How to Spot Fake Disney Lorcana Trading Cards
Disney’s Lorcana is a popular trading card game, and like any other game of its caliber — Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, etc., there’s a market for counterfeit cards. That holds doubly true now that certain Lorcana cards are being auctioned for huge amounts of money. For example, an Enchanted alternate art version of Elsa, Spirit of Winter sold for $45,000 on eBay in 2023.
On the flip side, many of Lorcana’s common cards are so common that they’re only worth a few cents. There are still fakes of the commons floating around, but you’re far more likely to encounter a fake Enchanted variant in the wild. The good news is that there are ways that, while not guaranteed, can help you identify potential counterfeits.
Check the Dimensions
A Lorcana card measures 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (63.5mm x 88.9mm), with a standard thickness across cards. Some players say that foils are slightly thicker, but the difference is so small that it’s hard to measure. If you’re trying to identify a fake, look for inconsistencies in the dimensions and material of the card. A real card will be printed on proper cardstock, while a counterfeit will often feel different.
There are rumors that fakes can be identified through weight, but it’s best not to trust this advice. There’s no evidence to back it up, and it seems to have been born from players trying to identify what packs might hold an Enchanted card before opening them.
Examine the Print Quality
Trust your eyes. A fake Lorcana card will likely have lower print quality than a real one, such as fuzzy details and colors that aren’t accurate. Pay particular attention to the logo on the card; most fakes can’t match the logo exactly, especially for higher-rarity cards. In many cases, the color will be slightly off.
That said, fans have lamented a lack of quality control in Lorcana cards, citing significant differences between real ones in the same print run. As a result, it’s impossible to be entirely certain whether a card is real or fake. Your best option is to look at smaller details and compare them to known quantities.
Look at the Edges of the Card
One of the easiest ways to spot a fake is to check the cut quality. Counterfeit cards usually have unclean or uneven edges. If you spot one that’s jagged, chances are high that the card is a fake. A real card will have a smooth, sharp edge. In other words, if the card doesn’t look like it was cut by an industrial machine, it’s cause for suspicion.
An important note is that you aren’t going to encounter a fake card in a real Lorcana pack unless something has gone horribly wrong. If you find a fake in a booster, then it’s likely that you bought a fake booster pack. Counterfeit cards are far more likely to be single purchases from online outlets.
Unlike card games that have been around the block, Lorcana is still pretty new. Counterfeits are typically few and far between, but Ravensburger has yet to implement a reliable method for identifying the ones floating around out there.
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