In PSA Magazine’s February issue, Jon Gold counts down the company’s top 10 most counterfeited cards of 2024.
The company said it detected more than 12,000 counterfeit submissions last year.
The list skews older than one may suspect.
“Modern stuff is much harder to counterfeit,” PSA Senior Brand Protection Manager Matt Hendler told the magazine, citing the use of foil, which makes it more difficult compared to junk wax or earlier issues.
PSA also noted that it routinely buys counterfeit cards intentionally to examine them.
“Know thy enemy,” Gold writes.
Below is the list, accompanied by PSA’s published data.
1. 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan #57
Unsurprisingly, the top card was Michael Jordan’s 1986 Fleer. PSA rejected 524 counterfeits of the card in 2024, accounting for 25% of all copies submitted to the grading and authentication service in 2024.
2. 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18
The incentive for fraudsters to pass a Gretzky rookie by PSA’s graders is even greater than that of a Jordan rookie. With only two PSA 10 examples of the O-Pee-Chee Gretzky, one of which sold privately for $3.75 million in 2021, the condition-sensitive card is expected near the top of the list.
3. 2000 SkyBox Impact Tom Brady #27
Considering the relative abundance of this card with 8,478 total graded by PSA, including 1,090 PSA 10s, in addition to the comparatively-low price, it’s an odd choice for counterfeiters to target.
Nevertheless, PSA received more than 100 fake examples last year.
4. 1985 Topps Mark McGwire #401 1984 USA Baseball Team
PSA has graded a total of 63,606 copies of McGwire’s famous early-career card. Just 307 have received a PSA 10, the most recent sale of which notched $3,175.
5. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311
Much like the 1986 Fleer Jordan at No. 1, this should come as no surprise. High-grade examples of the collecting world’s most famous post-war baseball card are worth millions, providing an obvious temptation for counterfeiters. PSA actually received more fake copies of this card in 2024 than it did real.
6. 1984 Star Michael Jordan #101
This seems to be a result of the recent run-up in price for the controversial first-year Jordan card. PSA only resumed grading Star cards in the last few years, with a total of 430 in its population report. Just three have been graded a PSA 9, with none higher, one of which sold for a record of more than $1 million in 2024.
7. 2000 Pacific Aurora Tom Brady #84
Another seemingly odd target for fakes since PSA 10 copies of this card fetch around $500, PSA says it is the “relatively little foil,” in addition to Brady’s popularity, which power the attempted forgeries of the card. PSA found 75 fake examples in its grading room last year.
8. 1985 Nike Michael Jordan Promo
This promo was “heavily targeted during the card boom of the early ‘90s,” according to PSA, and “heated up again during the Covid-19 pandemic.” The card peaked at $66,000 for one of the 172 PSA 10 copies in 2021.
9. 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken #616 FF Error
One of the hobby’s most famous “error” cards, the Ripken FF is beloved by many collectors and was even revisited last year when Topps offered a nod to the card with a Jackson Holiday “Fun Face” short print.
10. 2009 Topps Stephen Curry #321
PSA says this is a “newer target of fakes” and that it could be a result of Curry’s relatively scarce number of rookie cards. PSA received 60 fake submissions of the card in 2024.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.