It’s no secret that Magic: the Gathering is an expensive game. Dedicated scammers and thieves can make a chunk of change off of the MTG community, with most constructed decks costing between $300 and $3000. Unfortunately, a new MTG counterfeit technique has been discovered by a Reddit user, and it is tough to discern without additional technology. A realistic Security Stamp is no longer a good indication of whether your MTG cards are real.
Fake Security Stamps are Getting Harder to Identify
As provided by Reddit user DrunkenSavior, the proxy example on the right-hand side was found when they were using a loupe to verify a
Jeweled Lotus
Jeweled Lotus
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add three mana of any one color. Spend this mana only to cast your commander.
purchased by their friend. To clarify, a Security Stamp is a silver dot on the bottom of a Rare or Mythic (and sometimes special print) MTG cards. In the case of Acorn Security Stamps, they can be used to verify if a card is real and its legality in various formats.
These new Security Stamps look incredibly realistic. In the past, these have been very easy to discern, with Security Stamps on proxies looking nothing like the real things. Now that there are very realistic Security Stamps, your strategy will need to change when identifying counterfeits. With the new Security Stamp, there are two differences pointed out by Reddit that you can watch out for:
- The WIZARDS WIZARDS pattern shown on the right side is not a part of a real Security Stamp.
- It looks like the fake Security Stamp did not feature any mana symbols. An example of a mana symbol in a Security Stamp can be seen here.
There Will Likely be Other Warning Signs
Alongside the faulty Security Stamp, there were more obvious warning signs when looking at this Jeweled Lotus. These were as follows:
- This proxy was printed on black core. Black core is the most durable core that can be used for playing cards but is not used for MTG cards. You are more likely to see black core at a Poker table because it is difficult to see through the card.
- It failed the Green Dot test. This is determined by looking at the green dot on the back of an MTG card with magnifying technology. The card is most likely fake if you see red dots within the larger green one. The link in this point can be used to reference what a real Green Dot test looks like. Be aware that, while the Green Dot test is reliable, it will not work when identifying rebacked counterfeits, as they use parts of an actual MTG card in their creation.
- Boxy patterns inside the counterfeit holofoil
- less defined border between the text box and black border
Check Before Purchasing a Chase Card!
For players trying to purchase recent chase cards with a heftier price tag, doing so from an untrustworthy source is very dangerous. Buying from a reliable LGS will likely have you paying a small premium, but when considering the alternative of getting a proxy like this, the extra fee is worth it.
Jeweled Lotus
Jeweled Lotus
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add three mana of any one color. Spend this mana only to cast your commander.
, in particular, is a common target for proxy making. While regular Jeweled Lotus is only worth about $82, even a non-foil full art one jumps to $170, with foils being $800. It’s safe to say that when purchasing a single with a price in the triple digits, don’t make any apparent mistakes.