How to know if a Pokemon Card is fake or real

Pokemon cards have been one of the most popular collectibles since their debut in the late 90s. Of course, with every collecting hobby comes the risk of scams and counterfeits. To the untrained eye, these fake or counterfeit cards can blend right in with more legitimate pieces. As such, newer collectors may be a bit hesitant to invest in this hobby.

Thankfully, spotting a fake card can be easy for those with a trained eye. Once you know what to look out for when it comes to fake cards, you can also avoid scams through online marketplaces. This article explains how collectors can spot fake cards and offers some advice for avoiding counterfeits altogether.

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Best ways to check if a Pokemon card is real or fake

A screenshot from the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Bootlegs range from being obviously fake to being very convincing. A good way to check if a card is real or fake is to look at it and compare it to an image online. Some bootleg Pokemon cards are incredibly sloppy and mess up easy details like the creature's type, moves, or HP, which can easily be spotted by comparing it with a picture of an original.

Some fake cards are made of a noticeably different material. Authentic cards are made of three different layers of cardstock. One of these layers hosts the artwork and front of the card, there is the back layer, which hosts the famous Poke Ball and logo, and there is a layer in between the two, which can faintly be seen with the naked eye. Another way to tell if a card is fake is by looking for this black layer of card stock.

Authentic cards have this layer in black to avoid ink bleeding between the layers, as well as to signify whether a card is legitimate or not. If the card in question has this black strip between the two layers of cardstock, there is a very good chance that it is legitimate.

Avoiding fake Pokemon cards can be quite a difficult thing to do. In the case of some rarer specimens, the only option you have is auction sites, but this comes with serious risk. Booster packs can also be resealed by card shops and online sellers after all of the valuable cards have been taken out.

The best way to go about purchasing cards is to buy booster packs from trusted stores. Target or Walmart offer their Pokemon card booster packs in cardboard holders, which are required to be removed in order to get to the booster pack. These packs are rarely tampered with, so they are always a safe bet.

There are also some card shops that let players choose the exact booster packs they want out of a box rather than just giving them the pack from a shelf behind the counter. Card shops do this so fans who want to buy Pokemon cards know that they are not getting a scam pack. As a result, the chances of encountering a counterfeit in these packs are scarce.