TanXTanXSyndicate
How to Verify a Graded Pokémon Card (and Spot a Fake)
Short answer: Look the cert number up on the grader's own website and check that the card, set, number and grade match the slab in the photos. Then check the slab itself: label security features, holder quality and a photo of the back. A cert lookup alone isn't proof, because counterfeiters copy real cert numbers.
Last verified: September 30, 2026. Grader security features change — confirm on PSA's and CGC's own sites.
Step 1 — Cert lookup (necessary, not sufficient)
- PSA: psacard.com/cert. PSA itself warns that a lookup "does not eliminate risk," because criminals copy real cert numbers from public listings.
- CGC: cgccards.com/certlookup. The QR code on the back of CGC labels opens the same lookup, with images.
Step 2 — Check the label and holder
- PSA labels carry a LightHouse logo that shifts when tilted, fugitive ink that resists label "washing," and a QR code. The holder weld was also strengthened.
- CGC labels use microprinting, UV ink, holographic foil, a unique cert number with barcode, and a QR code on the back.
Step 3 — Compare the images
If the lookup shows images (CGC does, and many recent PSA certs do), compare centering, print lines and holo pattern against the listing photos. Same number with a different card means walk away.
Step 4 — Buy the exact slab pictured
Stock photos can't be verified. Front and back photos of the actual slab can.
Real cases from the last year
- July 2026: PSA confirmed that a slab sold from its own Vault account on eBay for $18,500 (a 2025 One Piece Gold Luffy) was counterfeit — holder, label and card — and that the cert number didn't exist. The buyer is being refunded. (Reported by third parties quoting PSA.)
- CGC recalled 1,561 graded Pokémon prototype and playtest cards amid a forgery investigation. (Third-party report; exact date not confirmed.)
How we handle it
Every TanXSyndicate listing shows the cert number with a one-click link to the grader's own lookup, and a photo of the back of the slab. Our Cert-Match Guarantee: if the cert on the card you receive doesn't match the listing, full refund including shipping. Browse the vault and check any cert yourself.