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How To Know If A Pokemon Card Is Fake

Tell If Your Pokemon Tcg Cards Are Fake By Looking At The Inscriptions On The Foil Pack

How To Tell If A Pokemon Card Is FAKE!

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.


What Characteristics Should I Look Out For

If your card has passed all the tests so far, its time to take a closer look. An easy and dependable way to check if a Pokémon card is fake is to compare it to a real card. Look at the two cards and see if there are any easy-to-spot differences. Does the written text on each card match up word-for-word? For example, a fake might have slightly different description text or a different attack than the original or different punctuation.

Also compare the physical characteristics of the card with the original. Is the card in question the same size as the original? If its larger or smaller than a standard card from the set, its likely a fake.

Image: Sarah Jarvis

Another important consideration is the cardstock. The hardest element of a counterfeit to recreate is the cardstock. Does the card bend in a similar way or does one feel flimsy and bend more easily? Hold the card in question up to a flashlight. Oftentimes, the light will pass through fakes more than a real card because the cardstock isnt as high quality.

Compare the two cards carefully. A common characteristic of a fake card is lower print quality which can lead to slightly blurry text. Compare the text of the card in question to another card. Does the text look a little blurry? A real card will have clean, crisp printing on the font. Fakes will have lower quality print, which is most visible when looking at the tiny text. Also compare the colours on the cards. Make sure that the color saturation is the same.


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.


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Inspect How The Cards Are Packed Inside The Foil

For the third method on how to spot fake Pokemon TCG cards, we are going to look at the fake vs real Pokemon Trading Card Game cards for the quality of how they were packed inside the foil paper.

As always, lets have a look at the reference real vs fake Pokemon TCG card image below, and after that, we will explain the situation with the two items.

In the image with the authentic vs replica Pokemon Trade Card Game cards above, you can see how the authentic cards are sealed inside the foil packaging as tight as there is no air inside the bag.

And, looking at the fake cards, you can see how they are sealed improperly inside the foil, as there is a lot of air inside the bags, and so, the foil on the fake cards becomes more flimsy, rather than having the authentic tight look.


You can compare this with the bags of chips that have a lot of air inside thats now how the authentic cards should be, as they have to be exactly the opposite, having no air inside whatsoever.

Look And Feel Of The Card

How to Know If Pokemon Cards Are Fake

If you are able to handle cards prior to purchase this offers a good chance to see if they feel like real cards.

Pokémon cards are made out of card stock and feel like regular playing cards. It is possible to take a bundle of cards and shuffle and deal them out. It is often not possible to do this with fake cards as they may stick to each other.

Genuine Pokémon Cards are not waterproof. A card that is plastic-coated or obviously waterproof is not a real Pokémon card.

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How To Determine If A Card Is Fake

As time went on, counterfeit cards became more and more similar to the real thing. In fact, some fakes are similar enough that the only noticeable difference from a real card on the front of the card is that a slightly different font is used. However, there are tests that can be used to consistently determine a card’s legitimacy:

Verify The Credibility Of Energy Symbols

If you spot an irregularity in how an energy symbol appears, you may be holding a fake card. The symbol may be irregular, misplaced, smaller, or bigger. Sometimes, counterfeits do not have elemental symbols. It is also easy for scammers to recreate fake Pokémon cards with funny creatures, especially the Birthday Pikachu set that is no longer being produced by the Pokémon franchise.

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Wait Arent There Misprints In Pokmon

Yes, misprints – also known as error cards – do happen, but they are generally documented. In these cases, collectors look for a specific misprint of a card. If you think you have a misprint, look it up online and see if anyone else has noticed the same mistake. If you do have a misprint, you could have an even more valuable Pokémon card than you initially thought!

How To Spot Fake Pokmon Cards

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR POKEMON CARDS ARE FAKE!

Some fake TCG sets are easy to spot, but others are almost real and will require an expert’s eye to discover them. Fake Charizard cards are the most likely to be bought because of their popularity. Here is how to tell if Pokémon cards are fake and the respective real vs. fake Pokémon cards’ pictures.


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Are There Any Common Fakes To Look Out For

Dicebreaker asked Edward Nguyen, a Pokémon card dealer and owner of Vermilion Collectibles and Games, if there were any specific Pokémon cards that are commonly sold as fakes. Most of the ones I see are people who seem to think that they have something valuable, but realistically it was one of those cheap stickers that people bought from vending machines or whatever, he says.

In addition to those stickers, buyers should also be weary of vintage cards. In order for a counterfeiter to be profitable, they will target something thats higher value, Nguyen says. So usually generally any old vintage card requires a closer look. As for newer cards, hes found some fake cards while buying in bulk, but hasnt seen any high quality counterfeits and could pick them out easily.

Inspecting The Size And Weight

  • 1Inspect the card itself. A fake card usually feels thin and flimsy and you may be able to see through it if you hold it up to the light. Some fake cards, on the other hand, are too hard and look shiny. If it’s the wrong size, that’s also a telltale sign. Different materials will also wear differently, so on more “used” cards look for more damage to corners and unusual wear patterns. Also, fake cards often have no copyright date or the illustrator at the bottom of the card.
  • 2Grab another card. Is the card in question the same size? Is it too pointy? Is it centered right? Is there more yellow on one side of the card than the other?
  • 3Bend it a little. If it bends with great ease, it’s a fake. The real cards are not flimsy.Advertisement
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    What If Im Looking To Buy Online And Cant Hold The Card In My Hand

    As a rule of thumb, it is best practice to take a card out of a sleeve and examine it for yourself. As mentioned, a fake card will feel different to a genuine card. However, this isnt always an option, especially now during the pandemic and as Facebook groups have become a popular and convenient place to buy and sell.


    There are a few tips in this case. First, ask for a photo of the card youre buying and examine it visually using all the aforementioned tips. Then, evaluate the credibility of the seller. If someone cant provide you with a unique photo of the card, thats a bad sign. Also look for previous reviews of the seller. For context, there arent any reported cases of mass Pokémon card fraud so you dont need to be overly anxious about buying a card. Just cover the basics and you will generally be fine.

    Another great and reliable option if you buy online is to purchase the card from a registered business. Look up your closest card dealer and reviews of the store. A store will be more invested in customer satisfaction than a random person on the internet.

    What Are Fake Pokmon Cards

    Pokemon HD: How To Tell If Pokemon Card Are Fake

    Some might see packs that look suspicious and mistake them for fake cards. Fake Pokémon cards are different from re-sealed packs. A pack that is re-sealed means that the seller already opened and looked through the pack, and they may have even replaced cards. You dont want to buy resealed packs either because youre not likely to get any good pulls from them. If a card is fake, it means it wasnt manufactured by the official company that makes Pokémon cards. There are several ways you can tell the real from the fake, but some are surprisingly convincing.

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    Fake Pokemon Cards That Arent Fake

    Before you start tearing up all those fake Pokemon cards. There are a few things that you should be aware of. You should keep the following in mind before making a final decision about the authenticity of a Pokemon card.


    • The tips and tests in this guide are for the English version Pokemon cards. Japanese Pokemon cards are different. The Japanese Ninetails Pokemon card
    • Promo cards are different from normal Pokemon cards. Theyre not fake but theyre not tournament legal. Always keep that in mind. Pikachu Poke Card Creator promo for Warner Bros.
    • Printing errors do happen and it doesnt always mean that a card is fake. A good example of this is the shadowless Pokemon cards from the early set. Shadowless and normal Pokemon cards
    • You can check if a specific card was misprinted with a quick Google search. You dont need to guess, as you can easily verify.

    Look For The Black Line

    The plastic layer we mentioned earlier -on which the two faces of a Pokemon card are pressed- has a distinct black color.

    When youre trying to spot fake pokemon cards, this is something that you should ALWAYS look for.

    If turn a genuine Pokemon card sideways, you can spot this black line in the middle of the material. In case of a fake Pokemon card, this layer isnt and as a result, the side of the card will be completely white.

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    Start With The Obvious

    One of the quickest and easiest ways to check a cards authenticity is to see if its designed and printed as it should be.

    If youre a parent, or youre new to the hobby/game, you may not be familiar with what a card should look like. Thats okay! simply perform a google search of the card in question to see what it should look like and then compare the two. Some things that are commonly wrong on fake cards are:

    • Misspellings and typos
    • Upside down pokeball on cards back
    • Misprints and miscuts
    • And more

    An important thing to keep in mind is that a card may show one or two signs from above but still be legitimate! Misprints and miscuts for example can happen on legitimate cards and are actually more valuable because of it!

    The best way to check for a fake card is to have a real card on hand to compare it to. If you cant do that, you can use an image online, but the real thing is always better.

    If youve done this and found a few things that cause alarm, dont call it a fake just yet! similarly, if nothing here was amiss it doesnt mean its legitimate. There are a few other test you need to do before being sure.

    How To Tell If A Pokmon Card Is Fake

    How Tell If Your Pokemon Cards Are Fake

    Strategic depth: Medium

    Publisher:Wizards of the Coast

    Pokémon cards are back in vogue. And with the uptick in interest, there is now a thriving market for buying and selling Pokémon cards. As the number of people looking to buy Pokémon cards continues to increase, so does the number of scammers looking to take advantage of the trend and make a quick buck.

    The most notable example of this involved the famous YouTuber Logan Paul. He and a group of investors almost bought a box of Pokémon cards valued at $375,000. The seller agreed to open the box and packs before exchanging the cash. The box turned out to be fake. Fortunately for Paul, he didnt pay a dime, but the mistake even slipped past Pauls Pokémon advisor.

    While the average person doesnt have the money to hire a specialised advisor, the average person can easily identify a fake Pokémon card with a little advice. This guide will teach you how to spot a fake and protect yourself from buying a counterfeit card. This guide is structured to give you more detailed advice on how to spot a fake as you go on. Whether you collect as an enthusiast or you just want to round out your latest deck, welcome!

    $375k FAKE #Pokemon box…Thats why you buy PSA/BGS graded!Are you kidding me!?!?

    Crypto King

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    How To Tell If A Card Is Fake

    There are 3 Major details that are dead giveaways on a fake card.1. Card StockPokemon has a particular card stock that has not really changed since the early 2000s. Many fake Pokemon cards are very paper-feeling and fold and damage extremely easy.Other more recent fakes are beginning to try to replicate the Glossy feel and look of legit Pokemon cards. It is frightening, because they are getting very close to the real thing.

    2. ColoringI have not found a counterfeit Pokemon card that does not have a weird issue with color. Maybe it is faded because of a bad image, or a printer that was running low on a certain color of ink. If the card is not the super vibrant dark blue that we all know, the card is likely fake.

    3. Image QualityMost fakes have very poor quality images which results in a very low resolution print that often looks cloudy. Legit Pokemon cards will always have crisp clean images and sharp text. If they seem blurry at all, they are likely a fake.

    These first fakes are the best that I have seen. They have a similar foil, and the glossy look, but they just do not react to light the way they should, and the print quality is off.

    These Solgaleo GXs look fairly similar, but the left is fake. Notice how much sharper the text is on the real one.

    These Decidueye GXs really do show how superior Pokemons printing is. Look at how vibrant that green is.Again, the one on the left is fake.

    This image gallery will have some other examples of the Not so good fakes we have.

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