Real vs. Fake Pokémon TCG Card: How to Identify?

Pokémon is one of the most popular anime series of the past 20 years. Pokémon -related items are constantly sought and collected by anime fans to support the series. Over time, the collection of Pokémon Cards and Pokémon Plush has become an indispensable culture for fans of this film. However, Pokémon products sold on the market are difficult to distinguish between "authentic" and "fake". Fake Pokémon Cards are manufactured to resemble real products up to 90% from colour, information and materials. But they are sold at extremely low prices. True Pokémon fans would care and support real Pokémon merchandise, wouldn't they? In this article, Japan-Figure will show you how to distinguish between authentic and fake Pokémon TCG cards. Let's read together.

>> Read more: Top 7 Coolest Pokémon TCG Picked By Japan-figure

DO YOU KNOW 3 TYPES OF POKÉMON CARDS

In the world of Pokémon Cards, there are 3 different types of cards that you can find in the decks: Pokémon Character Cards, Energy Cards and Trainer Cards. Use Japan-Figure to learn about these three types of cards.

Character cards

Each card contains information about a Pokémon from the Pokémon anime. Each Pokémon will have a different attribute, such as Fire, Water, Psychic, Metal, Dragon, etc. The cards will feature 1 Pokémon (evolved form of Pokémon if any). It is easy to find 2 cards with the same attributes, abilities but different skins, but of the same Pokémon. Depending on each deck in each release cycle, the Pokémon on it will have a unique appearance.

Energy cards

This is a card used to give attribute energy to your Pokémon in card battles. Basic energy cards can be found in any deck. Some Special Energy cards are used to provide special energy to your Pokémon . They can be found in certain decks of cards.

The energy cards will have an energy symbol corresponding to each attribute: fire, water, electricity,... located in the middle of the front of the card.

Trainer cards

These cards represent items, supporters and stadiums you can use during a battle. The cards all have special abilities that give you an edge in the match if you own and use them properly.

Some trainer cards are banned or required not to be used in Pokémon card battles because of their abilities. Some cards are banned because the contents of the cards cannot be read because they are ancient texts. These things, however, are also the reasons why Pokémon TCG players and Pokémon card collectors want them even more.

REAL VS FAKE POKÉMON TCG CARD: HOW TO IDENTIFY?

Like stocks in a profitable company, a genuine Pokémon card can be worth holding on to.

Any Pokémon TCG player or Pokémon Card collector wants to own genuine Pokémon Cards. Get in the habit of checking the following on a card to determine if it's fake or real before adding it to your collection.

Here is a simple list of things you can look for to tell whether a card is real or fake, like the font, spelling, energy symbols, colour, content, and packaging.

Identify fake and real Pokémon cards by the font

In order to determine the authenticity of a card, you need to find an image of the real card to compare. Fake Pokémon cards often use different fonts than genuine Pokémon cards. In addition to the font, it is not the same as the real tag. Fake Pokémon cards can also be different from real Pokémon cards in terms of font size, boldness and lightness of the text. If you are a collector of Pokémon TCG Cards, you should make yourself a habit of looking closely at every detail on real cards so that you can get used to the font. From there, you will easily distinguish the fake cards through the font.

Identify fake and real Pokémon cards by the spelling

A lot of Pokémon Card collectors ignore this because they can't spot it if it's misspelt. Even if you think it is a simple error, double back when you find out that the technical content is not readable.

A Pokémon article is thoroughly inspected by experts for errors including a description error before it is put up for sale. There is an error between Pokémon and "Pokemon". Regardless of the Pokémon cards, they all have this spelling.

Because this is such a small deadline, you need to be extremely careful when looking to buy real Pokémon cards.

Identify fake and real Pokémon cards by the energy symbols

Similar to font errors, the energy symbols on fake cards can look uneven, out of place, and skewed left or right. The energy symbols on some fake Pokémon cards are even distorted, too small or too big. There are a few cases where the fake cards have energy symbols that don't match the ones in the Pokémon anime.

There may be a missing energy symbol under a character's ability description in some cases. This can be an extremely recognizable mark, but it can sometimes be overlooked as a "font". Carefully examine the symbols on the cards. If it differs from the real Pokémon card, please contact the supplier for assistance as soon as possible.

Identify fake and real Pokémon cards by the card colour

The colour of the Pokémon cards is also important when distinguishing between fakes and reals. Many fake Pokémon cards are made with colours close to the real ones. A good example is that the blue on the back of the card is very pale compared to the real card. The colour of Pokémon on the card is also not the same as the real card. To find this out, Japan-Figure recommends you directly compare the real Pokémon card with the fake Pokémon card. Real Pokémon cards you can easily find on official Pokémon websites or can be found at other Pokémon Card collectors. If they have even a slight colour difference, you should contact the seller for immediate assistance.

 
Fake cards are lighter in color than real cards

Identify fake and real Pokémon cards by the card's content

The content on the fake Pokémon card may be more or less different from the original Pokémon card. The ability of the card can also be made different from the real card. Energy symbols on the card can also be confusing for example Pikachu has energy symbols such as fly. It was just an example but there have been similar cases. In some cases, the Pokémon 's health is off, but if you are not looking closely, you won't notice.

Those are just very tiny mistakes that you will only discover when participating in a Trading Card Game. Therefore, Pokémon Card collectors and Pokémon TCG players need to calm down and carefully read the content on the cards. Then you need to compare the content with real cards on official sites or from another collector. Afterwards, you can decide whether to buy it or not.

Identify fake and real Pokémon cards by the packaging

As with expensive technology products, Pokémon Cards have a seal to ensure that they are authentic. To ensure the quality of the product, collectors of Pokémon Cards should only buy cards and decks that are still sealed.

It is possible for an old Pokémon Card to still be sealed when you buy it from someone else. At this point, you need to apply the methods of verifying real and fake Pokémon Cards that the Japan-Figure mentioned above.

Real cards are usually packed cleanly and thoroughly

In some other cases, the cards are still completely sealed. If the sealed packaging shows signs of being crumpled, old, or torn, you need to contact the seller immediately. In some cases, the packaging may be damaged due to shipping. You should contact the seller and apply the Pokémon Card verification methods above.

For those who trade Pokémon Cards, these cards are simply ordinary sheets of paper. However, there is a difference between those who collect Pokémon cards and those who love Pokémon . Japan-Figure hopes that collectors will be wise when making decisions about purchasing Pokémon Cards in particular and products from the anime/manga in particular. Through this article, Japan-Figure hopes you have gained more skills to distinguish between real Pokémon Cards and fake Pokémon Cards. If you still have questions regarding Pokémon cards or other Pokémon products, please contact Japan-Figure for support as soon as possible. See you in the next post.

-----

Japan Figure provides authentic figures manufactured in Japan.

Contact Us

👉 https://linktr.ee/japan_figure_official