Knowledgebase: Learn About Collectibles, Trading Cards, Sports Cards and More
Is My Pokemon Card or Magic: The Gathering Card Real or Fake?: A Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide to Identifying Authentic vs. Fake aka Counterfeit Trading Cards for Popular TCGs
As collectors and players of both the Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering trading card games (TCGs) since the late 1990s, we’ve seen all kinds of cards here at Collectiwiz, ranging in value from a few cents to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And we’ve received all sorts of questions about topics like appraisal of single cards or huge collections, the most valuable Pokemon cards from the early years, metal trading cards, and most commonly, whether Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering cards are real (aka authentic) or fake (aka counterfeit).
So, we decided to write this Knowledgebase article with an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide to spotting fake cards with pictures of actual Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering cards, covering:
The difference between fake and real cards for both of these TCGs
Specific characteristics of real and fake cards to look for, including up-close high-resolution photos of these features
Inexpensive tools like jeweler’s loupes that you can buy to help you discern real cards from fake cards
Where to purchase Pokemon, Magic, and other TCG cards to make sure you’re buying real cards
Magic: The Gathering + Final Fantasy: A Breakdown of the Chocobo Variants, 10 Most Valuable Cards and How to Buy Play & Collector Booster Packs
If you’ve been following the trading card market over the past few months, you’ve probably seen the incredible amount of attention on the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Final Fantasy set.
The inclusion of 77 extremely rare, individually numbered Golden Chocobo cards from 1 to 77 (aka serialized cards) has greatly amplified interest in this set, causing widespread shortages of Collector Booster packs and Gift Bundles, which are the only two products that can actually contain these Golden Chocobo cards.
Let’s take a closer look at the Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering set, including (1) specifics about what the set includes, (2) the multiple variants of Chocobo cards available in the set, (3) the top 10 most valuable cards, and (4) where you can buy this set without paying exorbitant prices on the secondary market.
To Grade or Not to Grade?: When Should You Send Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering or Sports Cards to Be Graded by PSA, BGS, or CGC?
Grading collectibles refers to the process of authenticating a collectible item as real, and then assigning a “grade“ to that item based on its condition.
Different companies use different grading scales, but most have a large range from 1 to 10 (in the case of PSA), with a “1” indicating “Poor” condition and a “10“ indicating “Gem Mint“ condition, or a card that is in perfect condition.
In in the past two decades, interest in grading has skyrocketed, driven primarily by increased demand for graded trading cards, such as Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, One Piece, and Magic: The Gathering cards.
Let’s dive into some specifics about grading collectibles, including (1) why you might want to grade your collectibles, (2) important considerations when grading collectibles, and (3) whether grading actually increases value (aka the price you’ll get if you want to sell).
Top 5 Collectibles Market Trends to Look for in 2025, 2026 and Beyond for Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, YuGiOh!, and More
Estimates show that the collectibles market was valued at $402 billion 2021 and is projected to more than double by 2032, reaching a valuation of $1 trillion.
But what does the future hold for this rapidly-expanding market?
Let’s take a dive into the top 5 trends in the collectibles market for 2025, 2026, and beyond!