Fake card

[Holofoil]

Hello, I was wondering if these were fakes because they look different. I got 4 booster packs of the base set from ebay. The backs of the cards some are a darker blue than others, the second venusaur booster pack is darker and looks weird it has a larger trading card game box and is more sharp and the others have a blue outline of the TM* and blue inside the o of pokemon.

These are the back of the cards:
http://i46.tinypic.com/30c2lmq.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/i4g6cj.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/rr1o1u.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/25strn5.jpg

These are the front of the cards:
http://i47.tinypic.com/2j4oy8i.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/qofz90.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/qo6sth.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/9vjhps.jpg

These are the packs:
http://i50.tinypic.com/33mrdqc.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/33o38rn.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/214s6sn.jpg

[ftp44]

Originally Posted by Holofoil

Hello, I was wondering if these were fakes because they look different. I got 4 booster packs of the base set from ebay. The backs of the cards some are a darker blue than others, the second venusaur booster pack is darker and looks weird it has a larger trading card game box and is more sharp and the others have a blue outline of the TM* and blue inside the o of pokemon.

Do you have means to upload Photo's?. Definitely do not open any more of them before getting confirmation because it may be tricky to get a refund if you've already opened a packet and going through Paypal to retrieve your money.

[Holofoil]

Oh, well I have opened all 4 packets already and I took some photos from my phone sorry for the sizes.

These are the back of the cards:
http://i46.tinypic.com/30c2lmq.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/i4g6cj.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/rr1o1u.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/25strn5.jpg

These are the front of the cards:
http://i47.tinypic.com/2j4oy8i.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/qofz90.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/qo6sth.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/9vjhps.jpg

These are the packs:
http://i50.tinypic.com/33mrdqc.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/33o38rn.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/214s6sn.jpg

[donavannj]

From your pictures, nothing really stands out as indicating a fake to me.

Though I can't see the details of the backs very well in your pictures, and I'm not an expert on what the packs from the early sets are supposed to look like.

[Holofoil]

The pictures don't show it well, but the backs are all different colors. Some are darker, some are lighter. If they were real wouldn't they all be the same color? Also the packs 3 have a blue outline around the TM* and blue inside the pokemon o, while one doesn't and it is much darker.

[ftp44]

Originally Posted by Holofoil

The pictures don't show it well, but the backs are all different colors. Some are darker, some are lighter. If they were real wouldn't they all be the same color? Also the packs 3 have a blue outline around the TM* and blue inside the pokemon o, while one doesn't and it is much darker.

Well if three have it and one doesn't I'd say the single packet MAY be fake or it could be a simple misprint (if it's on the packet and not a single card.

I've had cards being slighly different shades of blue before and I haven't paid a great detail to it as if there was something wrong. It's obviously either faded through time (rubbed against the foil or another card) or it's just an inconsistency they had with printing they had.

Like Donavannj, I can't see anything obvious that is ill-genuine. The only thing that may be true is that single pack MAY be fake if it's darker and doesn't have the blue outline around the O.

[Holofoil]

Oh, so they may be real then? I thought the packs from then were told fake by the back of the cards, like image http://i50.tinypic.com/rr1o1u.jpg the top right compared to the bottom right is a big difference being from the same pack. With the venusaur, the stars from the holo in the artwork are different and in separate places than this one, is that normal? http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/a/...rBaseSet15.jpg

[ftp44]

Originally Posted by Holofoil

Oh, so they may be real then? I thought the packs from then were told fake by the back of the cards. With the venusaur, the stars from the holo in the artwork are different and in separate places than this one, is that normal? http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/a/...rBaseSet15.jpg

I think your just clutching at straws to be honest, It's very very minor detail that is subject to be a bit in-accurate with printing.

There is plenty of error cards out in the world due to a mis-print. And there's known to be errors with the image detail of the packets also.

I am 98% sure there all genuine.

That's my opinion anyway.

There is supposedly a way you can tell a genuine to a fake and the fake card is meant to be a rough surface on the back of the card to a genuine which is smooth but i haven't personally tested that really.

[Holofoil]

Oh, okay thanks for the help.
One more thing, upon touching the card to a light bulb, you can see the back of the card with the pokemon writing and the pokeball, is this normal?

[donavannj]

Yes, as that's not what they mean by holding it up to a lightbulb for the lightbulb test. They mean holding it up with a light that's 3 or so feet behind it on the ceiling. It's not supposed to be touching the lightbulb for that test.

I'm fairly certain these are genuine cards. Upon closer inspection of your pictures of the backs, absolutely none of the symptoms of a fake show up in a manner that sends off alarm bells in my head. The only symptom that does show up is something that I've seen far worse on a card that actually came straight from a The Pokemon Company International sealed booster (meaning, it was factory sealed and in an official, properly marked blister pack).

[Holofoil]

Oh, thank you two for all the help, it has helped me a lot. Now I don't have to throw these out. Shame about all the other cards I threw out that had different shaded backs, lol.

[Holofoil]

So I ripped one of the cards and is middle is white not black. Is that right?

[Renpuu]

Usually if you tear a card, it show be white inside.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Holofoil

So I ripped one of the cards...

:cer_disbelief::cer_disbelief::cer_disbelief::cer_disbelief::cer_disbelief::cer_disbelief::cer_disbelief::o:O

[Holofoil]

Won't it show black glue though? or was it blue?
Also can see the back of the card about 10cm away from light or is that too close?

[donavannj]

There's no point in ripping the card if you can't tell if it has 3 layers or not. Which one did you rip?

And I would think that holding it just 10 cm away is way to close. Converting that to the imperial system, that's only 4 inches, which is only 1/9th of the distance one should be holding it from the light source, since you're supposed to be using a ceiling light holding it at about half an arm's length from your own face.

Though neither of these tests are reliable for someone unfamiliar with checking for fakes. You can't see the black layer of glue if you don't rip it right and don't know what you're looking for in the first place. And the light test is actually considered obsolete.

[Holofoil]

Oh okay, well i ripped it in half then peeled the front and back off and ripped the middle layer again and it had blue glue or something on it so they good right? It was a diglett.

[donavannj]

3 layers with glue in the middle generally indicates an authentic card, especially on the earliest sets of cards.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by donavannj

3 layers with glue in the middle generally indicates an authentic card, especially on the earliest sets of cards.

Kind of pointless to know that - since you have to destroy the card to know if it s real. :D

[Left 4 good]

I have dealt with a LOT of fake cards when I sorted old my older collection and to me, these look authentic, I was also scared at first by tiny details meaning they're different to other card so they're fake, just cause they have minor imperfections, doesn't mean jack, but yeh nice Venusaur pull

[Holofoil]

Yeah I went a bit overboard there. Thanks, I needed it too because my other one is damaged.

[Thecardlunatic]

Now you know they are real congrats on pulling a Venasaur