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Fake Slifer Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards on Ebay

Believe it or not, one of my most popular posts here at Perishable Press is an article I wrote about a counterfeit Slifer Yu-Gi-Oh! card. Since its publication, I have received some very interesting information regarding the apparently extensive market for fake Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Recently, reader Deana wrote to share her experience with an eBay purchase of a “very good counterfeit” Slifer card on eBay.

As a savvy Yu-Gi-Oh! collector, Deana has purchased “some really great cards” on eBay. For example, she once scored an authentic, 70-dollar DDS-001 Blue-Eyes White Dragon card for about 35 bucks. She says that obtaining legitimate high-value cards through eBay is “really and truly a luck of the draw.” Even worse, many eBay shoppers may have purchased counterfeit Yu-Gi-Oh! cards without even realizing it. As Deana explains, the subtle differences between “real” and “fake” cards are not “something you would notice unless you are a collector.”

Fortunately, after receiving a Yu-Gi-Oh! Slifer card that she had purchased on eBay, Deana’s experience as a collector paid off: the Slifer card was a fake! After being contacted from Deana about the fake Slifer card, the vendor acted surprised, responding that, upon closer investigation, he had realized that another one of his cards — Obelisk the Tormentor — was also a counterfeit. On another occasion, Deana received a refund for a $21 “counterfeit Red-Eyes Black Dragon card” that she had also purchased on eBay.

As for the fake Slifer, the vendor allowed Deana to keep the card, which she dutifully scanned and posted for this article. Here are the front and back scans of the counterfeit Slifer card, followed by a list of carefully observed “flaws” in the cards design.

[ Front/back scans of counterfeit Slifer Yu-Gi-Oh! card ]

Observed counterfeit mistakes

  • Displays the word “GOLD” (in both English and Kanji) instead of “DIVINE”
  • Foil logo in bottom-right corner reads “top-to-bottom” instead of “right-to-left”
  • Totally missing the Kanji characters at the bottom-left corner on the front of the card
  • Totally missing the trademark Konami and Yu-Gi-Oh! logos on the back of the card ( apparently, authentic god cards display neither trademark nor logos on the back of the card. )
  • Artificial holographic properties resulting from waxy gloss finish
  • Displays “© 1996 KAZUKI TAKAHASHI” on the bottom-right corner
    ( Thanks to George Hazard for the correction. )

Also worth mentioning is that the vendor shipped this supposedly “rare” Slifer card in a “simple white letter envelope.” Further, “the card itself was in one of those flimsy card protectors, even though [the vendor] promised in the auction that it was going to be in a ‘rigid plastic sleeve.’” If you have purchased valuable Yu-Gi-Oh! cards through eBay (or anywhere else, for that matter), you should take a few moments and investigate the authenticity of your cards.

Hopefully, this article will help others understand the subtle differences between counterfeit Yu-Gi-Oh cards and those that are legitimate. Yes, it’s pretty sad that there are subhuman garbage bags out there that feel the need to rip off kids (and adults) with fake collector cards. I guess that’s what happens when you lack the skills needed to counterfeit the Benjamins. Thanks to amateur trash like yourselves, I enjoy the distinct pleasure of exposing and mocking your feeble skillz! Maybe if the Yu-Gi-Oh! market takes a dive, you pathetic losers can counterfeit Garbage Pail Kids instead! :) </rant>

Many thanks to Deanna for bringing this story to my attention. It does help! ;) If you have an interesting “counterfeit Yu-Gi-Oh” experience to share, please drop me a line or leave a comment on this post. Thanks!

About the Author
Jeff Starr = Designer. Developer. Producer. Writer. Editor. Etc.
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72 responses to “Fake Slifer Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards on Ebay”

  1. Jeff Starr 2009/05/17 5:36 pm

    @james: I am willing to sell the card, but unfortunately it is not in the best condition (see image scans). If still interested, contact me. Thanks.

  2. I HAVE A FAKE SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!! I’M REALLY ANNOYED, BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO!

  3. Jeff Starr 2009/05/26 7:54 am

    I can see it’s almost time to close the thread..

  4. Mo4yugi-oh 2009/06/02 10:26 am

    Hi. I also got a slifer and its not like other fakes. This ones really good. The things that give it away are the missing kanji characters at the bottom left of the card, it says first edition and next to the name, above the character in the circle it says GOLD

  5. insanethelegend 2009/06/15 1:04 pm

    dude what do u want for your fake god cards i dont really care if its fake

  6. Jeff Starr 2009/06/15 6:11 pm

    @insanethelegend: the card is for sale: see comment #49 for more info.

  7. I have read this over and have discovered ther are two different types of counterfeit yugioh cards. I have the slifer counterfeit but i have a counterfeit cartoon black devil girl wich does not have 1996 kazuki takahashi.The picture is different from the fake slifer.The back of the fake slifer cards is lighter the the cartoon girl card. The back of the cartoon girls writing is different and does not have the konami on it.It just has yugioh written twice in two different fonts.
    So collectors watch for these counterfeit cards!

  8. Delano goldberg 2009/09/01 7:11 am

    Hi there, people i am in sa and im wanting to know what real god cards cost in rands.? plz

  9. Not sure how old all the comments are but I purchased the 3 god cards from a dealer in England about 18 months ago. If these are fake, they are very high quality. Out of all the comments, the only fault I find with these are the embossing onto the back of the card for the gold coloured title only. Could individuals that have known legitimate Yu-Gi-Oh Worldwide Edition game cards check for any embossing on the back of the card?
    Much appreciated.

  10. yu gi oh freak 2009/11/08 11:02 am

    i have a real slifer the sky dragon ill tell you how to tell if its real it has nothing at the back it has this card can not be used in a deck it has wired writing of a different language in the bottom left corner well hoped that helped a little bit .I ALSO HAVE EXODIA AND A BUNCH OF OTHER CARDS

  11. Thank you yu gi oh freak. Yes, The cards I have are as you describe.
    My only concern is the embossing onto the back of the card for the gold colored name a the top of the card. Can you see any embossing on your card?
    Thank you.

  12. i got a fake slifer the sky dragon i thaought it was real also an obelisk the tormentor(new version) if you have a obelisk necross the obelisk i have looks the same but when i look at the back of the card there all fake i am loking for a real obelisk the tormentor & slifer the sky dragon card.

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