Spotting fake cards

Counterfeits have got a lot better in recent years. You can do these checks at home, without damaging your card.

Start with a card you know for certain is real

This is the most important tip of all. Almost every sign below is a comparison, and without a reference you are comparing against your memory. Take an ordinary card from a pack you bought yourself and put it alongside.

Six things you can see and feel

1. The back

Lay both cards face down. Counterfeits are often slightly off in colour: too blue, too purple or too pale. Look at the red circle in the middle too, and at how crisp the letters in the logo are.

2. The light through it

Hold the card up to a lamp. A real card has a black layer in the middle and lets almost no light through. If you can see the artwork on the other side shining through, something is off. Do this with your reference card next to it, because how much light comes through differs per series.

3. The edges

Look at the cut edge from the side. Real cards are cut from a sheet and you can see a thin dark line between two layers of card. Counterfeits are often a single layer, or the line runs unevenly.

4. The printing up close

With a loupe or your phone's macro mode you can see a fine, regular dot pattern on a real card. Counterfeits are often coarser or too smooth, and letters have ragged edges. Look at the small print at the bottom in particular.

5. The energy symbols and the typeface

Compare the attack cost symbols and the text with your reference card. Wrong proportions, a slightly different typeface or a spelling mistake are a clear answer. The HP and the set number are often in slightly the wrong place on counterfeits too.

6. The feel and the gloss

A real card is stiff and springs back. Counterfeits often feel floppy or too slick, and the foil shines across the whole card instead of only where it should.

What not to do

The best known test online is tearing the card in half to see that black layer. It works, but you are left with a ruined card, even if it turns out to be real. Only do that with a card that is worthless anyway.

The light test with a phone torch held right against the card gives false results too: on thin old cards more shines through than you would think.

When to look extra carefully

• Single expensive cards at a price that is too good. That is almost always the first sign.
• Packs or boxes without the original shrink wrap, or with wrap that sits sloppily around them.
• Large lots of "rare cards" for a fixed amount.
• Photos in the listing that are not of the actual card.

And when real money is involved

For a card worth hundreds, the only certainty is a verdict from a grading company. They check authenticity and seal the card in a case with a number. That costs money and time, but it also makes the card easier to sell.

Sure your card is real? Add it to your collection and follow what it does. Start free