Millions Of Dollars Worth Of "Vintage" Pokémon Cards Might Actually Be Fakes Printed In 2024

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A scandal is emerging in the vintage community, 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 from receiving a grade from a card grading service like 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 with developer 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 site PokeBeach reports 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 unclear how 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:

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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 printer along 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 the EliteFourum revealed earlier this week that the cards they purchased had metadata since 2024.

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