Fake Beta Black Lotus - Amazing Fake, read inside for more information

[Dozer]

It's not. It was intended to be as stupid as putting water on an Ancestral.

That's not stupid. Old cards can fail the bend test, but the ink on the cards stays water repellant for a very, very long time. I have a beta Fireball whichs (sp?) authenticity has been disputed before. This particular card will fail the bend test because it has a small horizontal crease on the border at about half the card height. This little crease will extend to the whole card when you bend it, that's unavoidable. The ink, though, repels water as ever. I've done the water test with it sucessfully, no problem there.

The easiest way to test this is to just wet your finger and let a drop of water fall on the card from there. Just one drop, mind you! You should see the drop "pulling" itself together and staying together, not running across the card. If the edges of the drop of water aren't clearly defined, and the water begins to seep into the card almost immediately, it's most likely not a Wizards of the Coast print. Dap the drop off with a napkin or towel, which is easy because it should stay confined anyway.

[CrashTest]

Tests that can damage cards, like the bend test or water test, really are not needed.

        For some reason the bend test has the reputation of being the "Ultimate" test, but you can tell if a card will fail it just by looking and feeling the card. That's much safer than bending a real piece of power. Bending real cards does leave a mark depending on how hard you do it. Sure, a real card bends back without a crease - but over time inconsistencies will start to show up if it is done enough.

[chrissss]

Ok, I just received my ancestral recall

I used th elight test, water test, comparison tests etc.

its from Unlimited btw, so I am pretty sure It is real.

I dont want to try the bend test, because I prefer no to bend cards like that.

anything else I can do? I will buy a black light soon somewhere to test that also.

You'll put water on a $400 card, but won't do the bend test? What next, you'll start driving at double the speed limit and refuse to use a radar detector?

euhm, have you ever tried putting water on a card? If you had, you would know that it doesnt matter as long as you dont leave it there for too long. a few seconds doesnt do anything.

bend test = danger. a magic card can only be bend x number of times, and if your card reaches the threshold, then it goes SNAP.

I do the water test over the bend test anyday, the bend test also gives the card a weird shape, and its difficult getting it streight again ( the common I used it on is still bend like george michael)

anyway, 6 people wanted to buy my AR, and they all inspected it, and it was real.

[yangtze34]

This guy I knew back in high school used to do ridiculously high quality fakes of stuff.  My friend nearly bought a lotus from him, but luckily thumbed the sides for some reason for like a minute and the high quality sticker-like thing peeled off.  This guy was ridiculous.  He would cut perfect cutouts of cards and pasted them entirely on something like a land card.  He had some pwnage printer.  Even the surface texture was remarkably similar to the real deal.  We were all scared for a while.  There might be some still floating around somewhere so be careful.

[Summit]

Unless you are a collector why does it matter?  If a card can pass every physical and visual test except a water or light test I don't see what the problem is?  If it fools me and fools everyone else than as far as I am concerned its a Lotus - conterfeit or not.  If no one could possibly find out unless they went through extensive testing then I would play it in non-proxy tournaments and wouldn't care.  If it looks like a spade call it a spade.

[CrashTest]

If you spend $1,000+, or even $1+, you don't want to buy something that is inherently a counterfeit. It just feels wrong, even if some fakes may be slightly convincing to most people.

[JZ23]

Good article.  I've seen a bunch of fakes that were re-backed CE cards.  They are very difficult to tell apart to an untrained eye.  But most of these fakes have a light glossy finish on the front and feel too smooth.  Just take a real Beta card and compare it to a Collector's Edition.  There's also the thickness and light factor to test. 

[wuaffiliate]

BTW a weighing test, would that be useful for determining re-backed cards ?

Any scale that can be purchased at any "shady" store like a bong shop or what not is quite accurate for about $20-$30 canadian dollars here.