How To Tell If Pokemon Card Is Fake

Recently Updated Pokemon Card Values

The following is a list of all Pokémon cards that have recently had their price values updated. Clicking on a specific Pokémon card image will take you to that cards listing. Selecting the cards name will bring you to the individual Pokemon listing pages which are further broken down by TCG set.

Other Tips For Identifying Fake Pokemon Cards

There are many different production methods for fake trading cards, including Pokémon TCG cards, each with their own tell-tale signs that differentiate the product from the genuine article which means no one guide to identifying fakes can contain every possible red flag. Here are a few pointers on what to do if youre not sure about a card.

If, for some reason, youre looking at a Pokémon card to buy, but you cant physically hold and inspect the card for yourself , always ask the seller to take an original, high quality photo of both sides of the card for you. This should let you carry out all but the material-based tests, and allows a good deal of confidence the card is real.

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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How Can You Tell Fake Charizard

The Side Infrared shows what the card looks like at wavelengths invisible to the human eye. While the genuine Charizard is still fully visible, all of the text and design disappears on the counterfeit! The low angle of the lighting also reveals the height differences of the card in relation to the holographic area.

Compare Your Card With The Original Version:

When buying new Pokémon cards, it is essential to compare them to the official cards. Any changes in the overall look would make it easier for you to pinpoint the fake one. Mostly, unreal variants arent made with care, so you can even expect to find a Pokeball printed upside down.

You might be thinking this is a joke, but there are a few variants of these cards that dont even look close to real, but people are still buying and selling them. So, you need to be vigilant when buying them online.

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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.

How To Tell If The Pokmon Cards Are Fake

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Have you ever wondered if your Pokemon cards are real or fake? From rare cards to brand new cards, buying and selling Pokemon cards is a thriving marketplace with a high demand.

In this regard, the number of people willing to buy Pokémon cards continues to increase globally.

As a result, there is an increased number of retail scammers looking to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers with little information about the Pokémon cards or even the packs in a booster box. These scammers have found their way to exploit buyers and make a quick buck out of it.

How do you tell if Pokemon cards are fake? The easiest way to tell if Pokemon cards are fake is by low print quality with slightly blurry text compared to the real one which have a clean and crisp writing on the front.

There are two simple tests to identify counterfeit Pokemon cards: the light and rip test. Additionally, fake Pokemon cards often have exaggerated HP, grammatical errors and low quality printing and card stock.

The light test is by shining a LED light source at a Pokemon card and see if the light passes through. If the card is real, then the light should pass through the center. With counterfeit Pokemon cards, there would be inconsistencies of light that passes through them.

In contrary, the fake cards do not have this in-between black ink layer when ripped.

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Fake Vs Real Pokemon Trading Card Game Front Side Colours

For the second step of the guide on how to identify fake Pokemon Trading Card Game items, we are now going to look at the real vs fake Pokemon TCG cards for their colours on the front side.

The front side is the same on most of the popular Pokemon TCG items, and so, we are going to look at those that have the pokeball on them, with the blue background at the orange POKEMON TM text.

So, first things first, lets have a look at the real vs fake Pokemon TCG image from below, and after that, we will explain the flaw on the fake card.

In the image with the authentic vs replica Pokemon Trading Card Game image above, we have pointed out how the fake card has its colours improperly defined.

Looking at the replica Pokemon TCG card, you can see how its blue colour is too blurry and too little split around into more shades of blue.

In fact, the replica Pokemon Trading Card Game card has its blue shade pretty constant throughout the card, as there are only two shades of blue, which are too light.

On the other hand, the authentic Pokemon TCG card has its blue shades darker, and on top of that, they split around the card more than the fake cards colours.

Also, if you look at the white side of the fake cards pokeball, you can see how it shines too much, while the authentic Pokemon TCG card has its pokeball less shiny.

One other flaw that weve spotted on the fake Pokemon TCG card is that its POKEMON inscriptions are yellow instead of being orange, like the genuine cards text.

Check The Card Materials

General feel

Experienced collectors tend to be able to sniff out a fake by the simple feel of the card but its not because theyre actual wizards its just because fakes, by their very nature, are usually made to a much cheaper print quality than the real thing, and as a result its very difficult to make themfeel quite right.

Test the size and weight of the card against a real one fakes will often be lighter, due to using lower-quality cardstock and fewer layers.

Feel the texture of the front and back of the card authentic cards, while the textures can sometimes vary, tend to have a smooth, matte finish whereas fakes tend to be glossy and shiny partly as its cheaper, and partly to help hide any printing errors.

Finally, carefully bend the card a little, to feel the stiffness of the cardstock, and do the same with a real card. Chances are, if its a fake, itll bend easier, and feel a little flimsier.

The light test

Theres also the simple, yet trusted light test: get your card, grab a torch, turn off the lights, and shine the light directly at the card, then shine it at a genuine card for comparison. Given the aforementioned tendency towards fake Pokémon cards having thinner, poor-quality cardstock, they will let through noticeably more light than the real deal.

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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.

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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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.

How To Spot Fake Pokmon Cards Did You Purchase Counterfeit Cards

Fake Pokémon cards are produced in bulk every day. If you have an extensive collection, chances are that a counterfeit product may be present. Sometimes the whole set can contain replicas, especially for the highly valued Pokémon cards. Do you know how to identify fake Pokémon cards? Here are all the details that will help you get an authentic set.

Counterfeit products are not a new thing in Trading Card Games. They are made to look original and, therefore, difficult to spot. If you are not an expert, you can easily purchase replica Pokémon cards.

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What Is The Use Of Pokemon Cards

Pokemon cards are used by lovers of characters in Pokemon to feel closer to the idol. Pokemon cards are usually used by pokemon cards collectors as part of their collection. But the longer time passes, Pokemon cards are transferred functions as part of the game. Many people create games through Pokemon cards with various versions. Using pokemon cards will make you always remember all about pokemon stuff and find out in detail what is in the world of pokemon.

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The Best Way To Tell A Real Pokmon Card From A Fake One Is To Compare It To One You Know For Sure Is Real

The YouTube web series Bootleg Zone did an episode on bootleg Pokémon cards and compared them to real ones. Consider this picture of a Professor Oak card. One of the English ones is fake and the other is real. Can you tell which one?

The middle one is the bootleg, but its a pretty good imitation. By comparing it to the real one, youll notice that the color is off a bit, but without knowing the correct shade, you cant tell. The bootleg also has some blurry text at the bottom, but thats tough to spot.

Of course, sometimes its painfully obvious to any Pokémon fan.

I especially love how Gyardos is a Fire Horse Pokémon, and that these are rare 2nd Edition cards!

The full video shows lots of other examples, but the difference between a real card and a bootleg really ranges between blatantly obvious mistake or almost imperceptible difference from the original. Some examples of tells were:

• Slight miscolorations
• Text in a different font
• Text with different line breaks
• A different card feel
• A different style of holographic film, especially one that goes all the way to the edge of the card
• A different card size
• Being part of a set that it wasnt originally part of
• Blatantly wrong information

That said, if you got a pack of cards and some of them have obvious typos, Id be surprised if the rest were legitimate.

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Are There A Lot Of Fake Pokmon Cards On Ebay

Yes, there are a lot of fake Pokemon cards on eBay as well. Because they almost look identical to the real cards, its hard for buyers to differentiate when purchasing online.

Scammers know of this, and they take advantage of it on the eBay site. Many of the listed Pokémon cards are fake, with others having good or poor quality.

Many look like almost real fake cards when examining the ratio of counterfeit Pokémon cards on the eBay site with authentic ones. A person can get a pretty good idea that there exist more fake cards on the site than real ones.

How To Identify Fakes

If you’re just getting into Pokémon card collecting or investing, it’s absolutely crucial that you have the tools for identifying fake cards. Not only are fake cards completely valueless, but selling a fake Pokémon card can land you in hot water with your online marketplace or trade show venue, and it’s technically illegal.

Check out these three methods for spotting fake Pokémon cards so you can protect yourself on your mission to “catch them all.”

Look at the edge of the card to find the black ink layer, present in every Pokémon card. Image by Jess Searcy.

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Fake Pokmon Cards: How To Tell If A Pokmon Card Is Fake

With nearly 900 types of Pokémon, and the TCG booming, spotting fake Pokémon cards is a serious business – heres how to do it

Pokémon TCG players of old all share versions of the same, tragic memory, and it goes something like this. Youve scored the perfect trade. Someone at school was willing to hand over the shiny Alakazam youve wanted for what seems like forever, in exchange for your duplicate Growlithe. A win-win. You make the swap, and spend the rest of the day mooning over the splendid new gem in your collection, until your friend leans over and says oh wow, thats definitely a fake.

Tears. Devastation. The end of all things. But, worse than that, how do you know if theyre right? It looks real. Youve heard if you peel the card open a bit, theres a layer inside that proves its real, but youre not about to bisect your new Alakazam in a hurry. And so youre forever in limbo not knowing. Fast forward to 2021, and Pokémon TCG is larger than ever, collected and played by tens of thousands around the world, over 25 years after they first made the trip from Japan to the west. The market for rare Pokémon cards is so developed that there are vast lists of rare cards and misprints that fetch hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars at auction.

So, to business. For starters, well list the main methods, then well dig into the detail below.

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.

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