Are these 2 Charizard cards fake? 1st edition

One of them is first edition, the other is 25th anniversary. I have only these images, what are the chances that one of them or both are original? Thank you very much for your help, I am really confused.

First edition (I have only 1 picture):

25th anniversary:





The 1st Edition Base Charizard is definitely fake. So much is off with it, but the easiest identifier is the fact there are no English language 1st edition Base Set cards with shadowed borders, with the exception of the Machamp (which then isn’t really a true first edition, as there are shadowless versions of that too).

The Celebrations Charizard looks better - the overall card and holo pattern look correct, but there is a ‘textured’ finish to the rest of the card on genuine ones (almost like a finger print pattern, or fine snake tracks in sand pattern - for want of much better descriptions). It’s hard to picture this finish, but I can’t quite see it in the pics you’ve provided. That said, I’m not sure why anyone would be wanting to forge Celebrations Charizard cards just yet (they’re still sub $100-150 cards), especially when the rest of the card looks okay (I.e. very good/lot of effort for a would-be forgery).

There is a 0% chance these are real

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Those belong in the trash

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Your instincts were correct, definitely stay away from cards that give you this vibe. The 1st edition zard is horrendously fake. The back of the 25th Charizard also looks fake. Too dark blue and the corners look weird.

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Thank you all guys, you saved me from a bad purchase.

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I hope this doesn’t come off as snarky or mean, but the sheer fact you weren’t able to recognize the 1st edition charizard as fake tells me you’d benefit from taking some time to understand what exactly it is you’re purchasing.
There should be no confusion if you ever see a 1st edition base set card with a dropshadow (except Machamp), so I’m assuming you’re very new to the hobby of collecting pokemon cards.
My advice would be to research and learn first, and spend money second

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What would be good resources to do so? I’m not a total newb, but always willing to learn more.

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There’s a ProBoards community called the Elite Fourum that I’ve been told is a pretty good resource. :relieved:

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@kaibas, for sure, here. And if looking to have a more interactive base on questions and conversation too, the discord is always a great go to for instant access to lots of great people (when the memes arent flying).

Also, I second everything Coop stated.

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Something that wasn’t mentioned, IDThink, is the blue border on the back. True borders are printed thicker than the rest of the ink, so it will always stand out in contrast, against the blues in the rest of the image. =) The design on the back image also appears to be a recreation of the original design, and not ACTUALLY the original design… Some parts are too crisp, or defined, I think. I’d have to side-by-side it, but well, I’ve seen more than most (as have many of us here), and it just looks wrong. :slight_smile:

I remember Mason from Card N All Gaming made a video on fake cards they got in recently. By watching these kind of videos, you’ll learn a lot about the things store owners are looking for when buying cards from people. And the more videos from different people you watch about this subject, the more ways you’ll learn to identify fakes.

I was scammed by an eBay seller with a fake 25th anniversary Charizard. Big differences are real has a fingerprint like texture and the fake is smooth. Also the real has no Holo in charizard’s fire breath and the fake has all Holo fire breath. Also the fake has a white core edge and the real has a yellow/ foil/blue core edge.

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