<h2>The <em>Yu-Gi-Oh!</em> wikia lists the most common tells</h2>

<p>There is <a href="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Counterfeit" rel="nofollow noreferrer">an article on the <em>Yu-Gi-Oh!</em> wikia</a> that lists the most common tells with counterfeit cards. Without duplicating the whole list, a couple of the major ones appear to be:</p>

<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Eye_of_Anubis_Hologram" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Eye of Anubis Hologram</a> is missing</li>
<li>Incorrect card format (e.g. Levels on a Spell/Trap card)</li>
<li>Misspellings</li>
<li>Passcode text in the bottom left corner missing (although some legitimate cards are missing it too)</li>
<li>An unusual glossiness or feel</li>
</ul>

<p>You can also detect counterfeit sets of cards by:</p>

<ul>
<li>An incorrect <a href="http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Cover_Card" rel="nofollow noreferrer">cover card</a></li>
<li>An entire deck within a deck tin (since real deck tins only included booster packs or promo cards)</li>
<li>An unusual ratio of monsters to spell/trap cards (e.g. 1 trap card and 15 monsters)</li>
</ul>

<h2>There was a lawsuit where a legitimate company sold counterfeit cards</h2>

<p>In 2008, Konami filed a lawsuit against Vintage Sports Cards. They were legally allowed to resell <em>Yu-Gi-Oh!</em> cards in boxes where booster packs were sold alongside three Ultra-Rare cards. Unfortunately, some of those Ultra-Rare cards were counterfeit. <a href="http://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/13988/counterfeit-yu-gi-oh-rares" rel="nofollow noreferrer">From an article about it</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The counterfeit “rare” cards, which are clearly visible in the Vintage Sports packaging, use a different paper type and protective varnish than those used in real Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and the holographic security foil also differs from that used on the real Konami cards.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-16T17:28:54.590Z
2017-03-16T17:42:12.437Z
2017-03-16T17:42:12.437Z
Thunderforge
<p>Simply, how do I tell the differences between real and fake <em>Yu-Gi-Oh!</em> cards? The cards I have seem to be legit, but it's either all legit or all counterfeit. Any tips?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-16T19:43:16.320Z
I'd recommend buying a few legit boosters from a reputable local game store, so you know what "real" cards look/feel like.  If you're just playing with friends at your house, real/fake shouldn't matter (as much).
John
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-16T20:34:16.520Z
@John, it turns out my friend had some! But they looks so fake... Extreme discoloration, Typos, there is _fake_ written all over it. Rank 7 _Number 39: Utopia_, and _Rank nine _Super Dreadnought Cannon Gustav Mac?_ Yeah! with sarcasm
Xetrov
<yu-gi-oh>
How to differentiate real Yu-Gi-Oh! cards from fakes
Xetrov
# How to differentiate real Yu-Gi-Oh! cards from fakes

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-03-16)

Simply, how do I tell the differences between real and fake *Yu-Gi-Oh!* cards? The cards I have seem to be legit, but it's either all legit or all counterfeit. Any tips?

**Tags:** yu-gi-oh

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'd recommend buying a few legit boosters from a reputable local game store, so you know what "real" cards look/feel like.  If you're just playing with friends at your house, real/fake shouldn't matter (as much).  
> **username_0**: @username_1, it turns out my friend had some! But they looks so fake... Extreme discoloration, Typos, there is _fake_ written all over it. Rank 7 _Number 39: Utopia_, and _Rank nine _Super Dreadnought Cannon Gustav Mac?_ Yeah! with sarcasm  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-03-16. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

## The *Yu-Gi-Oh!* wikia lists the most common tells

There is [an article on the *Yu-Gi-Oh!* wikia](http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Counterfeit) that lists the most common tells with counterfeit cards. Without duplicating the whole list, a couple of the major ones appear to be:

* The [Eye of Anubis Hologram](http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Eye_of_Anubis_Hologram) is missing
* Incorrect card format (e.g. Levels on a Spell/Trap card)
* Misspellings
* Passcode text in the bottom left corner missing (although some legitimate cards are missing it too)
* An unusual glossiness or feel

You can also detect counterfeit sets of cards by:

* An incorrect [cover card](http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Cover_Card)
* An entire deck within a deck tin (since real deck tins only included booster packs or promo cards)
* An unusual ratio of monsters to spell/trap cards (e.g. 1 trap card and 15 monsters)

## There was a lawsuit where a legitimate company sold counterfeit cards

In 2008, Konami filed a lawsuit against Vintage Sports Cards. They were legally allowed to resell *Yu-Gi-Oh!* cards in boxes where booster packs were sold alongside three Ultra-Rare cards. Unfortunately, some of those Ultra-Rare cards were counterfeit. [From an article about it](http://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/13988/counterfeit-yu-gi-oh-rares):

> The counterfeit “rare” cards, which are clearly visible in the Vintage Sports packaging, use a different paper type and protective varnish than those used in real Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and the holographic security foil also differs from that used on the real Konami cards.


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