How to Tell if Pokemon Cards Are Fake: 8 Checks That Work

Check the back first: on a fake, the blue border often bleeds into the rest of the design or the colors look washed out. Then read the front for spelling errors, “Pokémon” without the accent on the e, wrong fonts, odd Energy symbols or impossible HP. Flat foil and rough edges are further signs. No single test is conclusive.

That last point comes from TCGplayer’s own guide, which says no trick or method for spotting counterfeits is 100% conclusive. The checks below are the ones TCGplayer and Pokemon Support describe, most reliable first. Use several together.

1. Look at the card back

TCGplayer rates the back as the most reliable place to start, because every Pokemon card printed in English shares the same back, apart from a few documented exceptions. Put a suspect card next to one you know is real. Signs of a fake:

• Bleeding between the blue border and the blue in the rest of the design.
• Washed-out colors, or a back that is darker or lighter overall.

2. Read the text for errors

Counterfeiters often get the words wrong. TCGplayer lists these red flags:

• Spelling or grammar mistakes in attack names or rules text.
• The word “Pokémon” printed without the accent over the e.
• HP or attack values of 1000 or more, far above anything printed on a real card.

3. Compare fonts and symbols

Lay the card beside an online scan of the same card from the same set. Check:

• Font and size of the name, HP and attack text.
• Energy symbols: the right type and the right size.
• Numbers: HP, damage, Weakness and Retreat should match the scan.
• Set symbol and card number: they should match the set the card claims to come from.

4. Feel the foil and check the edges

TCGplayer points to flat, untextured foiling where the real card’s foil style should leave a texture. It also notes that the edges of a real card are straight and clean, with no cardboard residue.

5. Use the light test with care

Pokemon Support says counterfeit cards “are often easy to see through” when held up to a bright light. TCGplayer does not recommend relying on it, because too many cards give false results. Treat it as one clue, not a verdict.

6. Check sealed packs and boxes before you open them

Fakes are not only loose cards. Pokemon Support says fake booster packs are often very difficult to tell apart from real ones, and suggests comparing them with product images on the official site. TCGplayer notes that booster boxes come in soft cellophane with a Poke Ball logo, and that real packs have straight, flat edges along their seals.

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7. Weigh up the price and the seller

Pokemon Support calls a pack priced far below its suggested retail price “a near certain warning” of counterfeit goods. It also says its highest reported cases of counterfeit sales come from flea markets. A seller with a long record, clear photos of the actual item and a returns policy is a safer choice than a cheap listing with stock photos.

8. Ask someone who handles cards every day

Pokemon Support suggests taking a doubtful card to a local card shop. For a valuable card, a grading company authenticates the card before it grades it; our guide to how card grading works explains that process.

Where to go next

If you are buying sealed, start with what comes in a Pokemon booster box or an Elite Trainer Box, so you know what a genuine one should contain. Once you have cards you trust, protect them with sleeves and toploaders. Collecting Yu-Gi-Oh! too? How to tell a Yu-Gi-Oh! card’s rarity and edition covers the security foil on every genuine card. Comparing sealed products? See booster box vs Elite Trainer Box.