How to spot fake sports cards before you buy
The print, color, stock and foil checks CGC used to catch fake Jordan, Gretzky, Curry and Messi rookie cards, and how to test a parallel against its checklist.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Many fake sports cards are printed copies of real ones, and in CGC’s alerts they gave themselves away mostly under magnification. In four counterfeit alerts on rookie cards of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Stephen Curry and Lionel Messi, CGC’s graders found pixels or grain where a genuine card has solid ink in all four, and in some of them color that is off, the wrong card stock or finish, and foil pressed too hard. Other problems need other checks: a real card altered after it left the factory, a card that does not match the parallel it is sold as, a forged signature, or a copied slab.
What can be wrong with a card?
| Problem | What it means | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Counterfeit | A printed copy made to pass as a genuine card | The print checks below |
| Altered card | A genuine card changed after it left the factory | Our guide to spotting an altered card |
| Mismatched parallel | A card that does not match the parallel or variation named in the listing | The checklist checks below |
| Forged autograph | A signature not applied under the maker’s certification | Our guide to checking an autograph card |
| Fake slab | A copied holder or label, whatever card is inside | Our guide to spotting a fake slab |
Common alterations include trimming, re-coloring, pressing, power erasing, rebuilt corners and restored card stock. The counterfeit card entry has the short definition of a fake.
Which cards get faked?
The cards worth the most effort to copy. CGC puts the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky among the hobby’s most counterfeited cards, and says the 1986-87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan is one of the most faked, with counterfeiters working on it for decades. Its Curry alert adds that fakes are often based on vintage cards, for their rarity and values, but that valuable modern cards are targets too. Its Messi alert says a star player’s rookie cards are always strong candidates, because they are often among the most valuable cards of a career.
So the checks below matter most for a star’s rookie card, and for any card where the price makes a copy worth printing.
What did CGC find on each fake?
Each alert compares a fake with a genuine copy, close up.
| Card and alert date | Print and text | Color, stock and other tells |
|---|---|---|
| 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky (June 8, 2023) | Pixelated thin black border, and pixels in the printed name and team name | A copy of a copy |
| 2009-10 Topps #321 Stephen Curry (January 11, 2024) | Grainy, pixelated team logo; a slightly less crisp Rookie Card logo, where the genuine card shows a faint black line around the logo’s red border | Washed out color; silver foil pressed so hard it left deep dents around the name |
| 2004-05 Panini Megacracks #35 Lionel Messi (May 8, 2024) | Small logo text that bleeds together; grainier bio and stats on the back; rougher background lines | Brighter color than the genuine card; slightly thicker and more matte stock, against a light, glossy genuine card |
| 1986-87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan (January 8, 2026) | Pixelated Fleer Premier logo and name plate; unclear trademark and copyright marks on the back; a different red print pattern | Color tone and boldness differ; the finish differs; differences also show under infrared light |
Print quality is named in all four alerts, color in three, and card stock or finish in two. Only the Curry alert names foil. The Gretzky alert credits CSG, the name it uses for the grading company.
Why print quality gives a fake away
The Gretzky alert explains it. Many fakes start as a print made from a real card, or from an image of one, and every copy of a copy loses detail, like a photo run through a copier again and again. However sharp the source image, it says, signs remain that it is not an original print. So the pixels show up in solid design elements such as names, borders and logos.
The same alert warns that this spots most fakes, not all, because some counterfeits are of higher quality. Each of the four alerts carries the same line near its close: “Education is the most important tool when collecting cards.”
How do you check a card in hand?
- Use a loupe. Graders use a 10-power loupe with a triplet lens, corrected for color and distortion, to find alterations and counterfeits.
- Start with solid ink. Look at the player’s name, the team name, thin border lines and logos. On a genuine card they should be crisp; on the fakes CGC caught, they broke into pixels or grain.
- Compare color with a genuine copy. The Curry fake was washed out and the Messi fake was brighter, so judge color only against a known genuine card.
- Feel the stock and finish. The genuine Messi card is light and glossy, and the fake was thicker and more matte.
- Check any foil. On the fake Curry, the foil was pressed deep enough to dent the card around the letters.
- Turn it over. Fakes in two alerts failed on the back: grainier text and rougher lines on the Messi, and blurry trademark marks and a basketball logo missing its lines on the Jordan.
If the card passes and the price is high, a grader’s opinion is the next step. Our guide to whether a card is worth grading helps you decide, and the grading cost calculator lists service levels and prices, each with the day its price was read.
How do you check a parallel, Refractor or variation?
Match the card to what the listing says it is, using the maker’s checklist, which checklist sites republish.
- Match the color to the run. In 2026 Topps Series 1, the Gold parallel is numbered to 2,026, while Gold Rainbow Foil, Gold Holo Foil, Gold Diamante Foil, Sandglitter Gold and Spring Training Gold are each numbered to 50. The stamp and the finish together tell you which gold card you hold.
- Name the finish. The finish tells you which version you hold, and the stamp should match that version’s run. Our guide to Topps Series 1 and 2 sets out the 2026 ladders.
- Look for the Refractor mark. Later Refractors print an R or the word Refractor on the back, usually beside or beneath the card number, though the first ones in 1993 did not. The finish is a prism or rainbow effect, so tilt the card.
- Read the back of a variation. 2026 Series 1 Golden Mirror cards have gold foil backs and the code CMP123329 on the back.
Color can also be added to a genuine card. Re-coloring is color added to a card’s surface or stock to hide wear, on the surface, corners or edges. Our guides to parallels and serial-numbered cards explain how to read the stamp.
Is it a vintage card or a new card in a vintage design?
Makers reuse old designs in new sets, and a listing can confuse the two. 2026 Topps Series 1 has a 100-card 1991 Topps Baseball insert that honors the design’s 35th anniversary, numbered T91-1 to T91-100. It also has 25 1952 Rookie Variations, which show rookies from the set in the 1952 design and keep their base numbers. These are genuine 2026 cards. Before you pay for an “original”, check the card number and confirm that the player could have appeared in that year’s set.
What does a grader do with a fake?
Three of CGC’s published grading policies apply to a fake or an altered card:
- A card that appears counterfeit comes back marked Questionable Authenticity, and the submitter is charged the grading fee.
- A card showing signs of tampering, such as trimming, restoration, chemical cleaning or pressing, comes back marked Evidence of Tampering/Alteration, also with the fee charged.
- A card CGC judges altered, counterfeit, replica, cleaned or restored gets no numeric grade and no CGC holder.
CGC’s graders decide whether a card gets a numeric grade or an Authentic or Authentic Altered designation. A slab is only as good as its record, so check the cert number with the grader every time.
What do makers do to make fakes harder?
When Upper Deck started in 1988, fake trading cards were everywhere, and it added security holograms to its cards in response. The first hologram used against counterfeiting on cards came from Upper Deck in 1989. Upper Deck also runs a hologram database for certain Upper Deck Authenticated memorabilia, which shows a photo of the item and whether the hologram number matches the piece it was first applied to. For newer high-end cards, see how Upper Deck slabs its rookie patch cards in our guide to The Cup.
When you buy online, our guides to buying raw cards, buying graded cards and avoiding card scams cover the seller side, and the sports cards hub lists the rest of our sports guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is a facsimile signature?
A signature stamped on a card or printed as part of the card's design, rather than signed on its surface by the player.
Is a factory-sealed Topps or Panini holder a grader's slab?
No. Topps and Panini have issued some sports card products already encapsulated in a holder sealed with a sticker, which collectors also call encapsulated, while a grader seals a card in a tamper-resistant, permanent case after grading it.
How does Upper Deck authenticate signed memorabilia?
With a 5-step process, run by Upper Deck Authenticated since 1992. An Upper Deck representative witnesses every signature, the athlete and the representative both sign a record of the session, and each piece gets a serial-numbered hologram with a matching certificate of authenticity.
Does eBay check sports cards for fakes?
For eligible singles, yes. In the US, sports cards priced at $200 or more ship from the seller to PSA under eBay's Authenticity Guarantee: raw cards get a multi-point inspection, and slabs from PSA, SGC, CGC Cards and BGS a check of the case and label.