Hello Community ,
can someone give me your opinion if the following 2 shinings could have Fake 1st Edition stamps . Im aware of this possibility because the German Grading Company (AOG) listed some notes on the serial details that they want to Check the Cards again as they have Now better Technologies to take a Look on the stamps.
For me the Position/alignment of the stamps Look good but im not an Expert
I would be really thankful if someone could help me out
Better quality pictures or scans would help, it’s hard to compare with the current photos. However, just based on what I can see, the Gyarados is looking questionable. It could be an effect of the camera or picture quality but the stamp looks smudged and unclear, especially the I’s and the D.
Another question you have to ask yourself is why someone is grading allegedly NM-Mint 1st edition shinings with a completely unheard of German company. I wouldn’t trust these cards at all just because of that.
Definitely need some better pictures. It’s becoming very difficult to analyze pictures due to camera AI applying effects. If you hold your phone up close with flash on you might be able to get a good stamp pic.
It is hard to tell, but the stamps look like they are bleeding more than normal. Alignment looks pretty accurate.
Real first edition stamps don’t rub off when you scratch it gently
It’s a pretty reputable German company. But yeah, we only value ‘murican companies around here. We all know they don’t make mistakes and never graded fake stamps before.
To my eye, they seem to look real, compared with real PSA scans. (But the photos are not ideal. I think the streaking/smudging is actually from the camera shutter, because the photos are in low light and handheld.)
That being, I agree that having those specific cards being graded by a non-name company is a red flag. 
The positioning is off on both. The stamp on the gyarados looks extra funky as well. No good.
Si.
I’m pretty sure it has been proven the even real 1st ed stamps have some position variance. This has been brought up many times on E4 before, has it not? Aren’t they printed after everything else, since it is an additional layer of black ink for the text, energy symbols, etc. Which is why the black ink on the text and first edition symbols doesn’t have the rosette patterns. I’m not saying they are real, but I’m not convinced they are fake either.
The blur/smearing you are seeing on the card is likely from a smartphone taking a picture in low light, which causes the camera shutter to remain open longer to absorb more light. That’s why you see this “glow” around the edge of the card. It is motion blur from where it moved subtly during the photo.
Someone with more printer knowledge about the black ink layer would would have to weigh in, when it comes to 1st ed stamp position variance.
Its a bit harsh to call AOG a no-name company lol
Where was this proven? Every wotc stamp I’ve ever seen is consistent in its place across each set. If you look at any ebay listing right now for a 1st ed they’ll be in the same spot. They don’t vary across any card. I’m sure it’s possible but it’s a red flag given the circumstances in this case. They are printed on after, but all at once, hence why they are uniformly oriented.
No one said the cards are fake. There is a history of people faking stamps on real cards amigo. The cards are real, but that doesn’t mean the stamps are. If all you are doing is faking a stamp, then it’s best to fool a real company since the card is real rather than faking a PSA slab which is very obvious as most people check the cert and can verify the card matches.
I’m a professional photographer. That blur is actually the oil on the phone’s lens creating a diffused glow rather than a sharp image, especially as you go outwards towards the periphery. That isn’t a low light photo — but that has nothing to do with determining that that stamp is in fact off in its placement. It is damn near touching that energy symbol. That’s not normal. And that there are ink spots /chips on and surrounding the stamp.
Can anyone be 100% certain this is a fake stamp without having it in hand? Perhaps not. But can we be certain we wouldn’t touch that with a 10 foot pole given the circumstances? Yes.
Join the club. Thanks for the AI oil explanation. — lol. Oil on the lens can do that, but considering it isn’t on every photo, or the entire image (Less noticeable at the center, more at the edges), more likely motion blur. 
I’m surprised as a pro you’d call that a low light photo but 
Especially as a pro I’m surprised you’d think any of this matters when you saw the video showing clear orientation difference on the stamp alone where everything else lined up to nearly perfect overlay with at most a few pixel’s variance as opposed to the some dozen with the stamp.
Your welcome for the… AI answer? I don’t know where that comes from but no need to be upset here.
On the right for sure.
You van see where i started wiping it away with my nail. Shop gave me a refund and claimed “print variation”
