Fake Cards vs. True Cards
How to differentiate fake Pokémon cards?
Discover the quick and easy guide to distinguishing fake Pokémon cards from real ones. Many people enjoy collecting Pokémon cards. Unfortunately, there are people who try to sell fake cards to enthusiastic collectors. We'll show you how to avoid being scammed.
- Look for the accent mark in the word "Pokémon." If you see a card that doesn't have this accent mark, it's a clear sign that the card is fake. It's unlikely to be a printing error.
- Look at the energy cost and weaknesses of two cards. In the case of a counterfeit, the circled symbol takes up most of the symbol and is off-center. This often occurs with counterfeit cards and is a clear indicator of a counterfeit.
- Look at the gold border. Gold-bordered cards do exist in Pokémon, but they're limited to specific cards: foil rares, delta rares, and secret gold cards. This one isn't one, so it's a fake. You can also see that the foil effect on this card isn't consistent with the foil effects on other Pokémon cards.
- Notice the vast difference in color between the two cards. The original card is extremely bright and colorful, while the card on the right doesn't replicate this correctly. The color saturation is often different between the original and the fake card.
- Look at the front. Pokémon cards have a consistent font, and counterfeits often fail at that. In this particular case, counterfeits are easily detected.
- Look at the card text. It refers to Zapdos, not Mewtwo, and the text is incorrect.
- Look at the Pokémon's description. Fake cards often fail to edit the text correctly and sometimes have errors like this.
- Look at the stage evolution. Hitmonchan is a Basic Pokémon; in this card, it's a Stage 1 Pokémon that evolves from Togepi. Counterfeits often take cards and replace the images without adjusting the presentation or text. You can easily see these inconsistencies when you take a closer look.
- It says it's a 2nd edition card, which is impossible. Pokémon has 1st edition cards. edition and unlimited edition. There is no 2nd edition edition, is another inconsistency that is easy to spot.
- Note the extremely thick border of the card. Authentic cards may have a flaw in the cut, resulting in a slightly wider border, but it's never that large a space on an original card.
- Pay attention to the font color. The card names aren't green, nor are the life points red. Make sure the font color is the same as in the originals.
- The artwork on this forgery is fake. Check that the artwork on your cards matches that of the original. This is a general recommendation. Comparing your cards with images of the original cards can help identify differences between forgeries.
- Note the color saturation of the energy symbols. Fake cards often don't match the original cards in this detail.
- They used the Gym Leader card design for this. The Gym Leader's face normally goes in this spot, but in this case, they've placed a random Pokémon.
- Look at the texture of the original GX card. Counterfeits are rarely able to mimic this texture, making it easier to tell if a GX card is fake. Keep in mind that sometimes you may receive a GX card with a misprint that lacks this texture. In this case, the other methods below can help you identify whether the card is genuine or fake.
- Once again, look at the differences between the two sources. You can clearly see the difference between the two "Power Bind" abilities.
- Look at the border of the two cards. The border of the original card is very thin. The margin of error for these cuts is very small on the original GX cards. On the fake card, you see a much thicker border, which isn't present on a genuine card.
- Look at the energy symbol. On an authentic card, the center of the symbol is a consistent size and correctly centered. On counterfeit cards, this is generally not the case, as you've seen here.
- The counterfeits are printed on glossy cardstock. Counterfeits often "feel" different when you touch the card. In the image, you can see the shimmer on the card, an effect derived from the card's shine.
- Notice the difference in color and saturation. Comparing your cards will help you see how the fakes stand out.
Differentiate Fake Boxes from Real Ones
- The quality is different. A counterfeit sealed product is better than an authentic sealed product. You often see stretch marks or burn marks on a counterfeit product because the plastic is of poorer quality and less heat-resistant. This isn't the case with an authentic product, as the plastic is of better quality and therefore more durable.
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Always check the text on a product. It's often a telltale sign that a product is counterfeit.
- Look at the copyright. Here, the counterfeiter used the wrong year. These errors don't occur on an original product.
- The product description actively refers to a different product. This error does not occur on the original packaging.
- The product is not properly sealed. The Pokémon Company seals the product in a specific way, and never with more than one seal on the side of the box.
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- Sealed products always have a watermark on the packaging. This is a Pokeball with a Pokémon underneath, along with text. Some counterfeits will copy the watermark, but they often forget the copyright symbol next to the "N" in "Pokémon."
- Envelope order. Envelopes in an original box are always placed so that the back of one envelope is next to the front of the next envelope, not as they are here.
- Quality of materials. Once again, you can see the low quality of the plastic in these counterfeits. Bubbles form near the heat seal, which doesn't happen with official products.
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- This product doesn't exist. Check the name on the can or box when you decide to purchase it.
- The word Nintendo on the box. Nintendo hasn't been involved with the Pokémon trading card game for years, so the name doesn't usually appear on the product.
- Ash Ketchum doesn't exist in the card game. So the artwork on this box is fake. There are very few Japanese promotional cards featuring Ash. However, any European or English-language product featuring Ash is a fake.
- Pokémon USA Inc. ceased to exist in 2009. Any product with this name after 2009 is a counterfeit (anything after the Diamond & Pearl series is after 2009).
- Pokken images. The image on this box is not related to the trading card game; it's from the Pokken video game. The official sealed product, of course, uses artwork from the trading card game.
- Note that there is a watermark . It does not have the copyright symbol.
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- Watermark. You can see the official watermark here, but it's not on the counterfeit box.
- The background design is different on both boxes. Pay attention to the symbols and make sure they match.
- Notice the color saturation on the counterfeit. It's much lighter, and the shadows aren't present when compared to the original.
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