Suspected fake PSA 10-style slab: collector reports owning a 2002 Expedition Dragonite with the same cert as a $288,000 auction sale (Oct 2026)
PSAcardSuspected (collector claim reported in hobby press); unconfirmed; auction platform says it is looking into it
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Summary
Per a hobby news report on Oct 28, 2026, a collector posting on Reddit says he still owns a PSA 10 2002 Pokemon Expedition Holo Dragonite #9 carrying the same cert number as a PSA 10 Dragonite that sold for $288,000 (with buyer's premium) in a major online auction on Oct 23, 2026. He reportedly posted a time-stamped photo of his slab and pointed to differences in the label and holo pattern. The auction platform's CEO replied publicly that the company is "looking into this now." Per the report, PSA had not commented publicly, nothing has been confirmed, and it is not known which slab, if either, is genuine. Two slabs carrying one cert number means at least one is not a genuine PSA holder.
Reported diagnostics
- Same PSA cert number reported on two different slabs
- Reported differences in label printing and holo pattern between the two slabs
- Card, label and holder should be compared to PSA's own images for that cert where available
What to do
Before paying for any high-value PSA slab, run the cert yourself at psacard.com/cert, compare the card and label to PSA's images for that exact cert, and search past sales of the same cert number. If the same cert turns up on another slab, stop and contact PSA.