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StupidDude
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« on: December 05, 2003, 05:44:12 pm » |
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I am interested in purchasing a Mox from someone at a local cardshop and I was wondering if there are any ways to tell if it is real, like any special marks or any special tests.
Thank You
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ampeg21
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« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2003, 06:03:58 pm » |
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Put it up to a flame, it it burns it is real.
look at a card from unlimited, then compare that card to the mox, fakes are pretty easy to tell, is a piece of paper glued over it, is the print quality bad, are they asking a really low cost that is too good to be true? if it is a respectable card shop they shouldnt be selling fakes. the best way is to hold the card and inspect it, if it looks fake than it is fake, take a friend or someone who knows older cards and has seen a lot of them, after a while you can spot one pretty easily.
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mouth
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« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2003, 06:32:51 pm » |
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Actually, there are tests you can do, but most people won't be happy with you doing them.
For instance, there's always the bend test. Basically, fold the top edges of the card til they're 45 degrees apart. If the card creases in the center, then it's not a real card. You can imagine why people wouldn't be happy about someone doing that, especially if the card does crease, and then they claim that you owe them money for their fake card. Bad times.
There's also the microwave test, but that isn't fool proof. There's a site dedicated to this stuff, but I lost the address. I'm sure someone else around here has it.
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Laertes
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« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2003, 08:05:27 pm » |
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There are a couple of other things I've learned that you can do.
You can also test its thickness. Put the mox and a basic land face-down next to each other. Move your fingertips across from card to card. If there is a noticeable difference in thickness then you should be suspicious. If they are the same thickness then it could just be a well made fake, too, so don't go by this alone.
If you look closely at a real beta/unlim you can see tiny dots in the printing. I think it is from the pigment being thicker and thinner contact with the inking part of the press. I didn't believe this when I first heard this, but when I took a good,close look at some of my power, I could definately see the pattern. It is very difficult (not totally impossible) for a forgery to have that pattern. If you have some other a/b/unlim to examine also, you can find what to check for on the mox.
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SummenSaugen
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« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2003, 08:11:24 pm » |
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Don't be caught up in all the tests to determine if there's a glued on picture either... There's other ways without doing that. Things like printing an image directly on a card, which is deceptively easy to do with a decent printer and a foil de-foiled. (take a crap foil, bend it a little, and eventually the foil will bubble. remove the foil sheet and you end up with a white faced card with the regular back, the same thickness as a normal card)
Also, if it's black bordered, be especially suspicious. It's easy to mess around and make CE look real, and even bad attempts at this will sell. Don't buy if the back is so scraped that you can't tell if the borders are gold, and don't buy if there's a symetrical white wear line on the edges, since that could imply that it's a CE card glued to a regular back.
Lastly, double check the back of the card. You see the little blue or purple oval? Alpha, beta, and unlimited have a dark violet oval, whereas others have a bluish oval. This obviously doesn't help if they use the back of a beta land or something, but people that rip others off are often lazy and therefore don't take that precaution.
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Smash
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« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2003, 09:21:22 pm » |
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Bend test is worthless... don't try it.
The more you see the easier it is to spot. I have seen lots of fakes....
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CharlesXavier
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« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2003, 12:10:57 pm » |
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What about holding the card up the light, and it you can see light past it, its real? Does this always work. From Onslaught and up if you try it, its really visible.
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Jakedasnake
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« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2003, 02:19:54 pm » |
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The easiest way to tell if it is a fake is its price. If the guy is selling a mint UNL mox for $100, you're going to know it's a rip. This is especially true of a card shop owner that knows what he's doing, and has sold Power previously for higher prices. Do a little background check, and go with your instincts. Ebay is always a solution, the buyer protection policy is awesome.
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wollblad
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« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2003, 03:26:36 pm » |
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Here is a link that I find really good: Fakes, Frauds and Facelifts |
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TimeBeing
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« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2003, 09:30:43 pm » |
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The problem with the bend test is if the card is very worn, you can still crease a real magic card. very played moxs tend to lose a few layers of gloss and start to feel thin, and a bend test could damage the card. plus you do 10-15 bend test on any card and the thing starts to damage. so i would stay away form that test. best bet would to bring a magnifine glass and look at it under that to look at the print dots.
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