Pokemon Counterfeit Cards

Nothing brings out counterfeits like fads and crazes. Adults have always been tempted by fake Picassos and Gucci handbags. Kids and future collectors need to beware of cheap copies of the popular Pokémon cards.

Reports of phony cards began during the 1999 Christmas season. The majority of new cards were initially found in large port cities such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Wizards of the Coast, the only company licensed to make the cards in America, offered these tips to avoid the counterfeits:
1. Use the light test. Hold the suspected card up to the light; if you can see through the card, it is a counterfeit. Paper stock on many counterfeit cards is thinner than authentic cards and will allow light to pass through and will bend more easily.
2. Some new counterfeits will pass the light test but fail to match the quality of authentic cards. Compared to authentic cards the coloring is poor, artwork blurry, the width narrower and they often feel waxy.

Other ways to detect counterfeit cards:
1. Counterfeits will stand out if put in a pack of authentic cards: they are usually a different height and weight.
2. If there is no line of legal text on the card and packaging or if the legal text is blurry, the card is counterfeit.
3. All cards marked "Made in China" are counterfeit