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I went to an outdoor flea market in Michigan this summer, and found a store that consisted of large cardboard boxes with $1 items in them. The owners arranged the boxes in rows in the grass for easy browsing. They primarily had house hold items like sponges, kitchen utensils, and things like that (all made in China), but then I came accross two boxes filled with Pokémon cards! Or so I thought o_o
One box had loose booster packs in it, and the other box had kits with pre-made decks and packs inside. I decided to just get one booster pack (sense it was only $1 and I had a feeling it was fake to begin with) And indeed they were fakes -_-
(things to note about the packaging before you buy it)Pricing: The pack I bought was only $1, when most REAL packs run anywhere from $4-5. That should be a tip off right there!
Poor Art Quality: Some of the pre-made deck packs had HORRIBLE artwork on the front that looked like it was drawn by a young child. The $1 booster packs looked like poor quality scans of real booster packs.
(things to note after you've obtained a fake card)
Number of Cards: Tha package said that it contained 10 additional playing cards, when it only contained 9 -_-; BIG TIP OFF THERE!
Color: The fake card, when compared to a real card of the same type, is slightly off color-wise. As you can see in the picture, the jigglypuff card on the right is slightly darker than the one on the left.
Energy Symbols: One of the first things you might notice when looking at the card up close, is the energy symbol. IT'S HUGE! Can you see how big the black part of the "colorless" energy symbol for the attack is?
Picture Quality: Upon closer inspection of the fakies, we can see that the general quality of the image is...grainy looking. It seems that the scanner used to copy the Pokémon card wasn't very good.
Card Weight: The fake cards in my pack seem heavier when compared to real cards. This may vary depending on where you find your fake cards, but it is something to note.
Spelling Errors: If you look at the fake jigglypuff card in the picture, you can see they write pokémon without the dash over the e! "The Defending Pokemon is now Asleep" Perhaps the people who made the card didn't know how to make the "é" symbol on their computer? You can catch other spelling errors too if you read slowly through the cards. Usually they just leave out a letter or two from a word.
Card Texture: Often, fake cards are printed on different material than real cards. This can make the card have a grainy or uneven texture too it. So give your cards a good rub ^_^
Back of the Card: Finally, we take a look at the back. I didn't take a picture of it, but the fake card is a very light blue color compared to the real card. Again, the back image is slightly grainy, and off color in general.
The Light Test: Most people have heard of this one. If you haven't you're hearing it now! Supposedly, if you hold a fake card up to a light, you will be able to see through it. For me, this was true! If I hold my fake cards up to a strong light, I can see some of the front image shining through. When I hold up a real card to the same light, nothing gets through. You need a strong light to do this test effectively.
This wouldn't be a bad draw if it wasn't for the fact that they're fake >_< The Tangrowth is actually a holographic, but the shiny parts look...odd. There is a grainy-ness about it, and it just doesn't seem shiny enough when compared to real cards.
One more thing to note, booster packs usually have an energy or a trainer card in them. This one had none :/
Just keep your wits about you! Something that seems too good to be true (like booster packs for just $1) probably aren't
One box had loose booster packs in it, and the other box had kits with pre-made decks and packs inside. I decided to just get one booster pack (sense it was only $1 and I had a feeling it was fake to begin with) And indeed they were fakes -_-
Packaging:
(things to note about the packaging before you buy it)
Poor Art Quality: Some of the pre-made deck packs had HORRIBLE artwork on the front that looked like it was drawn by a young child. The $1 booster packs looked like poor quality scans of real booster packs.
A side by side comparison. The card on the left is real, the card on the right is fake
The Cards:
(things to note after you've obtained a fake card)
Number of Cards: Tha package said that it contained 10 additional playing cards, when it only contained 9 -_-; BIG TIP OFF THERE! Color: The fake card, when compared to a real card of the same type, is slightly off color-wise. As you can see in the picture, the jigglypuff card on the right is slightly darker than the one on the left. Energy Symbols: One of the first things you might notice when looking at the card up close, is the energy symbol. IT'S HUGE! Can you see how big the black part of the "colorless" energy symbol for the attack is? Picture Quality: Upon closer inspection of the fakies, we can see that the general quality of the image is...grainy looking. It seems that the scanner used to copy the Pokémon card wasn't very good. Card Weight: The fake cards in my pack seem heavier when compared to real cards. This may vary depending on where you find your fake cards, but it is something to note. Spelling Errors: If you look at the fake jigglypuff card in the picture, you can see they write pokémon without the dash over the e! "The Defending Pokemon is now Asleep" Perhaps the people who made the card didn't know how to make the "é" symbol on their computer? You can catch other spelling errors too if you read slowly through the cards. Usually they just leave out a letter or two from a word. Card Texture: Often, fake cards are printed on different material than real cards. This can make the card have a grainy or uneven texture too it. So give your cards a good rub ^_^ Back of the Card: Finally, we take a look at the back. I didn't take a picture of it, but the fake card is a very light blue color compared to the real card. Again, the back image is slightly grainy, and off color in general. The Light Test: Most people have heard of this one. If you haven't you're hearing it now! Supposedly, if you hold a fake card up to a light, you will be able to see through it. For me, this was true! If I hold my fake cards up to a strong light, I can see some of the front image shining through. When I hold up a real card to the same light, nothing gets through. You need a strong light to do this test effectively.my "10" additional playing cards that were in the fake pack
This wouldn't be a bad draw if it wasn't for the fact that they're fake >_< The Tangrowth is actually a holographic, but the shiny parts look...odd. There is a grainy-ness about it, and it just doesn't seem shiny enough when compared to real cards.
One more thing to note, booster packs usually have an energy or a trainer card in them. This one had none :/
Just keep your wits about you! Something that seems too good to be true (like booster packs for just $1) probably aren't
Last edited by Clover on Sat Jul 29, 2017 11:07 pm; edited 3 times in total
all my pokemon cards are fake. 
