Gengar doesn’t get the attention Charizard and Pikachu do, but counterfeiters have noticed it. PSA’s 2025 Fraud Report puts Gengar fifth among the most-counterfeited subjects in all trading cards, ahead of Tom Brady, and fifth for altered cards too. One Gengar card stands out. Fake M Gengar EX cards sent to PSA rose 656% in a year, faster than any other card in the report.
Nobody has published side-by-side comparisons of fake Gengars yet, so this page sticks to what a real card should look like and what PSA’s data says to watch.
| Card | Set and number | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|
| M Gengar EX | XY Phantom Forces 35/119 (2014) | Fastest-growing counterfeit of any card (+656%, PSA) |
| Gengar VMAX special art (Japanese) | Gengar VMAX High-Class Deck 020/019 (2021) | PSA’s #6 most-altered card |
| Gengar VMAX alt art | Fusion Strike 271/264 (2021) | English version of the card above; ~$900 raw |
| Gengar & Mimikyu GX | Team Up 164, 165, 186/181 (2019) | The most valuable modern Gengar |
| Gengar (holo) | Fossil 5/62 (1999) | Vintage holo; 1st Edition is worth over 3x Unlimited |
M Gengar EX 35/119, XY Phantom Forces (2014)
This card is exactly what PSA says modern counterfeiters look for: a famous name, simple printing, and a big gap between raw and graded prices. A raw copy sells for around $75, while a PSA 10 goes for around $3,000. That gap is what makes a fake worth passing off, whether raw as a “PSA 10 candidate” or already inside a fake slab.
The real card is 35/119, with art by 5ban Graphics. It has 220 HP and is a Psychic type, weak to Darkness, with −20 resistance to Fighting and a retreat cost of 1. Its only attack, Phantom Gate, has no damage number because it copies one of your opponent’s attacks. Under the art there’s a rule box with both the Mega Evolution rule and the Pokémon-EX rule, and no Pokédex entry. The secret rare version, 121/119, is a separate and pricier card.
Two things look odd but are normal. Mega EX cards print the attack name inside the artwork, and on English cards it’s in Japanese. English Phantom Forces cards also never had a 1st Edition stamp, though the Japanese Phantom Gate printing did.
The long rule box is the best place to catch a fake, because there’s a lot of small print to get wrong: the font, the spacing, blurry letters, a missing é in “Pokémon”. After that, check the back, the edge line and the light test against a real XY-era card. Tilt the two side by side as well. The shine, and any pattern on the border, should match.
Gengar VMAX alt art: 271/264 and the Japanese 020/019
sowsow’s Gengar VMAX art comes in two versions, the English Fusion Strike 271/264 and the Japanese special art 020/019 from the Gengar VMAX High-Class Deck. Both sell for around $900 raw.
PSA’s data flags the Japanese card for alteration rather than counterfeiting. It was the sixth most-altered card PSA saw in 2025. The dark borders show every bit of edge wear, and touching them up with a marker, or trimming a worn edge, can look like a jump in grade. On a raw copy, look at the edges under a loupe at an angle, because marker sits shinier or flatter than printed ink. Stack the card on a real one from the same set: a trimmed card is undersized and loses the slight bevel a factory cut leaves. Patchy or over-polished gloss suggests cleaning, and warping suggests it’s been soaked or pressed.
The English 271/264 has 320 HP, Single Strike, the attacks Fear and Panic and G-Max Swallow Up (250), regulation mark E and a yellow border. Don’t confuse it with the regular Gengar VMAX, 157/264, which is worth about $40. The Japanese 020/019 has the Japanese back and a bluish-grey core, both normal on Japanese cards (see the Japanese cards guide). It was the secret card in roughly one in four High-Class Decks. Both versions have a real etched texture you can feel. A printed-on texture looks right in photos and feels flat.
Gengar & Mimikyu GX, Team Up (2019)
Midori Harada’s special art (165/181) is the most valuable modern Gengar, at around $1,250 raw. The four versions of this card look alike in a small listing photo, so check that the number, the art and the illustrator credit all agree.
| Number | Version | Illustrator | Raw price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53/181 | Regular | Mitsuhiro Arita | ~$340 |
| 164/181 | Full art | 5ban Graphics | ~$300 |
| 165/181 | Special art | Midori Harada | ~$1,250 |
| 186/181 | Rainbow rare | 5ban Graphics | ~$375 |
Every version has 240 HP and the attacks Poltergeist and Horror House GX. The full art, special art and rainbow versions are textured, and rainbow rare fakes tend to have one flat rainbow sheen over the whole card instead.
Fossil Gengar 5/62 (1999)
The vintage Gengar sells for about $385 raw in 1st Edition and $120 Unlimited, so the risk here is a fake 1st Edition stamp added to a real Unlimited card. Compare the stamp’s position, size and sharpness with a verified 1st Edition Fossil holo, and look for a stamp that sits on top of the gloss or doesn’t match the other black ink.
The real card is 5/62 with the Fossil set symbol, 80 HP, level 38, Pokémon Power “Curse” and the attack Dark Mind (30), with art by Keiji Kinebuchi. Its holo is the soft “starlight” pattern, although some real Unlimited Fossil holos have a “cosmos” pattern instead, so an unexpected pattern alone doesn’t make it fake. The copyright line on a holo reads ©1999. A holo Fossil Gengar with “1999-2000” doesn’t match any known print.
The same art was reprinted in Legendary Collection (2002) as 11/110. It’s a real card, just not a Fossil Gengar.
Graded Gengars
With a $3,000 gap between a raw M Gengar EX and a PSA 10, fake slabs are a real risk. When you look up the cert, make sure it says #35, not #121, and that the grade matches. For the Japanese Gengar VMAX, the label should name the High-Class Deck and #020, not the English 271/264. How to spot a fake PSA slab covers the rest.
Newer Gengars turn up in fake slabs too. This collector flagged an eBay sale of the Japanese MEGA Dream ex special art rare (240/193) that a quick cert lookup would have caught:
Fake PSA 10 Mega Gengar ex 240/193 sold on ebay for over £400 … Hi all, I did not buy this. … The PSA cert even flags back as reported fake etc
u/SimplyL0vely on r/IsMyPokemonCardFake, April 2026
Buying a Gengar
Below roughly half these prices, I’d want a good reason for the discount:
| Card | Typical raw price | Be suspicious under |
|---|---|---|
| M Gengar EX 35/119 | ~$75 | ~$40 |
| M Gengar EX 121/119 (secret) | ~$175 | ~$90 |
| Gengar VMAX 271/264 | ~$900 | ~$450 |
| Gengar VMAX 020/019 (Japanese) | ~$900 | ~$450 |
| Gengar & Mimikyu GX 165/181 | ~$1,250 | ~$600 |
| Fossil Gengar 5/62, 1st Edition | ~$385 | ~$190 |
For a Gengar over $200 on eBay, the Authenticity Guarantee sends the card through PSA before it reaches you, which makes it the safer place to buy.
Gengar FAQ
Is Gengar one of the most counterfeited Pokémon?
Yes. PSA’s 2025 data ranks Gengar fifth among the most-counterfeited subjects in all trading cards, and third among Pokémon after Charizard and Pikachu.
Which Gengar card is faked the most?
M Gengar EX from XY Phantom Forces (35/119). Fakes of it sent to PSA rose 656% in a year, the fastest growth of any card.
Why is there Japanese writing on my English M Gengar EX?
It’s supposed to be there. Mega EX cards print the attack name inside the artwork, and English cards print it in Japanese.
What’s the difference between Gengar VMAX 271/264 and 020/019?
They share sowsow’s art. 271/264 is the English Fusion Strike alternate art, and 020/019 is the Japanese special art from the 2021 Gengar VMAX High-Class Deck. The regular Gengar VMAX, 157/264, is a different and much cheaper card.
My Fossil Gengar has a different holo pattern. Is it fake?
Not necessarily. Some real Unlimited Fossil holos have a “cosmos” pattern instead of the usual “starlight”. Check the number, the copyright line, the back and the edge first.