I am currently after E3 Pikachu Red Cheeks, the last missing English WotC promo for my collection. I have noticed that the position and, to some extent, even the font of the E3 stamp varies from card to card.
I have been looking for some relevant information but have not been very successful. So I decided to create a new topic and ask for some help to make sure I increase the chances of buying a genuine E3 stamp.
For example, those are currently on eBay or have been sold recently:
The alignment may have some variability. A good example would be the left-shifted, right-shifted, or completely misaligned Prerelease Clefable stamps. However, the stamp thickness and general look of it shouldn’t be so variable.
I have seen some very small differences in alignment, but nothing this big. Not sure what to think of this tbh… The stamps themselves look legit in your first picture, except maybe the sixth on in the first picture. The middle part of the “3” looks a bit too thin/pointy compared to the others.
Unfortunately, the E3 is small enough to not be too difficult to fake I would imagine. Especially in this modern time. I’ve seen a Shadowless yellow cheeks Pikachu with E3 stamp before I had to look very closely at to ‘think’ it wasn’t legit (and I’m still not 100% sure), and the “E” of the custom E4 stamped cards aren’t too different from the “E” of official E3 stamps either (Iykyk)…
Seeing huge differences like this does make you wonder how many E3 stamped cards are actually legit. Then again, it also wouldn’t surprise me if all of them are legit, and alignment differences like this are normal. They’re stamped after the cards are printed after all, so some minor differences would be normal.
What also makes it alarming to me is that the stamps I showcased only represent what is currently available or was recently sold on eBay without cherry picking contrasting examples from Google, past listings or other sites. Basically this card’s current supply. It’s very surprising to find such a variability in alignment and thickness of these stamps in such a small sample set.
I would also imagine, @Quuador, that these are not too challenging to counterfeit. If I had to guess, the chances of fake E3 stamps slipping through grading also seem to be fairly high. One successful attempt and a $50 card just turned into $800. Or they are all very much legit which would not surprise me either given what we know about quality control of WotC during Pokémon TCG early stages.
I also agree with what @pfm said, the focus on the older cert number would likely be the best bet of making sure the stamp is rather legit. Another layer of added protection might be aiming for a graded original cello pack. Seems like the combination of a 2xx cert and a graded cello pack would be the way to go.
And thanks to @rarecards for adding your pictures! I can see there is a nice mix of graded cards, raw and the last one probably in the original packaging? Really interesting to see the differences across all of these. The scans would help indeed!
Isn’t there some decent variation is some prerelease clefable stamps? Either way going old cert might be for the best I suppose. I was considering cracking mine for a cross grade too… now I don’t know.
Well THIS thread has stressed me out a little. But there are a LOT of unknowns at this moment…
I’m also more curious now about what is known of the manufacturing process for this print, as we know there are some variances in prints (ie, weren’t cards from multiple runs used to make this promo run?)
Wotc and quality control never met! Luckily there is a way to tell an E3 pika regardless of the stamp alignment. Red cheek E3 borders have a more muted honey mustard yellow color compared to a standard shadowless card. It’s something I’ve always associated with red cheek E3 pikachus, as all of mine have this coloration. You can see the difference in the photo below.
Scott’s right . . . it’s a subtle difference, but the yellow is more subdued on the E3 Pikachu than regular shadowless cards. Here’s some additional photos:
I feel like the coloring is a double edge sword and does not really work with the digital listings, since every screen shows an identical color differently.
For collectors sourcing cards online, the colors might not be that useful for verifying the genuity of a card. I mean, if I have a look at the picture in the first post, the colors are all over the place due to different cameras, screens and other digital devices used for processing the colors.
But comparing the border relative to the rest of one single card might help indeed!
Honestly you are worrying way too much. E3 red cheek pika isn’t a stonk card that has a high potential of being faked. In fact no one has actually provided a single example of a forgery.
I just did a quick eBay search and there are plenty of listings that show the color difference. Also you can just buy from someone here in e4. All the cards shared in this thread have been authentic! Just saying all this to ease your worry!
Not sure what to think of this tbh… The stamps themselves look legit in your first picture, except maybe the sixth on in the first picture. The middle part of the “3” looks a bit too thin/pointy compared to the others. 
