Counterfeit Card Alert: Monkey D. Luffy Alternate Art Manga Rare

The One Piece Trading Card Game was released in 2022, and has since taken the world by storm. In just two short years, it has become one of the most popular TCGs in the world, with players and collectors alike scrambling to get their hands on the newest sets when they release. One of the latest sets, Awakening of the New Era (OP-05), is one of the most popular sets to be released for the TCG, largely in part due to one rare and highly sought-after card.

The Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece (2023) Awakening of the New Era – OP05-119 Secret Rare Alternate Art Parallel is, as of August 2024, the most expensive One Piece card on the secondary market. Ungraded examples have sold for upwards of $3,000 each, while graded examples sell for even more. Not only is the card beautifully illustrated, but it is also very strong in the competitive card game itself.

An authentic Monkey D. Luffy Alternate Manga Art graded CGC Pristine 10 Click images to enlarge.

Naturally, counterfeiters will always want a piece of a rare card’s value. CGC Cards™ recently received a submission containing a suspicious Monkey D. Luffy OP05-119 Alternate Manga Art. Though the card was high-quality and may seem authentic at first glance, there were a few noticeable inconsistencies that the grading team noted during a careful review.

A counterfeit Monkey D. Luffy Click images to enlarge.

The first thing the graders noticed was a difference in the card’s texture. The texture on the art of the fake card was more uniform than the authentic example, and the fake’s details weren’t as defined as the authentic examples. The lack of detail is most noticeable in Luffy’s portrait and by looking at the images sketched into the background.

Like other TCGs, imitating the text on One Piece cards is difficult and differences in font, texture or spelling are one of the most obvious indicators that a card is fake. When comparing these two Luffy cards side by side, it is obvious that the left card’s text is larger and more bolded than the authentic example’s text on the right. Additionally, the copyright text located in the bottom right-hand corner of the fake card is noticeably less sharp than what is on the authentic example.

A counterfeit Monkey D. Luffy (left) and a genuine example (right). The close up images allow a closer look at the lack of detail on the counterfeit example Click images to enlarge.

Finally, on the authentic example, there is a small, nearly transparent authenticity stamp in the bottom left-hand corner of the card, near the card’s color symbol. This authenticity stamp says “One Piece Card Game,” and is included on all One Piece cards. On the counterfeit Luffy, this “stamp” is harshly printed into the card and is not transparent.

The authenticity stamp on a counterfeit Luffy (left) and a genuine example (right) Click images to enlarge.

Turning the cards over, we can see that the fake card has a duller, more purplish color than the authentic example, which is a strong blue color.

The back of a counterfeit Luffy (left) and a genuine example (right) Click images to enlarge.

It’s important to exercise caution when purchasing ungraded cards, especially valuable cards like the Monkey D. Luffy OP05-119 Alternate Manga Art. Every card certified by CGC Cards is guaranteed to be authentic and not overgraded under the CGC Guarantee. For more information, click here.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media, including Betamax tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.