Quick counterfeit checklist
No single test is perfect, but genuine cards pass all of these and fakes usually fail at least one:
| Check | What genuine cards show |
|---|---|
| Texture | A subtle linen/cross-hatch texture on the surface; fakes often feel glossy or plasticky. |
| Colour | Accurate, saturated colours; fakes look washed out, too dark, or slightly off-hue. |
| Print sharpness | Crisp text and clean dot patterns under magnification; fakes show blurry or coarse printing. |
| Fonts & spacing | Correct font, size and letter spacing; fakes get kerning and symbols subtly wrong. |
| Card back | Consistent colours and centering matching a genuine copy; fakes drift in hue and alignment. |
| Weight & feel | Correct stiffness and snap; fakes feel too thin, too thick or too flimsy. |
The light test (and when to use it)
Most modern trading cards have a thin black or dark ink layer sandwiched in the middle of the card stock. Holding a card up to a bright light, genuine cards block most light and look opaque; many fakes let far more light through because they lack that middle layer.
The destructive version — the 'rip test', tearing a card to check for the black core — should only ever be done on a cheap, common card you're willing to destroy, never on a card that might be valuable.
How to buy valuable cards safely
- Prefer sealed product from a reputable retailer for the lowest counterfeit risk.
- For expensive singles, buy graded cards in tamper-evident slabs from PSA, BGS or CGC.
- Check the seller's history and reviews; be wary of prices that seem too good to be true.
- Compare against a verified genuine copy — the best counterfeit detector is a real one side by side.
- Identify the exact print first, so you can confirm the card even exists in the version being sold.
Where a scanner app helps
A scanner won't chemically authenticate a card, but it helps you verify plausibility fast: scan the card and confirm the name, set, number and rarity actually match a real print. If a scan can't resolve to any legitimate card, or the details don't line up with what the seller claims, treat that as a red flag and inspect further. Riply also shows the going market value, so an implausibly cheap 'rare' stands out immediately.