Counterfeits have got better and the advice has not kept up. Most guides still lead with the light test, which catches the cheap fakes and nothing else. Here is what actually tells you, roughly in the order you can check it.
Before you look at the card
Check the card exists. This sounds obvious and it is the single most effective test: look the exact card number and parallel up in a checklist and confirm that combination was printed at all. A great many fakes are cards that were never made: a parallel that does not exist in that set, a number above the set's count, an autograph of a player who did not sign for it. We publish checklists for this reason among others.
Then check the price. A card selling far below what the market says is either damaged, misdescribed, or not the card. Sellers of genuine scarce cards know what they have.
The physical tells, best first
Weight and thickness. The hardest thing to fake is card stock. If you have a known-genuine card from the same set, the two should feel identical stacked. A fake is usually thinner, sometimes thicker, and almost never exactly right.
The edge. Look at the cut edge under magnification. Genuine cards are cut from sheets cleanly; many fakes are cut from printed sheets at home and the edge shows fibres, a slight bevel, or ink that stops short of the edge.
Print pattern. Under a loupe, a genuine card shows a regular rosette pattern of dots. An inkjet or laser fake shows a different, often finer or stripier structure. This is the test that does not get fooled by a good photograph.
Foil and refractor behaviour. A genuine refractor shifts colour as you tilt it, continuously. A printed imitation of that effect is static. It looks shiny in a photograph and dead in the hand.
Autographs
Two questions. Was it signed on the card or on a sticker, and which does the checklist say it should be? A sticker auto presented as on-card, or the reverse, is a fail regardless of how good the signature looks.
And does the ink sit on the surface? A real signature has thickness and can catch the light at an angle. A printed one is part of the card.
Slabs are faked too
A sealed case is not proof. Counterfeit slabs exist, as do genuine slabs that have been opened and resealed with a different card. Every major grader publishes a certificate lookup: type the number from the label into the grader's own site and check that the card shown is the card in front of you. If the number does not resolve, walk away. If the picture does not match, walk away faster.
What to do if you are unsure
Buy from somewhere with a returns policy you have read, pay by a method with a dispute process, and keep the listing. For anything expensive, grading it is the cheap way to find out. A grader rejecting a card as not genuine is unwelcome news delivered before you have sold it to somebody else.
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest check for a fake card?
Confirm the card exists. Look the exact number and parallel up in a checklist for that set. Many fakes are combinations that were never printed.
Does the light test work?
It catches cheap fakes and misses good ones. Card stock, the cut edge and the print rosette under magnification are far more reliable.
Can a graded slab be faked?
Yes, and genuine slabs can be opened and resealed with a different card. Always check the certificate number on the grader’s own lookup and confirm the pictured card matches.
