Charizard - Is it a fake

[orncrete]

I have a non-foil charizard from the base set and would like to know if it is a fake? If it is a fake, its a good job..

[PokePop]

Does it have any kind of set symbol at all?
Say, maybe what looks like a medal (black thing hanging down to a white circle)?
If so, it's the Charizard from the Legendary Collection Fire Theme Deck.

[orncrete]

No symbol, it is a base card. Exact print as the base charizard. A kid that goes to school with my son quit collecting and gave my son his cards. This was in the box..

[PokePop]

A regular sized card? Not a Jumbo?
I'd say it would have to be a fake or an unknown error. But how would a kid get such an error....

Unless you want to trust me to look at it via snail mail, I'd have to say fake based on the fact that such a card is unknown.

[orncrete]

No, it is a regular sized card, not jumbo. Can I email a pic to you? What email address? Also, to be a fake, wouldn't one do a 1st edition fake and not an unlimited fake? This card is not a first edition. Also on the bottom of the card it reads:

© 1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK © 1999 Wizards

The original holofoil does not include the 99 in the begining dates. The interior of the wings are more like the green instead of the blue. The card thickness is the same and if you put two cards side by side and show the back, you can not pick which is which.If it's a fake, it's good..

[Magnor]

Yeah, its probably a VERY good fake OR a very rare or unknown error...

[PokePop]

No, it is a regular sized card, not jumbo. Can I email a pic to you? What email address? Also, to be a fake, wouldn't one do a 1st edition fake and not an unlimited fake? This card is not a first edition. Also on the bottom of the card it reads:

© 1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK © 1999 Wizards

The original holofoil does not include the 99 in the begining dates. The interior of the wings are more like the green instead of the blue. The card thickness is the same and if you put two cards side by side and show the back, you can not pick which is which.If it's a fake, it's good..

You can send a picture to my e-mail. Just click on the link on my profile (gotta love vB!)

But it's going to be impossible to check it at the level I was going to.
If dooskoop is lurking, he can vouch that I did the same thing for his "e-sample" card and was able to verify that it was printed by Nintendo and not by WotC.

[Magnor]

You should trust PokePop. He's a mod after all. Only good, trustworthy people get the job of a mod, so if you let him check it it'll probably come back a little whil later.

[orncrete]

Already contacted him threw the board..

[Magnor]

Ahhhhh...that was a good move on your part.

[zeogold]

I've been out of the Pokemon TCG for a while, but didn't the sets also include non-holo rares that were pretty much the same as their holo rare counterpart?

[Magnor]

Yeah, but Charizard wasn't one of them...Just like Blastoise and Venusaur.

[orncrete]

PokePop, have not heard back from you. Did the message threw the board not go threw? I tried to email threw the board and it said you did not accept email threw the board, so I used the message instead..

[PokePop]

I replied with my name and address.
Check you PMs. If its not there, mail me at PokePop@mail.wizpog.com

[PokePop]

orncrete:
Just got the card in the mail and I'm sorry to say that as soon as I took it out of the envelop I could tell it was a fake. Here are a few of the tip-offs:

Very bad printing quality. The graphics looks like a poor photocopy of original card which gives you a general darkness (esp. notable on the white energy symbols of the retreat cost) and a moire interference pattern of the dot pattern of the original printing dots.
fails light test WotC (and now PUI) uses a multilayered card stock where the middle layer is dark. This means that when you hold it up to the light, the "Pokemon" logo on the back of the card should not be visible shining through to the front. In the case of your card, is shines through nicely.
photocopy of picture includes residual "holo" pattern If this were some kind of true error (an oxymoron, there!), the background picture would show no signs of the holo pattern since that is a property of the mylar layer that is under the printing layer on holo cards. You can, however, clearly see "stars" from the holo pattern in the background of your card. Since there is no mylar layer, they are there as a evidence of it being a photocopy of a real card.

Sorry I didn't have better news for you. I'll mail it back to you asap. Don't worry about return cost. You spent enough sending it to me in the first place.

[orncrete]

Thanks for checking it out. I kind of figured it was a fake, but suprised that the moron didn't add the 1st edition symbol to the card as well. If they were passing it off, you would think they would try to pass off a 1st edition. Either way, my son has something different for his collection..

Thanks again!!!

[GymLeaderPhil]

I've seen weirder fakes that tried to enter STS Qualifiers back in the day.

Hold on to this and sell it on ebay. Thousands of ignorant buyers bought up those fake Yu-Gi-Oh God Cards, you might find some value in this too. ;)

Oh and ask PokePop for his autograph... that's sure to attract customers. :D
-Phil

[PokePop]

Nah, the God card fakes looked a lot better. They even had foil.
The little konami stamp was wrong, but other than that, they looked pretty good.
This Charizard is not good enough.

My autograph, attract customers?
Maybe I should include that on my next auction.

**starts up eBay store**

[Magnor]

You do know that possesing a fake card is illegal, dont you? EVEN HAVING IT IN YOUR POSSESION IS ILLEGAL. Btw, if you try to sell it, ebay can track you, tell nintendo, then sue you...

[PokePop]

You do know that possesing a fake card is illegal, dont you? EVEN HAVING IT IN YOUR POSSESION IS ILLEGAL. Btw, if you try to sell it, ebay can track you, tell nintendo, then sue you...

A little paranoid there, aren't you Magnor?

It's not like he's selling them. That's when they'd get interested.

[orncrete]

You do know that possesing a fake card is illegal, dont you? EVEN HAVING IT IN YOUR POSSESION IS ILLEGAL. Btw, if you try to sell it, ebay can track you, tell nintendo, then sue you...


First, I don't care if it is illegal. Second, it won't be sold anywhere. Let me guess, if someone had given you this card, you would have throw it out because it might be illegal? Untwist your shorts!! An 11 year old gave it to another 11 year old. Although it is a fake, he has something that is different. Not knowing that it was a fake, until now, I don't care that it is fake. IF people get a twist in their shorts over an illegal card, they can ask for my address and come and get it!!

[PokePop]

Throw yourself on the mercy of Officer Jenny!

[PokePop]

Orncrete: I sent you a PM. I have your address, but not your name. PM it to me.
Pop