How To Spot Fake Pokemon Cards In 2024 (Ultimate Guide)

In 2024, spotting fake Pokemon cards is crucial for collectors. This Ultimate Guide will help you to do exactly that.

In 2024, the popularity of Pokemon cards is skyrocketing, with a surge in production anticipated for the year. Nevertheless, this surge also indicates a troubling trend: the ongoing creation of Fake Pokemon cards. These counterfeit cards serve no purpose but to deceive and exploit the Pokemon community. This Ultimate Guide is here to help you in combating this issue.

Contents

• Why Avoid Fakes

• Red Flags To Avoid

• Recommended Tests

• How To Check Products

• How To Buy Cards Safely

Fake Pokemon cards are a worst nightmare for Pokemon Card collectors for a few important reasons:

• Lower Quality: Fake Pokemon cards are low quality, taking the fun out of collecting cards.

• No Value: Rare Authentic cards can have a high value but all fake Cards are worthless.

• Banned From Competitive Play: Fake cards are forbidden in tournaments to avoid cheating.

• Legal Action: It is forbidden to sell Fake Pokemon cards. If caught doing so you could be banned from platforms. And could face legal action from the Pokemon Company.

• Disappointing/Lack of Satisfaction: Discovering your collection is Fake is one of the worst feelings for a collector. This happened to me at the beginning of my journey, so take my word for it. It sucks.

Why You Must Avoid Fake Pokemon Cards

Some of the most obvious red flags when checking for fake Pokemon cards are The card cover, Spelling errors, Incorrect stats, Inconsistent Texture, Odd Symbols, and an odd font. Before, we discuss some tests to check the authenticity of a Pokemon Card. Here are some red flags to look out for when quickly inspecting a card. These red flags are listed from easiest to hardest to spot.

1. Off-centre: If a card is off-centre, it may indicate a fake, although many genuine cards can still be slightly off-centre.

2. Card back/cover: The back of a Pokemon card is the easiest tell for a fake card. If you look at the back of a card, it lacks the classic blue background and Pokeball design. It is likely a fake. You will also want to check the colour of the cover. Some Fakes have a dull colour and others are too saturated.

3. Spelling & Grammatical Errors: We check each card multiple times to ensure authenticity, reducing the likelihood of major spelling errors on genuine cards.

4. Incorrect information: If the card has the wrong attacks, HP, damage, weakness, resistance, retreat costs, or card text it is likely a fake.

5. Inconsistent Texture & Material: Rare cards like Full Arts have a special foil and material used. If the rare card is flimsy, lacks texture, is glossy, and doesn’t have that glittery appearance, it is most likely a fake.

6. Symbols: Incorrect symbols on cards could be Pokemon-type symbols or even Set symbols.

7. Holofoil patterns: Fake Holo cards can have a pixelated look, seem flat, and have the wrong patterns.

8. Colour & Saturation: Extremely dull or vibrant cards on the front and the back of the card can be a dead giveaway.

9. Font: The official font on Pokemon cards is custom. It is hard to replicate. So small differences in the font can indicate a fake card.

Below are some examples of Fake Pokemon Cards compared to Authentic Cards. These are Fake cards that all show multiple Red flags that are listed above.

Visual Inspection and Red Flags To Spot

The best tests for Fake Pokemon Cards are comparing The Card to an online scan, comparing the card to an authentic card, and using an online forum.

The first test is comparing the card to an online image. This is moderately effective. Firstly, you need to find a picture of the Pokemon card. You can find digital scans of cards on the Pokemon TCG Database, Bulbapedia, or TCGPlayer. Then compare the card information, date, set name, text, stats, and card image. However, you can’t compare the texture, size, and colour.

The second test is comparing your card to an authentic Pokemon card. This is effective. It can be hard to find the exact card to compare to. Instead, find a similar card. For example, if it is a GX you could compare it to a similar GX. When you compare a potential fake to an authentic card you can check every red flag we mentioned. It is so hard for any counterfeit Pokemon card to pass comparison to an original.
Lastly, if you’re unsure whether your Pokemon card is fake you can check with a Community forum. If you go to Reddit. Post an image of your card on a Pokemon TCG community and ask for help. More often than not, you will receive multiple comments from experts who can help you identify a fake card.

I don't recommend using tests like the Rip and Bend test because they cause damage to the card and reduce its value.

Tests For Fake Pokemon Cards

To check for Fake products follow these tips.

• False Information: If the product text has false information like incorrect dates, set names, or any odd references, then we can guarantee it is fake.

• Check The Seal: Some Pokemon products like ETBs, have a tight plastic seal. If this has signs of tampering or is loose the product could’ve been resealed or is fake.

• Pack Edges: Individual Pokemon pack edges will be straight. Fake Pokemon booster packs can have a jagged and uneven edge.

• Check Product Design & Art: Fake products will have false and photoshopped designs. You can compare the design to online images of it.

How To Check For Fake Products

To purchase Authentic Pokemon cards I recommend purchasing from safe and reputable sources that have a large reputation and a customer support program. Check out our article about Where To Buy Pokemon Cards.

You can purchase from large retailers like Walmart and Best Buy in the USA or Tesco and WHSmith in the UK. If you’d like to purchase online we recommend TCGPlayer and Pokemon Centre.

Please Avoid buying from small stores with no reputation and from sites like Amazon and eBay. Check for Verified Pokemon card sellers on the Pokemon website.

How To Purchase Authentic Pokemon Cards

To conclude, you have to be careful when purchasing Pokemon cards. Fake cards are a serious problem that this article along with many others wants to fix. Thanks for reading How To Spot Fake Pokemon Cards In 2024 an Ultimate Guide. Check out our other articles about the latest sets and products.

Conclusion

Join TheMaksNewsletter.

Don't be behind. Stay on top of the latest in the world of the Pokemon TCG.