# Gold star fakes are getting scary close **URL:** \ **Category:** News & Links\ **Tags:** fake, gold-star\ **Created:** [August 11, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759 "2026-08-11T11:58:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jaredschallenge](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/jaredschallenge/32/26714_2.png) [@jaredschallenge](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/jaredschallenge)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/1 "2026-08-11T11:58:27Z")
> **[TCG Cifer on Instagram: "These new fake Gold Stars have hit the market, and...](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db4nYXnN32D/?igsh=MXQ3YjU5NGhvNW1kYQ==)** > > 620 likes, 31 comments - tcgcifer on August 10, 2026: "These new fake Gold Stars have hit the market, and they are good. Are you ready to tell the difference? > > pokemoncard #pokemoncollector #pokemon #pokemonfake". Even as a seasoned collector, this was informative and helpful. Worth the watch ---
**Author:** ![CanMike78](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/canmike78/32/107322_2.png) [@CanMike78](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/CanMike78)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/2 "2026-08-11T15:08:04Z")
Just a good idea not to buy high end cards RAW especially if they look in perfect condition.. Always a RED Flag. Mike ---
**Author:** ![mthursty](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/mthursty/32/159700_2.png) [@mthursty](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/mthursty)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/3 "2026-08-11T19:18:22Z")
Scary stuff. Hopefully someone shuts down the people making these. Although the technique can still be passed on ---
**Author:** ![thurco](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/thurco/32/40589_2.png) [@thurco](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/thurco)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/4 "2026-08-11T19:45:23Z")
tough day to be in the ‘the hobby doesnt need grading’ gang 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Rattlesnake](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/rattlesnake/32/245396_2.png) [@Rattlesnake](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Rattlesnake)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/5 "2026-08-11T19:51:14Z")
Yikes ---
**Author:** ![explorer](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/explorer/32/1814_2.png) [@explorer](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/explorer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 8:19pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/6 "2026-08-11T20:19:24Z")
Honestly I’m surprised it hasn’t happened much sooner and much more widespread. A Rolex Submariner is _only_ $10K and yet Chinese factories have invested enough into the development of pumping out super fakes that some are now so close to the real thing that you’d need to have a real version side by side and a jewelers loupe to spot the fake one without opening it up to check the movement (and the only reason they aren’t replicating that to such a degree is for production cost reasons which wouldn’t be present in a card) Now tell them that - a) there’s pieces of cardboard that sell for 10x that Rolex Sub b) there’s people a few weeks into the hobby with no expertise at all willing to drop that kind of money barely knowing what they’re looking at, and c) (I would assume) a piece of cardboard is a lot easier and cheaper to accurately replicate than a watch… Why wouldn’t these guys be all in on developing super fakes? ---
**Author:** ![CardboardInsanity](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/cardboardinsanity/32/278651_2.png) [@CardboardInsanity](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/CardboardInsanity)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/7 "2026-08-11T20:44:41Z")
> [@explorer](#): > > there’s people a few weeks into the hobby with no expertise at all willing to drop that kind of money barely knowing what they’re looking at, and That’s what happens when the average young adult trusts grifters like NostalgiaNomics who tell everyone they can quickly 10x+ their money over seasoned financial advisors with decades of experience. You end up with millions of people in their 20s dropping massive money (and credit card debt) without even really knowing what they’re doing. Absolutely insane FOMO. Of course fakes are about to become a HUGE problem going forward. I’m surprised China took this long to catch on. Scary stuff. ---
**Author:** ![RoyalOak](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/royaloak/32/250674_2.png) [@RoyalOak](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/RoyalOak)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/8 "2026-08-11T20:51:57Z")
> [@explorer](#): > > Why wouldn’t these guys be all in on developing super fakes? Because it is way more expensive and there is not too much of a market for it. Superfake watches exist because there’s a willing customer base. People knowingly buy reps to wear. Willingly owning and displaying proxy cards is very niche People attempting fraud is one customer base but with grading & ebay authenticity checks, its a niche market too. The current high end vintage boom is in graded cards, not raw cards. For chinese factories the bigger money is in mass produced cheap fake cards for a cheap price. It’s the same with watches actually. The knockoff dhlgate shitters for 50 bucks is where they make bank, the superclones are just a niche to fill with less margin > but what if they attempt to decept grading directly Why invest millions in tooling to attempt a handful of high stakes fraud felonies when the current mass faked garbage prints very good money and nobody cares anyway ---
**Author:** ![tidaldreams](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/tidaldreams/32/26292_2.png) [@tidaldreams](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/tidaldreams)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/9 "2026-08-11T20:52:01Z")
dont buy raw ez 🤓 ---
**Author:** ![explorer](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/explorer/32/1814_2.png) [@explorer](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/explorer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/10 "2026-08-11T21:56:41Z")
> [@RoyalOak](#): > > People knowingly buy reps to wear. Willingly owning and displaying proxy cards is very niche The top comment on the video (with almost tenfold the likes of any other comment) is someone saying they’d want to buy the cards just to own because they could never afford the real ones. I’d guess they would be surprisingly popular if indistinguishable fakes came out. Maybe I’m just being a dick judging books by their covers but I see hundreds of guys at every card show these days who look right from the luxury rep community. ---
**Author:** ![candle](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/candle/32/1545_2.png) [@candle](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/candle)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/11 "2026-08-11T21:59:22Z")
Don’t buy raw but also don’t buy a 4+ figure card raw on Instagram lmaoooo If you buy on eBay they will at least auth it ---
**Author:** ![Nightvulture](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/nightvulture/32/172799_2.png) [@Nightvulture](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Nightvulture)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/12 "2026-08-11T22:01:01Z")
Just need to know what youre buying and do the research before spending $10k on a label ---
**Author:** ![ArcticLapras](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/arcticlapras/32/133815_2.png) [@ArcticLapras](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/ArcticLapras)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/13 "2026-08-11T22:03:43Z")
Yeah, a hobby this big simply needs big ´reliable´ institutions to give it some extra trust. But the big question is; why buy a raw card for big bucks. It won´t ever receive higher than a 7 anyway. ---
**Author:** ![packyman](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/packyman/32/193678_2.png) [@packyman](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/packyman)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/14 "2026-08-11T22:59:09Z")
I feel like they barely showed any solid proof. They should show the ink/holo more, UV reaction, size, corner cuts, etc. ---
**Author:** ![hian\_43](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/hian_43/32/164707_2.png) [@hian\_43](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/hian_43)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/15 "2026-08-11T23:27:20Z")
Grading doesn’t solve the authenticity problem at all in my opinion, there’s plenty of fake PSA cases going around. It just provides new collectors with an illusion of safety. Buying from a reputable source with a self interest in maintaining their reputation long term will always be the best way to avoid fakes, both raw and graded. ---
**Author:** ![Dyl](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/dyl/32/234623_2.png) [@Dyl](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Dyl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/16 "2026-08-11T23:41:36Z")
This fake wouldn’t fool seasoned collectors or graders, but I do think that it would fool the average collector or con-goer. One of the best fakes that I’ve seen. Thanks for sharing! ---
**Author:** ![bk2021](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/bk2021/32/244_2.png) [@bk2021](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/bk2021)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/17 "2026-08-12T03:18:38Z")
I think you meant authentication. And really, the majority of cards being graded don’t need to be and are still worth less than the cost to grade. ---
**Author:** ![RoyalOak](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/royaloak/32/250674_2.png) [@RoyalOak](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/RoyalOak)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/18 "2026-08-12T05:43:50Z")
> [@hian\_43](#): > > there’s plenty of fake PSA cases going around. 1 in a bazillion cases It absolutely solves this issue for the most part What are the chances you buy a fake card in a real slab through ebay auth? Extremely low Edit, nvm you meant actual fake cards in a fake slab i guess. Yeah that is a real issue at this point. I see so many europeans buy this trash on ebay because ebay does not offer any auth service there at all. Ebay authentication has been a real gamechanger imo and i hope they release it soon outside of the states aswell. ---
**Author:** ![thurco](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/thurco/32/40589_2.png) [@thurco](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/thurco)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 8:57am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/gold-star-fakes-are-getting-scary-close/63759/19 "2026-08-12T08:57:08Z")
grading and authentication go hand in hand