Journal
How to spot fake Pokémon cards (and fake slabs)
Most fake Pokémon cards give themselves away through colour, font, card stock and texture. For slabs, always check the certification number on the grader's own website and compare the label and case details carefully.
Most fake Pokémon cards give themselves away through colour, font, card stock and texture. For slabs, always check the certification number on the grader's own website and compare the label and case details carefully.
Checks for raw cards
- Compare to a known real card from the same set: colours, borders, font weight and spacing
- Card stock: fakes often feel thinner, glossier or bend differently
- Back colour: the blue on the back is often wrong on fakes
- Texture: many modern full art cards have a fine textured surface that fakes miss
- The light test: shining a phone torch through a card can reveal differences in how it was printed, compared with a real card
Checks for slabs
- Look up the cert number on the grader's website and check the card, grade and label match
- Compare label fonts, holograms and case details to known genuine slabs
- Be wary of slabs with cracked or tampered cases
Read our authenticity promise for how we check every card we list.