Pokémon Authentication

Start by naming the exact card: the card name, the set it comes from and its rarity. The Pokémon Company says its Pokémon Trading Card Game Card Database can be searched by card name or keyword and filtered by expansion set, rarity, card type, energy type, HP, attack costs, weakness, resistance, retreat cost and illustrator.

Pokémon notes that text on a card that is not essential to gameplay is not searchable in the database. Use the database to confirm the card's name, set and gameplay details, and compare the rest with a known genuine card from the same set.

The Pokémon Company's support article on counterfeits says counterfeit cards are often easy to see through if you hold them up to a bright light. It says genuine Pokémon TCG cards are produced from high-quality materials, and it points to local shops that specialize in trading cards as another option for checking cards.

For sealed products, the article notes that images of Pokémon's products are available on its website, which makes those images the reference for packaging. It warns that if the price of a pack seems too good to be true it probably is, and says Pokémon receives its highest reported instances of counterfeit sales from flea markets.

The article does not describe a Pokémon authentication service. Treat the light test as one screen, compare the card side by side with a genuine common card from the same set under the same light, and allow for wear and differences in lighting.

Pokémon says each booster pack contains 10 game cards, made up of 4 commons, 3 uncommons and 3 foils with at least one rare or higher, plus 1 Energy card and 1 code card for Pokémon TCG Live. It also says sets before Scarlet & Violet only guarantee at least one reverse foil card per pack, so older packs differ.

Pokémon says it cannot guarantee a specific Pokémon or type of card in any booster pack, so a listing that promises particular pulls from sealed packs needs an explanation. Compare the packaging with Pokémon's product images, and be wary of packs priced well below comparable listings.

Graded slabs are made by third-party grading companies, not by The Pokémon Company, and a grade is the grader's opinion rather than a Pokémon statement. PSA offers an online certification verification page, and CGC says its labels carry microprinting, UV ink, holographic foil, a unique certification number and a barcode, plus a QR code on the back that looks up the card and its images on CGC's website.

PSA warns that, though uncommon, criminals attempt to counterfeit PSA grading inserts using real certification numbers taken from public sources, and it says verifying a number in its database does not eliminate risk. Its buyer's guide describes checking the holder for frosting along the edges or small cracks that can indicate tampering, and says buyers are welcome to contact PSA about an item before purchase.

A certification number is useful only when the card, label and holder in hand match the grader's record, including its images where the grader provides them. PSA also encourages buying from trustworthy sources and says marketplaces such as Craigslist, Mercari and OfferUp are not recommended.

PSA's 2025 fraud report, as covered by USA TODAY and ICv2, identified more than $200 million in counterfeit and altered collectibles in 2025 and placed Charizard and Pikachu cards among the most counterfeited Pokémon cards.

High prices raise the stakes, so the more valuable the card, the more the evidence should include the card itself in clear photos, not just a slab, certificate or screenshot. Buy high-value cards only when the seller can show the actual card front and back, and when any grading details match the grader's record.

Pokémon's support site describes new and reprinted products reaching Pokémon Center and participating retailers, and it says flea markets account for its highest reported instances of counterfeit sales. For singles and older cards bought secondhand, the card has to carry the evidence.

Pokémon says it does not track secondary market values and cannot give guidance on resale value, and its counterfeit article points to local shops that specialize in trading cards rather than to a Pokémon authentication service. Use protected payment, ask for current photos of the actual card, and confirm that what arrives matches what was reviewed.

Get a review when the price, seller history or photos leave doubt, when a card lets through more light than a genuine card from the same set, or when a listing leans on a slab, certification number or screenshot instead of the card itself.

Submit sharp photos of the front and back in even light, angled shots of the surface and foil, a backlit photo, the edges and corners, and any slab label and holder. A Vereev reviewer compares them with the same card and set and notes what photos cannot show, such as how the card stock feels in hand.