u/HourPass2007

Hi everyone,

I bought this card specifically to use as an alter, but after receiving it and inspecting it more closely, I noticed some very unusual characteristics. Now I'm wondering whether this could possibly be a genuine misprint/miscut rather than a counterfeit.

The card shown in the photos is the darker version.

Some additional information:

• The card does not transmit light at all when held against a light source.
• https://streamable.com/m99y6t
• Compared to another card from the same edition, this card is approximately 1.2 mm shorter and 1.2 mm wider.
• When I place another card on top of it for comparison, the borders do not line up properly. Parts of the other card are exposed, while in other areas it appears that part of the card is missing.
• The card weighs approximately 1.7 g, although I am not putting much emphasis on the weight because of the unusual dimensions.
• I obviously have some suspicion that the card could be counterfeit. However, the T test and rosette pattern appear to be consistent with a genuine card.

Since I originally bought the card intentionally for an alter, I wasn't expecting to encounter something like this.

So I'm curious what people here think:

Could this potentially be a genuine printing error/misprint, or does the combination of these characteristics strongly suggest a fake?

I would really appreciate opinions from people who have experience with Revised/older MTG misprints and printing variations.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I recently bought an Underground Sea from Cardmarket, mainly because I wanted to use it for an alter, so I deliberately bought a cheaper copy rather than one of my nicer copies.

However, when I received it, several things immediately made me suspicious.

The card feels extremely soft/flimsy compared to my other Underground Seas. I know condition can affect how a card feels, especially if it is heavily played/damaged, so that alone wouldn't concern me too much.

But I also measured the card and found that it is approximately:

• 1.2 mm shorter
• 1.2 mm wider

The difference is not really visible to the naked eye, but the dimensions are noticeably different when measured against my other copies.

I also checked the weight. The card weighs 1.7 g, which is within the range I would expect for an MTG card. However, because the card has non-standard dimensions, I'm not putting much weight on the scale result. A card can have a normal weight while still having other characteristics that raise concerns.

I also tried the light test. With my phone flashlight, the card does not behave like my other copies. It is not completely impossible to see light through it, but there is only a very small amount of light visible compared to my known genuine copies.

LT here  https://streamable.com/m99y6t

I also checked the green dot test. The card does appear to have the expected 4 red dots, which obviously makes things more complicated.

For comparison, I own two other Underground Seas:

1. One I personally pulled from a booster.
2. One I bought from a professional Cardmarket seller I regularly purchase expensive cards from, and whose cards have always been authentic.

The suspicious card is the one I bought as a cheaper Played/altering copy, which is why I'm now wondering if I may have received a counterfeit.

For the photos:
I have marked the card I suspect may be counterfeit in red. I am also including comparison photos against the known genuine Underground Sea that I personally pulled from a booster.

I'm not claiming it's definitely fake. I'd really like some opinions from people who have experience authenticating older MTG cards.

What do you think?

Are these dimensional differences and the way the card behaves under light enough to be concerning, or could this simply be explained by the card's condition / printing variation?

Thanks in advance for any opinions or advice!