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Counterfeit card

A counterfeit card is a fake made to pass as a real one. A fake slab is a case made to pass as a grading company's. Both are checked against the real thing.

Buying and selling
What to check on a slab you suspect is fake A generic graded-card holder with the checks the guide sets out. The seal: look along every edge for gaps, glue or pry marks. The card: it should sit still, and its centering, surface marks, corners and edges should match CGC's images of it. The cert number: look it up on the grader's own site. The label: microprinting, UV ink and holographic foil, and a color that fits the grade, gold only for Pristine 10 and yellow only for witnessed autographs. The QR code on the back of the label should open the card on CGC's own site. CGC holders lock and stack together. 8.5 Generic holder Label color Gold only for Pristine 10; yellow only for witnessed autographs Label security Microprinting, UV ink and holographic foil Cert number Look it up on the grader's own site, typed in by hand The card It sits still. Its centering, surface marks, corners and edges match CGC's images The seal Look along every edge for gaps, glue or pry marks Stacking CGC holders lock and stack together QR code, on the label back Opens the card on CGC's own site
For a raw card, compare the font, the symbols, the border, the foil and the color with a copy you know is real.

In more detail

Fakes exist in every part of the hobby, from sports cards to trading cards, and a seller or a marketplace will meet some. TCGplayer says on its seller blog that none of the techniques it describes are conclusive on their own: some fakes pass one test, and some real cards have printing quirks that look suspicious.

Cardmarket's guide shows the kinds of checks that catch many fakes: a missing accent in a printed name, a symbol that is off-center, an unusual border, a weak foil effect, a different font, text that does not fit the card, or a color that is much duller than a genuine copy. Compare the card with one you know is real.

For a graded card, look up the cert number on the grading company's site and compare the record and photo with the card, as the cert number entry explains. A real cert number does not prove the card in the case is the one that was graded, so check the card too.

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