How to tell a FAKE Pokemon card!

Is that prized card you have a real Pokemon card? There are a few ways you can tell. EVERY card we purchase goes threw a check list. Wether we buy one or a box of 2000, we check them all. Most fakes have really bad text and character print. On the card below, the fighting symbol is a blob as well as the jungle symbol. While you probably can't read Japanese, the text is very fuzzy as well. Text on the card should be clear and easy to read.

Ok, so the text on your card looks fine. What is the next test? Most fakes can be spotted by the Light Test. Hold your card up to a window or close to a lightbulb. Look at the face of the card, the character side. If light goes threw the card and you can see the back of the card clearly, this was printed on low quality, poor stock. This is not and error, this is a fake. If you look at the photo below, this was held up to a window. You can see the back of the card, threw the front of the card.

The above card also failed on another test. The card was intended to be a 1st edition base Rattata. On 1st edition base Pokemon cards, every single one of them is SHADOWLESS. This one was a copy of an unlimited card, with the 1st edition stamp added. You will notice in the photo below that to the right of the character, there is a shadow.

The Japanese Eevee card above also failed another test. On the early sets of Japanese cards (Pocket Monsters) the backs of the cards have the Pocket Monsters graphics. They do not have the Pokemon graphics like the English cards. This fake was printed with the English Pokemon graphics, not the Pocket Monster graphics. If you collect Japanese cards, the backs should have the Pocket Monster graphics on them.

We purchased these cards in a box lot of 3500+ cards. Out of the 3500+ there were 3 fakes. This in no way means the guy who sold them, knew they were fakes. If you purchase a single card that fails the tests, you should ask for a refund. Single cards usually cost more and should be originals for the price, not a fake. If you purchase in large lots, one or two is usually not the cause of the seller, but if the main card they displayed for the lot (like a 1st edition Charizard) is a fake, you will want to ask for a refund.

If you have a card that you believe to be an error, you can send us a photo of the card. The photo must be a clear close-up of the front and back of the card.

On the first editon card above, you will notice that we said SHADOWLESS. Please read our SHADOWLESS guide on these cards. Many will tell you that SHADOWLESS cards are errors or fakes, they are not. A SHADOWLESS card is actually worth more money than an unlimited card. We will write a guide on error cards soon.  The best way to have the perfect Pokemon collection, is to be informed on what you are collecting.