A scandal is emerging in the vintagePokémon Trading Card Gamecommunity, involving possibly counterfeit prototype cards may have been graded and authenticated by a major grading company. When discussing vintage Pokémon cards or other trading cards, much of the value comes fromreceiving a grade from a card grading servicelike CGC or PSA. These card companies grade the quality of cards and authenticate them, making sure that the cards aren’t counterfeit. However, a number of supposedly vintage Pokémon card prototypes are now coming under scrutiny for possibly being printed last year.
Last year, CGC announced that they were working withPokémon TCGdeveloper Takumi Akabane to authenticate a number of prototype Pokémon cards. These cards were created as prototypes to test printing abilities and gameplay ahead of the actual game’s release.Hundreds of cards were authenticated by CGC,with some even signed by Akabane himself. However, Pokémon TCG sitePokeBeachreports that some of the cards may be counterfeit. Metadata printed on yellow dots by the card printer indicates that the cards were made in 2024 instead of 1996.
It’s currently unclearhow many of the prototype cards could be involved in the alleged counterfeit scandal. In response to the reports, a statement from CGC provided to PokeBeach reads:
“Thank you for reaching out to us. We are aware of recent statements being made online regarding CGC-graded Prototype and Playtest Pokémon cards. CGC takes these claims very seriously, and we are conducting a full investigation. More information is forthcoming.”
How Cash Anti-Counterfeiting Technology Revealed A Potentially Major Pokémon Scandal
Color Printers Print Small Yellow Dots On Everything They Print
Unbeknownst to many people, all color printers include a series of barely visible yellow dots on every page they print.These dots allow investigators to track the serial number of the printeralong with the time and date the paper copy was created. While this technology was created back in the 1980s to prevent counterfeiters from printing fake money, its existence was only made public recently. A card buyer that goes by the moniker PFM on theEliteFourumrevealed earlier this week that the cards they purchased had metadata since 2024.
Pokemon TCG’s Worst Problem Is Starting All Over Again
The Pokemon Trading Card Game is dealing with extreme shortages of its new set Prismatic Evolutions, leading to comparisons with pandemic-era issues.
Since the discovery of the potential counterfeits,many other card buyers have come forward and shared high-resolution pictures of their cards,which can be used to see the metadata. Not all of the cards appear to be counterfeit, but many of what were deemed as “low quality” cards appear to have been printed in 2024.CGC has an authenticity guarantee, so it’s unclear what will happen with the cards, many of which were sold at auction for thousands of dollars.
Our Take: Beware Of Pokémon Scams
Scams Involving Vintage Pokémon Cards Are Sadly Common
The Pokémon card collecting hobby isnow a multimillion-dollar industryand scams are uncovered all the time. Often, these scams involve people buying vintage cards only to receive different product, but this scandal shows how far some people will go.One of our biggest questions is the methods that CGC used to authenticate these cards,and how they’ll attempt to regain confidence from collectors in the future. This is a massive story forPokémon Trading Card Gamecollectors, one that could take months for the full truth to finally come out.
