As a Level 50 Trainer, I've got some exciting news for you. I've compiled a comprehensive list of all the local hot spots in our area that are perfect for Pokémon hunting! You can find the link below to explore these awesome locations and catch 'em all!
Now, here's a little secret... Although I consider myself a Go! expert, I recently embarked on a new adventure with my grandson: Pokémon Cards! It's been a blast learning the ins and outs of this fascinating world together. One skill we've been honing is spotting fake cards! It's become a fun activity for us, especially since my grandson has amassed several binders full of these collectible cards.
If you're looking for a fun and educational activity to do with your family, I highly recommend diving into the realm of Pokémon Cards. It's a fantastic way to connect generations and explore a whole new dimension of the Pokémon universe! #PokemonGo #PokemonCards #TrainerLife
Jess Searcy has taught us a lot about the world of fake Pokemon cards. Some of the cards in her son's collections were strange -- they were worth enormous amounts of points, which meant that when one of those cards was played, the opponent was out before the game had even really started! So she started searching for how to beat the high-point card that had come up during our game, figuring there had to be a secret she was missing.
HOW TO FIND YOUR LOCAL MONROE-WEST MONROE POKEMON GO HOT SPOTS!
To her astonishment, the secret turned out to be that the high-point card her son had played did not even exist in the official game. It was fake! It wasn't the only one: It turned out their collections have been infiltrated with counterfeit cards!
Down the rabbit hole, they went, researching fake Pokémon cards. They even examined their collections with magnifying glasses and would compare cards to each other and online images. Now they have all become experts at recognizing a fake Pokémon card.
Jess figured she was probably not the only parent who had no idea that fake Pokémon cards are floating around, so she thought she'd share the secrets to spotting a phony card:
1. Easy-to-spot signs the card is a fake
Here are a few things to watch out for that are super easy to spot, once you know counterfeit cards are a phenomenon:
- An extremely high HP number. The highest HP that an authentic Pokémon card can have as of July 2019 is 300. So anything higher is fake. My kiddo was super bummed he couldn't clobber me with his HP 7000 Drilbur again.
- Pokéball printed upside down. Look at the face of your card right-side up, then flip it over. The pokéball (red and white ball) on the back of the card should have the red side up. The one shown in the picture above has the white half on top, which means it's a fake!
- The light blue area to the side of the red half of the pokéball is washed out. Inauthentic cards, this area should have some darker blue spots.
- A low contrast border on the back of the card. The dark blue edge on a real card should be crisp and clear against the rest of the card.
- The borders of the card are thicker on one side or are not parallel to the artwork. You can see the card above has a much thicker yellow edge on one side. Sometimes the artwork is printed off-kilter, so the borders are thicker at the top, bottom, or on one side.
2. Does it have a black layer?
The most reliable method of distinguishing a genuine card from a fake card is that the real cards have a black layer sandwiched in between two white layers. This is because real cards are constructed with better materials to make them stiffer and less prone to wearing out. Sometimes you can see the black layer with your naked eye, but it's much easier with a magnifying glass, as the picture above shows.
3. Is the card supposed to have texture?
It is still not clear to me which Pokémon cards are supposed to be textured. But this was a difference I noticed between some real full art GX cards and their fake counterparts. The genuine Tapu Lele GX card, for instance, was textured, while the fake one only had the shine. Also note that the fake one is printed with a tilt, making the edge inconsistent around the card.
4. Is anything on the card misprinted or missing?
Fake cards may have misspellings, misprinted or blurry text, the wrong card number, or might be missing symbols. The Mewtwo EX card above, for instance, was tricky for me to identify. But, the rarity symbol is missing (usually a circle, star, or diamond printed next to the card number) AND the card number is wrong. If you have a tough card, try looking it up in the official Pokémon Trading Card Database and compare it to the genuine card. I was suspicious of the Charizard EX card above because unlike most of our cards, it has the "HP" printed after the number. But, when I looked it up in the database, that is how it is supposed to be.
5. Are parts of the card not shiny when they are supposed to be shiny?
The "EX" in the real card above was iridescent, but in the fake card, the "EX" was not.
6. Get cards from reputable sources
If you are buying cards online, be wary of third-party sellers offering lots of rare cards for cheap. Stick to reputable sources. Even cards packaged as new might be fake! But by following these tips, you should be able to buy second-hand cards from local card shops and neighborhood marketplaces with confidence.
They could've been mad about their fake Pokémon cards, but learning how to spot them turned into a fun detective game -- just call them Detective Pikachu! Hopefully, your kids will be excited (instead of disappointed!) if they find a few fake Pokémon cards in their collections too.
Want to find more Pokémon players to hang out with? Find a Pokémon TCG league near you!
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