Is this Pokémon card real?

Start with what you have. A loose card, or a photo of one, needs to be named first and then set beside the real card’s record. A graded slab needs its cert number checked against the grader. Each route below does one of those.

The card, or a photo of it

Photograph the front and the scanner names the exact card, set and printing. Then open its page: the number, set mark, finish, printing and illustrator credit the real one carries are all there, with the scan to tilt yours beside.

Scan the card The ten checks for any card

A graded card in a slab

Type the grader and the cert number from the label. The card, set and grade that come back have to match the label; then the asking price is set against what that grade sells for, since a slab far under the going rate is the usual setup for a fake one.

Look up the cert Check the asking price

The cards collectors ask about most

Each has its own “How to tell a fake” list on its page, built from what the real card has printed on it.

Common questions

Can UltraBall tell me if my card is fake from a photo?

No tool can settle it from a photo: a good fake photographs like the real card. What the photo can do is name the exact card, so you compare the one in your hand with the real card’s number, set mark, finish and credit. The checks on each card page are built from that record.

How do I check a graded slab?

Type the cert number on the label into the cert lookup, or on the grader’s own site. The card, set and grade it returns have to match the label; a number that returns a different card, or nothing, means the slab is not what it says. Then set the asking price against what that grade sells for: a slab far under the going rate is the most common setup for a fake one.

Which cards are faked most?

The ones that sell for most and are asked about most: Base Set Charizard, the modern alternate arts and special illustration rares, and sought-after promos. The list on this page is the cards collectors ask about most, each with its own checks.