Authentication · Trading Cards

How to tell real trading cards from fake

Verify Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, sports cards and more from photos. The AI analyzes the card stock, printing, holofoil, and edges.

What the AI inspects: 6 signs

These are the signs that most often give replicas away. The app cross-references them across all your photos.

  • Card stock and thickness
  • Print quality (rosette dot pattern)
  • Holofoil pattern
  • Edges and cut
  • Color saturation
  • Text and fonts

Where to inspect

The key zones to photograph and check on this type of item – a schematic, not a product photo.

12345
  1. 1Corners and cut
  2. 2Centering
  3. 3Surface and gloss
  4. 4Edges and plies
  5. 5Print rosette

The difference is in the details – drag the slider

Typical differences in workmanship: stitching consistency, edge finishing, detail quality. Left – factory quality, right – common replica flaws.

The same detail with typical replica flaws: crooked stitching, glue residue, rough edges Replica
Macro detail of an item: clean factory workmanship – even stitching, tidy edges Authentic
An illustration of typical flaws (AI-generated image), not a photo of a specific product. The flaws are shown deliberately large and obvious so they read at a glance: on a good replica the same differences can be far subtler, so "mine is not this bad" does not by itself mean "authentic". In the app, the AI inspects these same zones on your photos.

Photo angles to capture

The more complete the set of angles, the more accurate the verdict.

  1. 1 Overall view
  2. 2 Logo / tag
  3. 3 Details & stitching
  4. 4 Material

Trading Cards brands

Open a brand to see popular models and the signs of fakes.

FAQ

How do I check if a Pokémon card is real?

Look at the rosette print dots under magnification, the holofoil texture, the thickness and the black core layer visible along the card’s edge, clean edges, and the fonts. The AI verifies these markers from your photos.

Check authenticity right now

Snap photos of your item and get an AI verdict with a confidence score in about a minute.

The first check is free. What it costs after that