Guides to spotting fake Pokémon cards
Everything we've learned building an automated card checker, written up so you can do the checks yourself. New guides are added regularly.
How to Tell if a Pokémon Card Is Fake: The 8 Checks That Actually Work
Back texture, typography, holo pattern, copyright line and more — every check collectors use, ranked by reliability.
Read the guide →The Pokémon Card Light Test: How It Works, and When It Lies to You
The most famous DIY check, done properly — plus the failure cases nobody tells you about.
Read the guide →Real vs Fake Pokémon Card Backs: The Texture Tell
The back of the card is where counterfeits go to die: the canvas texture, the three mistakes fakes make, and how to photograph it.
Read the guide →I Thought My Pokémon Packs Were Fake: What I Checked (A True Story)
Two kiosk packs, pulls that were too good, and a night of spiraling — everything I checked, including the wrapper tells almost nobody covers.
Read the guide →Is Grading Worth It? PSA/CGC vs a Quick Authenticity Check
Grading costs $15–50 a card and takes months; a quick check takes 30 seconds. When each is the right call, and the order to use them in.
Read the guide →How to Spot Fake Pokémon Cards on eBay (Before You Buy)
You can't hold the card, so you read the listing instead — price, photos, wording, seller — and check the seller's own photos before you bid.
Read the guide →Japanese Pokémon Cards: Real or Fake? Why Yours Looks Different (and Probably Isn't Fake)
Most "is my Japanese card fake?" scares are just a different print market. What is normal on a Japanese card, and the few things that still point to a fake.
Read the guide →Fake PSA Slabs Exist: How to Verify a Graded Pokémon Card in One Minute
The card inside a real slab is already authenticated, so scammers fake the slab. The free one-minute cert check, and what to do when it fails.
Read the guide →How to Read a Pokémon Card's Copyright Line, Set Symbol and Number
The footer of the card is a fingerprint: copyright line, set symbol, card number, rarity, regulation mark. What each one means and where fakes slip up.
Read the guide →Fake or Resealed? How to Check a Pokémon Booster Box or Pack Before You Open It
Counterfeit packs fail on print, resealed ones on seams. The shrink wrap, crimp and price checks for sealed product, before and after you open it.
Read the guide →Misprint or Fake? How to Tell a Real Pokémon Error Card
Judge everything the error didn't touch: a real misprint has a perfect back, fonts and footer. The factory error patterns, and the fakes sold as rare errors.
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