As the sports card collecting hobby grows, more and more Game-Used card sets are produced.  Every collector loves the thrill when the open a pack and see a nice 4-Color patch card of Albert Pujols or David Ortiz staring up at them, but what happens when you don't have that luxury of boxes...you turn to eBay.  Well unfortunately there are people that will take advantage of that to make a quick buck.  What do they do?  They insert patches into standard Jersey cards.  This guide will give you some tips on how to avoid those fake patches.

1. Always look for the words "Jersey Prime" or "Patch" on the card. 

• Patch cards have been made for several years now, and in those years the majority (there are a few exceptions) will have either "Jersey-Prime" or "Patch" somewhere on the card.  And almost ALL of the patch cards made in the past 5-7 years will say that as well.  With that being said, avoid a patch that simple says "Jersey" as it is likely a fake.

2.  Avoid cards with a high serial #.

• This is sort of a common sense tip.  Consider that a player only has a few (if that) patches on their jersey.  It would be impossible to make a patch card that's #'d ---/500 for example.  As a general rule, most patch cards are made to a low serial #, Generally less than 100.

3.  Avoid sellers who keep their bidders private.

• If you're an honest seller, why hide your bidders?  The reason sellers will hide their bidders is so that members who are smart enough to avoid the patches can't contact them and let them know it's a fake.  This is a common practice among patch fakers.  Also beware sellers who keep their feedback private as well.
  

4.  Do a little research on the set of cards that the patch card is supposedly from. 

• There are forums specifically dedicated to Sports Cards (SportsCardForum, TheBench, TradingCardCentral, etc, etc) that are great to register on and ask your questions.  But even if you don't register, you can research for yourself.  Just do an eBay search for the type of card that the "patch" card is supposedly from.  If the "patch" is #'d like the rest, and all you find are regular jerseys it's generally a fake.
• The most commonly faked sets/subsets of cards are as follows
• 2005 Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Jumbo Jerseys
• 2005 Prime Patches Jumbo Jerseys (All Sets)
• Obviously there are other faked sets as well, but these are the most commonly faked.
• Consult the website called FakePatchReport to see examples of numerous fake patches.
  

5. Use the adage "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." 

• If a card seems just too good to be true, then it likely is.  Simply do not bid if you don't feel sure of the cards authenticity.

6.  Miscellaneous Tips

• Avoid patches that seem to "ripple" 
  
• This comes from the faker having to large of a patch for the card.
• Avoid  patch cards where the "Jersey Window" (area where the jersey sits) is chipped. 
  
• This comes from the faker using a knife to cut the old jersey out
• Avoid patches that the team never used. 
  
• I know this one sounds dumb, but I've seen fakers use patches for players that weren't even playing when the patches were made.  Not to mention the patches they use sometimes have never been used by the player on the card.
  
• Avoid patches that leave empty space in the "patch window". 
  
• This comes from the seller using a patch that was slightly too small.
• Avoid patches that have threads hanging out of the card.
  
• This comes from the fact that the patch is a fake and is not the quality of those put in the card by the card companies.

That wraps up my Fake Patch Guide.  I would recommend that anyone reading this check out the website called FakePatchReport.  It's a great tool to use to see numerous examples of fake patches.  The guide above is of course not limited to baseball, but applies to any sport.