Alpha Mox: Real or counterfeit?

[chump]

I just picked up an Alpha Mox on ebay.  I would describe the condition as NM-.  The card passed the light test, bend test and the print quality looks ok (tiny circles evident.)

My only concern is small curling on the corners.  I know Alpha corners are rounder than other Magic cards.  The corners show a slight indentation.  I have heard of Collector's Edition cards being rebacked and passed as Alphas or Betas.

Should I be concerned or am I just being paranoid?  Any other tests I could perform, or anomalies to look for?

[Josvandoesburg]

Did you check the corners of the front picture ? It contains small white dots if it's an Alpha (Or is this only for Beta?).  I don't really know if the Collector's edition contains that problem also.

[chump]

Thanks for the reply.  Alphas, Betas and Collectors Edition all have the white dots.

Anyone out there have any experience detecting a reback?

[DEA]

rebacked cards don't take very well to bend tests
try it like, 10 times and see if it creases or splits

[chump]

It passed the bend test with flying colors.  Any other things to look for?  Thanks for the replies guys.

[DEA]

CE cards are exactly the same as beta, except for the corners and the back
you have any alpha cards available to do a comparison?
the 4 corners should be roughly even
if you have irregular corners that could be one sign

[skecreatoR]

Just play with it, if it fails all those tests it might still be fake, but no one will notice

How many refs did the guy have?

[chump]

How many refs did the guy have?

He currently holds a score of 6.  9 comments total.  100% positive.  ID verified, FWIW.

Positive refs from buyers are all on Unlimited power/good stuff right now.  One of the satisfied BUYERS is a reputable seller of power cards on ebay.  

The guy sold some other non-power Alpha stuff including dual, all one-ofs incidently.  No feedback has come in as of yet for any of the other Alpha stuff.

I paid with a credit card, so I have some hand in this deal.

EDIT: for butchering the English language

[Necrologia]

The only other obvious indicator of a reback, which is about the only way to fake real looking power, is to look at the edges. Edges on normal Magic cards are white, or perhaps slightly yellowed with age. Reback cards, however, are typically black/blue due to the glue used to hold the card together. If it's white and passed the bend test you either:

1) Have a real Mox or

2) Have a fake Mox that's so real it's indistinguishable from a real Mox.

In any case it's good to play. Good luck, and may you always draw it in your opening hand.

[Bram]

2) Have a fake Mox that's so real it's indistinguishable from a real Mox.

In any case it's good to play. Good luck, and may you always draw it in your opening hand.

True, dat. If something fake is so much like the real thing that coone can tell it from the real thing by any means, you basically have a 'new' real thing. How very 'The Matrix'-esque.

Rebacked cards are the main reason people perform the bend test. If it passes, it's probably real. Also, look at the side of the card very very closely. Real cards have this tiny, really thin blue line through the middle. Sometimes the edge can be hidden by slight buffing with sandpaper, however the bend test will usually bring this line back out.

Here's a good page on card fraud.

[Pago]

holy shit, you put an ALPHA NM mox to a BEND TEST?!  :shock: you got balls my friend, props to you  

[Diddler]

You should also check the THICKNESS of the card.  On a hard surface, lay your Mox beside another card, preferably an Alpha or Beta card that you know is not fake, and run your finger from one card to the next.  You shouldn't feel a ledge (i.e. differing thickness) when moving from one to another.  Try this test with two identical cards (not fakes) just to get a feel for how similar the thickness of the cards are.

A card that is rebacked may not have the piece of plastic between the front and back of the card that originals have.  As someone mentioned above, you won't see the blue line inbetween the layers.

Factors that may change the card thickness are the missing plastic layer, additional adhesive, or others that I can't think of immediately.

I hope your Mox passes this test as well.

[TimeBeing]

please don't do the bend test 10 times, that will but creaser marks into the card (try it on a land)

a reback will die to the bend test because the glue will like likely split.

look at the edges and compare them to other cards. there would be a thin line if it was rebacked. if the edges are really dirty or dark, for a near mint, they could be trying to hide it?

also double check the light test. and compare it to other cards. if its too light or dark then it might be a reback.

but in the end i doubt it. it sounds good.

[Lord of the Goats]

look at the back too. today, a decent printer can make really good copies so it gets harder and harder to tell. it is possible to pull the original ink off the back of a collectors edition card, cut the corners and print a new back on it.

this gets around the bend test, since it's the original card.

you'll be able to tell with a magnifying glass in the same way you would if it were a counterfeit front... but people don't check the backs of cards as thoroughly as the front. also, the water drop test (on the back) would reveal the fraud since most ink is waterbased... beware though because there is wax based ink (which is what they use to print the card in the first place) although printers that can use it are very expensive so it should be a problem

[ScorchedEarth]

Heres a very good site that gives detailed instructions on how to spot fakes from the real deal.

http://www.apathyhouse.com/mtg/fake/recall.html

Dude, I posted that link in my reply already. Read a thread before replying to it next time.  - Bram