The short answer
A fake card almost always gives itself away through its printing and card stock: colours too pale or too saturated, a different font or symbols, holo that shines the same everywhere, a dull back, stock too thin or too glossy. The safest way is to compare it, by light and by touch, with a real card from the same set, and to be wary of any price far below the market.
Warning signs
- A price far below the market, or a big lot of rare cards for almost nothing.
- Colours that are washed out, too dark or too saturated compared with a real one.
- A different font, letters too bold or too thin, spelling mistakes or missing accents.
- A holo that shines over the whole card, text included, or a pattern unlike the set's.
- A back with dull colours, blurry or off-centre.
- Card stock that is too thin, too floppy, too glossy, or on the contrary matte like paper.
- Badly rounded corners, an uneven cut, a slightly different size.
No single clue is enough: a real card can have a printing flaw. It's the combination of signs, and the comparison with a real one, that settles it.
The golden rule: compare with a real one
Take a genuine card from the same set, ideally the same rarity, pulled from a booster or bought from a trusted seller. Put both side by side in good light: most fakes are obvious as soon as you compare them.
- 1Compare the colours and sharpness of the artwork, then of the text.
- 2Compare the back: colours, sharpness, centering.
- 3Tilt both cards under the light to compare the holo or the texture.
- 4Touch them: thickness, stiffness, smooth or textured surface.
- 5Check the bottom of the card: number, set total, set symbol or code, illustrator.
The light test
In a dark room, shine your phone's torch through the back of the card, and do the same with a real one. Real Pokémon cards have a dark inner layer that lets little light through; many fakes, printed on simpler card stock, let much more through.
It's a clue, not proof: some recent fakes pass this test, and not all real cards react the same way. Always do it next to a real card from the same era.
The tear test (tearing a card to see its inner layer) destroys it: only do it on a worthless card from the same lot, never on the one you want to check.
Texture, card stock, size and weight
- Texture
- Many recent rare cards (full art, special illustrations…) have a textured surface you can feel with your finger. A fake of these cards is often perfectly smooth.
- Surface
- A fake is often too glossy, as if laminated, or on the contrary matte like paper.
- Stiffness
- A real card is flexible and springs back. A fake is often floppier, or brittle. Never bend a card to test it: a real one would get marked.
- Size
- Pokémon, One Piece and Lorcana cards share the same standard size, about 63 × 88 mm. Lay your card on a real one: it should cover it exactly.
- Weight
- On a precision scale (to a hundredth of a gram), compare it with a real one from the same era and with the same finish: a clear difference is suspicious.
Font, text and symbols
Counterfeiters copy the picture but often redo the text. Read the whole card.
- The numbers (HP, cost, power, strength…): compare their shape and thickness with a real card.
- Mistakes: a fake sometimes mixes languages, drops accents or has errors no official card contains.
- Energy symbols (Pokémon): on a real card they're sharp, round, well aligned and the right colour; on a fake they're often blurry, too big, misaligned or a different shade.
- The bottom of the card: number, set total, symbol or code, illustrator, copyright. A number that doesn't exist in the set or the wrong illustrator is enough to rule it out.
- Attacks and effects: a card that doesn't exist (made-up attack, absurd damage) is necessarily fake.
Look the card up in the gotem. catalogue: its number, illustrator, rarity and official image must match yours.
Holo and finishes
Each era and each rarity has its own finish: a precise pattern in a precise place (the artwork only, the whole card except the artwork for a reverse, a texture over the whole card…). Fakes often use a generic holo that shines the same way everywhere, sometimes even on the text.
- Tilt the card: a real holo clearly changes colour and reflection with the angle.
- Compare the pattern with a real one from the same set: shape, size, position.
- Be wary of a supposedly holo card that barely shines, or of shine somewhere that shouldn't shine.
The back
With rare exceptions, the back is the same for every card of a game in a given language: it's the best point of comparison. On a fake, the colours are often too light, too purple or too dark, and the image is blurry or off-centre.
The back of Japanese Pokémon cards differs from that of French or English cards: always compare with a card in the same language.
Game by game: what to check
- Pokémon
- The most copied: Charizard, Pikachu, ex, V, VMAX and GX cards and illustration rares. Check the energy symbols, the HP, the texture of full art cards, the holo and the back, and do the light test.
- One Piece
- The targets: parallel cards, manga rares, SPs and sought-after Leaders. Compare the finishes and text with a real one from the same set, and check the card code (OP01-120, ST01-012…) in the catalogue.
- Lorcana
- Enchanted and the rarest cards are the main targets. Compare the foil finish, the sharpness of the frame and text, the back, and check the number and chapter at the bottom of the card in the catalogue.
Where fakes are sold, and how not to get caught out
Fakes turn up wherever cards are sold without checks: classified ads, social media, big general marketplaces, very cheap online shops, markets and car boot sales. They're sometimes sold for what they are ("proxy", "replacement cards"), then resold as real.
Before you buy
- Compare the price with the market price: a rare card, a booster or a box far below the usual price often hides a problem.
- Be wary of "100 rare cards" or "50 V and GX cards" lots for a few euros.
- Ask for sharp photos of the front, the back and the edge, under the light.
- Buy your boosters and sealed products from known shops: a booster can be opened and resealed, shrink wrap redone.
- Pay with a method that protects you in a dispute, never as "friends and family".
- For an expensive card, prefer one graded by a recognised company, and check its certificate number.
Bought a fake?
- Contact the seller with your photos and your comparison with a real one, and ask for a refund.
- If they refuse, open a dispute on the platform or with your payment provider.
- Report the listing so others don't get caught out.
- Never resell it as real: selling a counterfeit is illegal.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if a Pokémon card is fake?
Compare it with a real one from the same set: colours, font, energy symbols, holo, back, thickness and texture. Add the light test, and look at the price: a rare card sold far below its market price is suspicious.
Is the torch test enough?
No. It's a good clue, but some fakes pass it and not all real cards react the same. Combine it with comparison, touch and reading the text.
Is a fake card worth anything?
Not as a collectible: it's worth nothing on the market for genuine cards, and selling it as real is illegal.
Are cards sold very cheaply online fake?
Not always, but a very low price for a sought-after card, or a big lot of rare cards for a few euros, is the first sign of a fake.
Does the gotem. scanner detect fake cards?
No: it recognises the card and shows you its official image and market price. That helps you compare, but authenticity is checked by hand, or by a grading company.
How do I spot a fake booster?
Packaging with different colours or text, uneven seals, a booster that looks opened, a price that's too low. Buy sealed products from known sellers.
Can graded cards be fake?
Yes: fake slabs, copied labels, a slab opened and resealed around another card. Always check the certificate number on the grading company's website.
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