You spotted a fake, had your seizure,and I learned nothing.

[glchen]

One of the biggest reasons to say fake is if it were a card worth several thousands of dollars or more, then seller would have had the card authenticated by a reputable TPG. So if they didn't, you should already come into it very suspicious. In addition, you look at the seller feedbacks. If the feedback # is very low, then you are even more suspicious. Then you look at what else the seller is selling. If this is the only card they are selling, or all of the cards that they selling are known to have been reprinted or counterfeited many times, it's another sign that you should avoid the sale. So basically, you can have all of the above without even really studying a scan of the card, and know that it's probably a fake. However, if the card is sold with a bunch of other cards that are authentic, then the card is worth studying more because there's a lot better chance. For example, if a Babe Ruth strip card is sold at the same time as a bunch of other commons from the same set, then there's a better chance that it's authentic.