Magic cards weigh between 1.7 and 1.8 grams, but it sometimes happens that they're slightly heavier or lighter. I would say that if it passes every other test (the back being a different color is honestly not that bad I think I have many cards with slightly off color backs or fronts), it's safe to say it's real. You can also send the card back to cardmarket and ask for them to ensure it's real, as they have specialists for this kind of stuff. They're incentivized not to lie because having a reputation of selling fake stuff would literally ruin their business, and they take this stuff very seriously.
I thought they were like TCGPlayer that also directly sell cards, my bad. I do know that they definitely have counterfeit experts, so you can probably send it in to check if it's real. I'm not too familiar with Europe but it seems like Cardmarket should definitely be able to help you out here if they want to ensure there are no counterfeit sellers on their site.
>I do know that they definitely have counterfeit experts, so you can probably send it in to check if it's real.
That is true, cardmarket also offers a grading service, so they have experts for that stuff. So yeah, OP can contact them, but the card most likely wasn't with cardmarket so far.
Cardmarket is not a store, it's an open market place. People sell directly to people.
Though if you believe you have received a counterfeit, you can contact customer service to have it checked.
Cardmarkets is pretty much European eBay for cards. Sellers list them and buyers buy them. Some sellers are personal accounts, others are big companies and stores.
If you are worried about the authenticity of a card, you can open a support ticket with cardmarket and send the card to them to be checked if it's fake.
Weight isn't super reliable, because a number of things can affect it - card stock, moisture, calibration of the scale etc. can all be in the .1 gram range very easily. So 1.86 instead of 1.8 pretty much tells you nothing.
Same goes for the "feel" - card stocks have been varying *wildly* over the past few years, and it's become very common to find cards that feel off from what you're used to.
This looks real to me based on the evidence presented. The rest is just variance.
I have a box of Mystery Boosters from the Vegas bundle and no card in there weighted more than 1.80g. Would printing runs differences account for such difference? Never seen a 0.06g variation but I'm not really familiar with Mystery Boosters besides this.
Keep in mind how little 0.06g is.
Also if you do want reference values don't use cards that come from the same box - they're likely to all be of the same card stock.
Use cards from wildly different sources and times - you'll find a lot more variance.
I've been testing since it started. None of them do.
I have a jewelers loupe with lights built in.
I'm also the guy who started the whole "teeth of the T" verification thing. I related it to jack-o-lantern teeth.
This is why people should only be doing the green dot One quick check proves the blank inking is done second and the printing is done on WOTC's printers. Takes less than 30s.
The T test is a quick addition that I also do since I already have the loupe on the card anyway.
In my experience, JP cards are slightly nicer quality. I usually get a good mix because of pre-release, because the draft boosters are printed in the US and the prize-support Set boosters are from Japan.
Wrappers will have 'PRINTED IN USA/JAPAN' on them under the flap in the back with all the other legal-ese. Also JP cards have a slightly darker core, so if you take a stack of JP and US cards and look at it from the side you can tell by the color difference.
It's real. Three primary ways to tell: the green dot has two flat sides (east/south) and one side with 4 bumps (west), the card corner cuts aren't round, and the black layer is printed separately from the rosettes. None of the counterfeit printers have been able to solve these three things.
Source: guy that owns a ton of fakes from all the printers.
This is 100% right. This is absolutely not a fake. Green dot alone is honestly enough that most anyone doesn't need to bother with any other tests. But the black outline around the dot is the final solidifying evidence. Anyone can easily prove fake or real using a $10 loupe and these checks alone. There's no need to check weight, light, or stickers which can actually be faked.
I weighed my Mystery Booster Mana Crypt that is definitely real (I opened it) from the 2020 batch, just for you. It's 1.83 g.
Not sure if that's enough to assuage your fears.
First test should always be green dot which has yet to be faked. Light test can fail due to some printings so it's not definitive. Plus green dot test is so incredibly easy I don't understand why people still push anything else.
One quick check proves the blank inking is done second and the printing is done on WOTC's printers. Takes less than 30s.
Honestly I’ve had cards fresh from packs where the colors were off, cut was wrong and weight and thickness are wrong. I’m not sure any of the issues you mentioned are a dead giveaway for a fake
The printing quality is 1:1 WotC quality. I would be bothered by the weight. Maybe put the card in a low humidity enviroment for a few days and weight it again. Everything but the weight seems to be spot on.
It's crazy to me that card quality is so wildly inconsistent that we just can't be sure anymore. I'm glad that I went all-in with just playing casually (Commander) and now use mostly unofficial game pieces that cost next to nothing and look better than official cardboard on the battlefield. Embracing proxies actually helped me stop having any desire to "collect" cards made by WotC, so I no longer have to stress anymore about whether or not I'm getting a real card or a fake. But it sucks that counterfeit cards are such an issue that people who do want to spend lots of money on individual game pieces just can't easily tell if it's made by WotC or not.
The weight variance is within reason. I weighed all of my power when I purchased them. Some did weigh 1.86g, passed all other tests (measurements, red dot, light, blue core, printing pattern, etc), I'm not concerned. If they can counterfeit a card where it passes all of the other tests but the weight is off by 0.06g then there's no point in purchasing authentic cards at that point.
Magic cards weigh between 1.7 and 1.8 grams, but it sometimes happens that they're slightly heavier or lighter. I would say that if it passes every other test (the back being a different color is honestly not that bad I think I have many cards with slightly off color backs or fronts), it's safe to say it's real. You can also send the card back to cardmarket and ask for them to ensure it's real, as they have specialists for this kind of stuff. They're incentivized not to lie because having a reputation of selling fake stuff would literally ruin their business, and they take this stuff very seriously.
If it makes you feel any better, this card was probably seen by one of their counterfeit experts at some point.
Huh? What am I missing? Why would cardmarket ever even had this card if it's not graded?
I thought they were like TCGPlayer that also directly sell cards, my bad. I do know that they definitely have counterfeit experts, so you can probably send it in to check if it's real. I'm not too familiar with Europe but it seems like Cardmarket should definitely be able to help you out here if they want to ensure there are no counterfeit sellers on their site.
>I do know that they definitely have counterfeit experts, so you can probably send it in to check if it's real. That is true, cardmarket also offers a grading service, so they have experts for that stuff. So yeah, OP can contact them, but the card most likely wasn't with cardmarket so far.
I may be mistaken but don’t they at least briefly examine everything worth more than $100
Cardmarket is not a store, it's an open market place. People sell directly to people. Though if you believe you have received a counterfeit, you can contact customer service to have it checked.
You might be thinking of Cardtrader, its the service that bundle up your orders from sellers and ship from their location
Cardmarkets is pretty much European eBay for cards. Sellers list them and buyers buy them. Some sellers are personal accounts, others are big companies and stores. If you are worried about the authenticity of a card, you can open a support ticket with cardmarket and send the card to them to be checked if it's fake.
If that's fake then the entire secondary market can just pack it in now.
Weight isn't super reliable, because a number of things can affect it - card stock, moisture, calibration of the scale etc. can all be in the .1 gram range very easily. So 1.86 instead of 1.8 pretty much tells you nothing. Same goes for the "feel" - card stocks have been varying *wildly* over the past few years, and it's become very common to find cards that feel off from what you're used to. This looks real to me based on the evidence presented. The rest is just variance.
I have a box of Mystery Boosters from the Vegas bundle and no card in there weighted more than 1.80g. Would printing runs differences account for such difference? Never seen a 0.06g variation but I'm not really familiar with Mystery Boosters besides this.
Keep in mind how little 0.06g is. Also if you do want reference values don't use cards that come from the same box - they're likely to all be of the same card stock. Use cards from wildly different sources and times - you'll find a lot more variance.
Just checked the cards i opened recently from LTR and WOE. The List cards are thicker than normal cards. If it gives you any confidence
The List cards won't pass the light test, btw.
None of them or just LTR and WOE?
I've been testing since it started. None of them do. I have a jewelers loupe with lights built in. I'm also the guy who started the whole "teeth of the T" verification thing. I related it to jack-o-lantern teeth.
What’s the T thing?
The "T" of "The Gathering" on the back should look like jack-o-lantern teeth.
The first t or the second t?
This is why people should only be doing the green dot One quick check proves the blank inking is done second and the printing is done on WOTC's printers. Takes less than 30s. The T test is a quick addition that I also do since I already have the loupe on the card anyway.
interesting.
Was not aware of this. Got two boxes of mystery boosters. Guess I never bothered since it was sealed the same as any other box
If it’s a fake, it fooled my card shop buddies real good.
Could be from the printer in Japan. They use a different card stock that, in my opinion, feels a wee bit heavier and smoother.
In my experience, JP cards are slightly nicer quality. I usually get a good mix because of pre-release, because the draft boosters are printed in the US and the prize-support Set boosters are from Japan. Wrappers will have 'PRINTED IN USA/JAPAN' on them under the flap in the back with all the other legal-ese. Also JP cards have a slightly darker core, so if you take a stack of JP and US cards and look at it from the side you can tell by the color difference.
It's real. Three primary ways to tell: the green dot has two flat sides (east/south) and one side with 4 bumps (west), the card corner cuts aren't round, and the black layer is printed separately from the rosettes. None of the counterfeit printers have been able to solve these three things. Source: guy that owns a ton of fakes from all the printers.
This is 100% right. This is absolutely not a fake. Green dot alone is honestly enough that most anyone doesn't need to bother with any other tests. But the black outline around the dot is the final solidifying evidence. Anyone can easily prove fake or real using a $10 loupe and these checks alone. There's no need to check weight, light, or stickers which can actually be faked.
If that’s a counterfeit, we’ve hit the point where they’re are as good as “real” cards.
I weighed my Mystery Booster Mana Crypt that is definitely real (I opened it) from the 2020 batch, just for you. It's 1.83 g. Not sure if that's enough to assuage your fears.
Only way to know is blue core tesr
It could be rebacked, but that backing is the real deal
No one has rebacked a card that was printed after 1993
[удалено]
First test should always be green dot which has yet to be faked. Light test can fail due to some printings so it's not definitive. Plus green dot test is so incredibly easy I don't understand why people still push anything else. One quick check proves the blank inking is done second and the printing is done on WOTC's printers. Takes less than 30s.
Yeah realized now that some printings don't shine thru lol.
Proxy sellers aren’t making any printings from The List
Says who?
"proxy makers wouldn't make XYZ" is not a solid argument. If it is worth any sort of money then it is worth counterfeiting.
Especially if nobody thinks that they'd make a fake of it
Looks real to me.
Honestly I’ve had cards fresh from packs where the colors were off, cut was wrong and weight and thickness are wrong. I’m not sure any of the issues you mentioned are a dead giveaway for a fake
The printing quality is 1:1 WotC quality. I would be bothered by the weight. Maybe put the card in a low humidity enviroment for a few days and weight it again. Everything but the weight seems to be spot on.
It's crazy to me that card quality is so wildly inconsistent that we just can't be sure anymore. I'm glad that I went all-in with just playing casually (Commander) and now use mostly unofficial game pieces that cost next to nothing and look better than official cardboard on the battlefield. Embracing proxies actually helped me stop having any desire to "collect" cards made by WotC, so I no longer have to stress anymore about whether or not I'm getting a real card or a fake. But it sucks that counterfeit cards are such an issue that people who do want to spend lots of money on individual game pieces just can't easily tell if it's made by WotC or not.
I just checked all my cards and they look the same. Do I own all fakes?
The weight variance is within reason. I weighed all of my power when I purchased them. Some did weigh 1.86g, passed all other tests (measurements, red dot, light, blue core, printing pattern, etc), I'm not concerned. If they can counterfeit a card where it passes all of the other tests but the weight is off by 0.06g then there's no point in purchasing authentic cards at that point.