	return buffer.Bytes()
+func createLevelDBKey(value PinningOperationData, log *zap.SugaredLogger) uint64 {
+	return value.ContId
 }
 
-func createLevelDB(QueueDataDir string, log *zap.SugaredLogger) *leveldb.DB {
-	dname := filepath.Join(QueueDataDir, "duplicateGuard")
-	err := os.MkdirAll(dname, os.ModePerm)
+func buildDuplicateGuardFromPinQueue(QueueDataDir string, log *zap.SugaredLogger) map[uint64]bool {
+	ret := make(map[uint64]bool)
+	dname := filepath.Join(QueueDataDir, "pinQueueMsgPack")
+	db, err := leveldb.OpenFile(dname, nil)
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal("Unable to create directory for LevelDB. Out of disk? Too many open files? try ulimit -n 50000")
+		return ret
 	}
-	db, err := leveldb.OpenFile(dname, nil)
+	iter := db.NewIterator(nil, nil)
+	for iter.Next() {
+		entry, err := decodeMsgPack(iter.Value())
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		ret[entry.ContId] = true
+	}
+
+	err = db.Close()
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal("Unable to create LevelDB. Out of disk? Too many open files? try ulimit -n 50000")
+		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	return db
+	return ret
 }
 
 // queue defines the unique queue for a prefix.
@@ -379,7 +375,8 @@ func (pm *PinManager) enqueuePinOp(po *operation.PinningOperation) {
 	pm.log.Debugf("adding pin(%d) operation to the pinner queue", po.ContId)
 
 	poData := getPinningData(po)
-	if _, err := pm.duplicateGuard.Get(createLevelDBKey(poData, pm.log), nil); err != leveldb.ErrNotFound {
+	_, exists := pm.duplicateGuard[createLevelDBKey(poData, pm.log)]
+	if exists {
 		//work already exists in the queue not adding duplicate
 		return
 	}
@@ -400,10 +397,10 @@ func (pm *PinManager) enqueuePinOp(po *operation.PinningOperation) {
 		pm.log.Fatal("Unable to add pin to queue.", err)
 	}
 
-	err = pm.duplicateGuard.Put(createLevelDBKey(poData, pm.log), []byte{255}, nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		pm.log.Fatal("Unable to add to duplicate guard.")
-	}
+	// set cont id to true so it is not enqueued multiple times
+	pm.duplicateGuard[createLevelDBKey(poData, pm.log)] = true
+
+	//increase global queue count by 1
 	pm.pinQueueCount[u]++
 }