So I recently bought the final card for my Raikou collection on eBay from a reputable seller, the OG Raikou from Neo Rev (I’ll share soon if it’s real, later if not).
Problem is it’s borderline on a couple of the key legitimacy tests.
Shining a light through it lights up a much larger area than most WoTC cards I have from that era - comparison cards I used are all Lightning / Colorless to account for light dispersal before anyone asks . Seems very thin, I mean look at the pictures.
The usual thin black layer around the edge is not visible and some edges look just white.
On the back, above right of the Pokeball there’s the blue mark that every “how to spot fake cards” guide say is hard to fake. It’s not completely filled in like blatant fakes, but the pattern doesn’t exactly look right either.
It feels fine, but I’ve handled fakes that do. Some have told me the holo pattern is un-fakeable, therefore it’s real, but I have my doubts about that.
So what do you think, a fake to return or should I get on with adding this to my Raikou collection?
yeah id also wonder, since most cell phones have pretty good flash lights if they would shine though just about all cards as seen above. You know those lumens in the early 2000 was pretty lack luster lol. If i use my surefire 800 lumen flashlight it would probably shine though all my cards.
True to a limited extent, here’s a Persian holo from the era for comparison. Same phone light, very different result. See how a lot less is visible through?
Looks real to me. I am certainly no expert on fake cards, but I know that generally, the font on the front is a dead giveaway. That looks pretty legitimate to me.
I mean the other thing is the vertical print texture visible when shining a light through it. Plus the fact it lets through way more light than most WoTC cards.
Also… the textures of the blue above the Pokeball, is that just a normal variance? Can’t see it that faint on any other legitimate card in my collection or rando played cards I have around.
It’s either real, or someone with the capacity to create the cleanest looking fake ever seen in 25 years of Pokemon decided to test their faking skills with an Unlimited Neo Revelation Raikou. The former is more likely. Congratulations on a cool purchase.
I don’t know about the flashlight thing, never tried that. But everything else looks perfectly legit IMO.
IF this is a fake, it’s by far the best one I’ve ever seen.
You can compare backs of cards and different runs have different darkness or deepness to the blue levels. The color balance was not always the same per run of cards and I bet it still isn’t with modern, but haven’t opened modern cards much myself.
I never thought the seller knowingly sold a fake .
Any chance someone would mind placing their iPhone under this or a similar holo (Lightning energy) holo from the era to show that the light and design shining all the way through is normal?
As we all know, these cards aren’t cheap and I would appreciate the assurance and move on with life. Asking this questions has cause a helluva lot of controversy elsewhere on the internet too. Lots of opinions over there, but lacking on evidence. eFour is a much nicer place in my experience, so perhaps someone wouldn’t mind doing the honours and helping a guy out .
I can’t repeat the extent of the light shining through with anything else in my own (not unsubstantial) collection. But if someone else can, fair enough I’ll accept it’s a print variant.
Equally the lack of pattern in the blue above the Pokeball - seems suspicious to me and it’s the only card I have like it (other than an obvious fake from years back, which is all blue no pattern at all). If that’s legit and someone has one to hand with photos - would love to see.
With my mind at rest I can get back to enjoying the new card and leaving positive feedback for the seller. On the flip side, if they accidentally sold me a fake, no biggie, a return and positive feedback.
It’s as real as real can get imo. Not sure what causes the light issue but if it were fake there would be a lot more red flags than just letting a bit more light through than normal. You’ve got many people telling you it’s real so I don’t know what the continued skepticism is for.
If you are uncomfortable with it, I will gladly take it off your hands for half market value.
I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m not sure what more proof could be offered besides what people have told you. I could have a hundred Neo Rev Raikou and probably several would look slightly “off” in the ways you state. If you still believe it is a fake after the information given, you will always have a nagging suspicion in the back of your head that despite all the evidence to the contrary it is fake. If you are SUPER concerned, you have Six months to return on PayPal / ebay. That’s enough time to expedite to PSA or BGS and have them determine if it’s a fake for you. Then if it is you can get refunded.
The other concerns were the blue pattern top right of the Pokeball… again in my collection this is an outlier having the faintest pattern of the lot. And of course the lack of a visible black line sandwiched between the white card when looking horizontally down the sides.
In terms of remaining cynical… I do just wonder if there’s an element of people misunderstanding or underestimating the reason for my concern (i.e. “oh it’s some fool who thinks you can’t shine light through Pokemon cards, duh course you can” rather than “oh that card *does* let a lot more light through than most”). Various other cognitive biases could be at play, but seeing as I’m perhaps showing relative inexperience in raw cards the nuance of the question is being dismissed out of hand. Kind of like an office intern and a senior manager suggesting the same idea. The former is called an idiot, the latter is praised and sucked up to .
So my cynicism isn’t a fixed state of mind, pictures would put it to rest. If only more people had done this on video / taken pictures so I could readily check Youtube or Google Images. Alas it’s not the case.
. Seems very thin, I mean look at the pictures.
Again, another normal variation? Any why the blue above the Pokeball is so different to other cards?
