If you’re new to the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) and have never played or collected cards before, you could become an easy target for scammers if you don’t know how to spot a fake Pokémon card.
Like most trading card games, Pokémon TCG can be a lucrative hobby, as some cards can become so rare that collectors will pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars just to get them.
The enormous value of Pokémon cards, combined with the popularity of the 28-year-old franchise, made it easier for fraudulent manufacturers to make money by selling counterfeit Pokémon Trading Card Game products.
Fortunately, some features of authentic Pokemon cards are almost impossible to emulate. In this ONE Esports guide, we share the most important indicators to help you identify fake cards.
How to tell if a Pokemon card is fake
1. Typo
Making Pokémon cards is a complex and lengthy process. Although industrial machines do most of the work, each card design still needs to be approved by one or more human proofreaders before it can go to print.
Therefore, the chances of discovering a typo on an authentic Pokemon card are almost zero.
Counterfeit Pokemon cards may contain misspellings of card names, moves, effects, and abilities.
If you are unsure whether a particular text on a card is spelled correctly, search for it online and compare your card with the scanned version.
2. No code card in the booster pack
Every genuine Pokemon TCG booster pack contains a code card that can be used to unlock a card set in Pokemon TCG Live.
If you purchased a package from a newly released set and it did not come with a code card, you have just been scammed.
Even if a booster pack includes a code card, it is important that you try to open a Pokémon TCG Live account to confirm whether the code card is redeemable.
3. No visible grey layer in the card after the rip test
The rip test is a well-known method to verify the authenticity of a Pokemon card.
The problem is that you would have to sacrifice a cheap card to do this, as you would literally be ripping it apart.
When you tear up an original Pokemon card, a gray foil layer is exposed on the torn part of the card. Fake Pokemon cards do not have this feature because they are made from cheap cardboard.
4. Suspicious looking card back
All modern Pokemon cards feature the same card back design that was developed in 1999.
This iconic card back design features a Poké Ball surrounded by swirling air and a deep blue background.
The exact colors of the back of the Pokemon card have never been changed since the design was introduced, so you can test the authenticity of a Pokemon card by comparing the back design to an original.
The back of a fake Pokémon card may have similar colors to a real card, but upon closer inspection you will notice subtle differences such as slightly altered blues and reds, blurred edges, and other inconsistencies.
5. Incorrect card information
Thanks to the Internet, you can now access card lists from every Pokémon Trading Card Game set ever released.
A simple Google search can now lead you to a web page that contains all the information about a specific card, so try to check if the card you have is actually part of an official set or special expansion.
If a Pokemon card is counterfeit, it may contain information that is not present in the original copy, such as an incorrect set symbol, card number, type, moves, damage, and HP.
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