Tell If Your Pokemon Tcg Cards Are Fake By Looking At The Inscriptions On The Foil Pack
For the very first step of the guide on how to spot fake Pokemon TCG cards, we are going to look at the foil packaging in which the Pokemon cards inside.
Although we dont have a reference image with an authentic Pokemon TCG cards foil on the rear side at the moment, we are going to highlight only a replica example.
First of all, looking at the Sun & Moon text, you can observe how there us too much space in-between the and symbol and the Moon text.
The authentic Pokemon TCG cards would have space in-between the letters rather than the fake foils text, and even more, all of the genuine foils will have the same amount of space between the letters.
Then, in the image with the fake Pokemon cards foil package above, we have pointed out a few flaws that would never be seen on the genuine foils.
Looking at the Sun & Moon Series text at the top of the foil, on the very first line of text, you can see how the foil package actually says Seies, missing out the letter r.
On the other hand, on the genuine Pokemon TCG foils, there should be written the full name, including the letter r, and in fact, there should not be left out any letter on the genuine foils text.
In the lower side of the foil, you can see how the fake Pokemon TCG card has its next Sun & Moon inscription not only badly spaced between, but also mistyped.
What we mean is that the fake card says Sun& Monon instead of Sun & Moon, which is the way that youll notice the genuine foils typed as.
Check To Make Sure The Fronts Of Modern Ultra Rare Cards Are Textured
Ultra rare cards including VMAX cards, Full Art Supporter cards, and Secret Rares now feature textured fronts. The pattern of these textures varies from card to card, but the most common texture among modern cards coming out now appears to similar to small ridgesnot unlike the appearance of a fingerprint.
If you run your finger over this pattern, you will find that you can actually feel these ridges as well, but be very careful! Running your fingers across the surface of a card can leave oils, and even scratches.
It’s always best to use another method, such as looking at the edge to find the ink layer, rather than trying to detect texture through touch. But being aware of this indicator can be one more tool in your belt when it comes to spotting fake cards, especially when you’re, for example, purchasing a card online, and can’t necessarily inspect the edge yourself.
How To Identify Fake Pokemon Cards
Hey everyone and welcome back to ChannelFireball! I am back with another article in my collecting series and while lately I have been reviewing new releases and current events, todays article is going to be a little bit different. As much as I would love to discuss craziness every single week, the fact of the matter is that things like a Blastoise selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars dont happen on a weekly basis. This leaves me to talk about some informative and important topics. The entirety of this article is going to be a close look at fake cards and how to identify them! There is a lot more that goes into this than some of you might think, so I urge you to keep reading even if you consider yourself to be a pro.
Ive heard many horror stories from people in the community when it comes to fake cards, but I personally have had minimal issues I account this to my knowledge and experience. The fact of the matter is that new people to the hobby and people buying cards as gifts for family members are not going to know what to look for, making them vulnerable to scams. I hope more articles like todays are released around the web because the more that people are informed, the fewer problems there will be.
Seriously?
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Unsure Whether Your Pokmon Card Is Real Or Not Ask The Internet
In this article, I’ve given you what I believe are the three best methods for spotting fake cards, but with thousands of fraudsters out there, constantly trying to push fake products, some fakes have become sophisticated.
You might find yourself in a situation where you are 99% sure a card is real, but there is just one nagging element that has you second guessing your evaluation.
If this happens, I highly encourage you to take to an online community for the Pokémon trading card game and post a picture of the product with your concern. In my experience, community members are often eager to help.
If you’re looking for an active community where these posts are accepted, I encourage you to check out the PokémonTCG subreddit!
How To Determine The Rarity Of Your Pokemon Card
In the Pokemon Trading Card Game, there are certain cards that you might not find as frequently as the others. This makes them rare and valuable. The creators assign such rarity on the basis of their power, complexity, design, rules and other factors.
Heres how you can figure out the rarity of your Pokemon card
COMMON CARDS
As the name suggests, these cards are easier to obtain as compared to the other cards. They have a Circle on the bottom right corner to indicate that they are Common Cards.
UNCOMMON CARDS
These are not as common as the previous category but you will always get a few of them in your booster pack. A Diamond symbol on the bottom right corner of the card will help you identify it.
RARE CARDS
A star on the bottom right side of the card indicates that it is rare. Similarly, cards which have three stars or a star followed by an alphabet also have high value due to their rarity. All packs contain at least one rare card. Preserve them if you find them!
ULTRA RARE CARDS
These cards are also identified by a star symbol on the bottom right corner. The distinction is that the star on them is shiny and can be either silver or gold. It goes without saying that they are rarest of the rare cards.
SECRET RARE CARDS
HOLOGRAPHIC CARDS
Often referred to as Holo cards, they have a holographic sheen on the picture or the background which makes them unique. On your lucky day, you might even get a rare card with such holography ! So, keep taking your chances.
FULL ART CARDS
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How To Know If A Pokmon Card Is Fake
There are many methods you can use.
Buying a Pokémon card online or from an event for the Trading Card Game can sometimes be a risky purchase.
While a seller could claim that the cards theyre selling are real, theres always a slight chance that its actually fake and not an officially-licensed product. But how can you tell if its fake or real?
First, make sure to check the card youre buying for any differences from its official picture. If the HP is different or there are spelling errors or a wrong photo, for example, then its clear that the card is fake.
The same can be said for the font of the card. Make sure the font and design match what The Pokémon Company uses on each card to avoid buying a counterfeit.
If everything looks legit, the next thing to look at is the cards colors. Pokémon cards have a specific color scheme on the front and back. The Card Bazaar says a lot of fake cards fail to match the right shade or shape of the blue on the card backs. Some may use a single color instead of having spots of color all around them.
You can also try using the light test, which is where you shine a torch directly at the card. Many fake cards let through a lot of light while official cards are more sturdy.
A real quick way to test if the card is fake is to look around the edges. Real Pokémon cards have a very thin sheet of black or silver between the blue of the card. Most fake cards wont have this.
Font Text And Spelling
Pokémon has its own unique font which is not in the public domain.
Producers of counterfeit cards use fonts that are similar and appear genuine. Even when compared with a genuine card the difference in font is not always obvious.
The card on the right is genuine and the only major difference in font is the style of the letter g. The spacing between the letters is also slightly wider on the fake card but that is only noticeable when compared with a genuine card.
Fake or Pseudo cards often contain spelling mistakes and may use a plain e rather than an é in the word Pokémon. In the example above, an r has been used instead of an e at the end of Zygarde. However, it should be remembered that genuine cards do sometimes contain mistakes so other factors should be looked at as well.
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Someone Will Try To Sell You Fake Cards Be Prepared To Spot Them
Earlier this year, I ordered a Platinum: Rising Rivals booster pack for what appeared to be a fairly good deal.
But when the pack arrived in the mail, I found to my dismay that it had clear red flags: a crimp line running along the seam and dried glue on its back. At the very least, it had been resealed, if it was even a legitimate pack to begin with.
Fortunately, I used a reputable trading card marketplace with buyer protections, and I was able to get my money back from the fraudster. But without the knowledge to spot the fake pack, I might have opened it, and then my refund would have gotten a bit more complicated.
But way before I became an expert in spotting illegitimate packs, I learned the basics: how to spot a fake card.
Why Fake Pokemon Cards Are Made
There are a lot of Pokemon fans out there and real Pokemon cards are always in huge demand. While owning the latest ones are cool, something from the first edition of cards can be worth a whole lot of money.
The reason behind this is back in those days, Pokemon cards were produced in very limited supply and then they quickly became collectors items.
As virtually no one wants to part with their Pokemon cards, the supply dried up and when demand grew, price soared.
This influenced a lot of scammers to produce fake Pokemon cards and flood the market. Now if you dont know what the original cards look and feel like and how to check whether your Pokemon Cards are real, you can easily be deceived into buying fake cards and spending a lot of money on worthless paper.
That is why it is important that you know how to tell the real Pokemon cards apart from their fake counterparts.
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Pattern And Texture Of Special Cards
In addition to poor color reproduction and otherwise bad print jobs, fake cards also tend to do a very poor job of mimicking the special holo and texture of the chase cards from the various sets in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The worst fakes will print the texture that the card should have instead of reproducing it in the card-making process. And although it sounds odd to hear, fake Pokémon cardsespecially chase cards from relatively recent setsXY onwardtend to have a very simple almost flat holo to them. In short, they just dont shine correctly. Sometimes, these fake chase cards will also have a brownish, yellowish, or orangish hue to them.
On the Solgaleo-GX , you can see the holo is there, but the texture in the cards background is clearly not actually present on the card. Its not affecting the holos reflection like it should because the pattern has been printed onto the card instead of being actually added to it.
The fake Tapu Lele-GX has no texture whatsoeverbut a real copy of Tapu Lele-GX would have a detailed texture pattern all throughout its holo.
How Many 1st Edition Charizards Are There
The 1999 1st Edition Holographic Charizard card is recognized as the holy grail of the entire Pokémon trading card game, and seen as one of the most iconic non-sports card. The first edition set was released in limited quantity with 102 cards total, 16 of them being the rarer, coveted holographic cards.
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Are Jumbo Pokemon Cards Fake
If theres any difference in size between the two cards, its pretty safe to say that the card in question is fake, though its not a guarantee. There are exceptions, however! Jumbo-sized cards and box topper cards also exist, though they are not as commonly collected as the normal deck-sized cards.
How Can You Tell If A Pokemon Card Is A Proxy
The most reliable method of distinguishing a genuine card from a fake card is that the real cards have a black layer sandwiched in between two white layers, when you look at the edge of the cards. This is because real cards are constructed with better materials to make them stiffer and less prone to wearing out.
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Why Is Psa So Expensive
PSA, the leader in card grading, dramatically changed its prices on Monday as the uptick in the industry left the company with a backlog of an untold millions of cards. Pricing in most areas has doubled. The lowest level, with the slowest service, goes from $10 a card to $20 a card and imposes a 10-card minimum.
Are Fake Pokmon Cards Worth Anything
No, fake Pokemon cards are worth nothing. In fact, fake cards are not even worth the paper they are printed on.
Most of the time, the fake card makers make mistakes with HP and spelling, and sometimes they dont. Nonetheless, the quality, especially their deck, is always low.
If a person wants to make a tournament deck without necessarily spending much cash, fake cards are not an option since they are not allowed in tournament play.
However, fakes cards can be worth their value if the person bought them for their enjoyment without minding the massive bluff of purchasing hundreds of boosters together to build their deck.
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A fake card will most likely appear to be one solid piece of card stock, showing no separation between layers.
It may sound like a tough distinction to catch yourself, but once you’re familiar with the uniform nature and distinct design of the edges, you should be able to confidently detect when you’re looking at the edge of a fake Pokémon card.
A legitimate Pokémon card on the left compared to a fake Pokémon card on the right. Note the over saturation of colors in the fake Pokémon card. Image from user jadeazora on Tumblr.
Original Base Set Booster Boxes
If you have a booster box from the earlier Pokemon sets e.g. the Wizards of the Coasts sets, then they may be tampered with. This is because most people that buy sealed boxes here are likely never going to open the sealed box. Instead, they are buying the box as an investment.
There are some sellers that will remove boosters from the box and replace them with alternative booster packs because the buyer may never find out what happened. Although, we are going to assume that many of the people that are investing thousands of dollars in sealed booster boxes like this probably will know how to check for tampering.
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Foolproof Method For Checking If Your Pokmon Cards Are Fake
Purchasing or trading for used cards both in person and online can be a daunting task. One of the fears of every card collector, TCG player, and even parent is whether a card is legitimate.
There are a few different ways you can check the authenticity of a card, but not all advice is good advice. Some online guides could result in you ruining an otherwise very valuable card, while others offer innacurate info.
Here, well set the record straight and let you know everything you need to identify a fake Pokémon Card.
Why Are Fake Pokemon Cards Bad
Apart from poor color reproduction and poor printing quality, fake cards often fail to accurately mimic the holo and textures of the special chase cards printed in the Pokemon Trading Card Game sets.
The worst fakes will make use of a printer to print the texture, rather than reproducing during the production of cards.
In the more recent fake card sets, from XY series onwards, the holo seems to be very flat and less shiny.
Sometimes, the fake Chase cards are found to have a brown, yellow or even orange hue, which look cheap and unappealing.
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Check The Cards Details
Name of the Pokémon
It may seem too obvious to mention, but, with all the identifying minutiae involved in counterfeit trading cards, its all too easy to overlook perhaps the biggest possible mistake: the actual card name.
Sometimes its simply a spelling error, sometimes the entire name may be totally incorrect. With nearly 900 types of Pokémon on the loose now its harder than ever for the casual punter to tell whats a real Pokémon and whats not and that makes fakers jobs easier.
So, just you make extra sure your Blacephalon is titled Blacephalon, not Barcelonion, eh?
HP and Damage values
Likewise, fake cards may have obviously, absurdly incorrect numbers for the Pokémons HP or attack damage . In that case, its a dead giveaway you have a fake in your hands.
Even if the numbers arent self-evidently out of this world, you can still check the Pokémon TCG database to find the correct stat range for the card, and make sure yours matches up. If that fails, in a pinch, a google search will often turn up an authoritative picture of the authentic card to compare against just make sure youre confident in the photos source.
