 |
|
4.1 A special word about Alternate 4th Edition
-
In 1995, Wizards of the Coast contracted a US company named the United States Playing Card Corporation, from Cincinatti, Ohio
to produce two sets of their other game Vampire: the Eternal Struggle. It is believed that at the same time they were also
contracted to produce a domestic printing of 4th Edition in parallel with those already being produced by Carta Mundi in Belgium.
An unknown amount of complete product was produced but never officially released due to legal disputes between the two
companies. The product was scheduled to be destroyed, but in 1999 it was discovered that some of these cards leaked into
public hands. These cards look and feel almost identical to normal 4th Edition cards. On close inspection though you will
notice that the card stock is thicker and the finish is glossier. Since this company has different printers than Carta Mundi
the exact printing patterns are slightly different as well. But most importantly, these cards are coated with a UV protective layer
to prevent fading. Because of this coating these cards fail the blacklight test.
Any keen observer would quickly label them counterfeit, but there are many collector's who disagree. Since they technically
are official WotC products, some consider them rarities and will actually pay a premium for them. This makes spotting fake
4th Edition cards particularly difficult. Once you have identified that the card you are holding is not a Carta Mundi produced
card, how can you determine whether it's an Alternate 4th Edition card or not? None of the tests on this site will work, except
a very detailed comparison. This of course requires owning an Alternate 4th Edition card to compare with. If you think you
might have one, and you really need to know whether it's fake or just Alternate 4th, I can do the comparison for you. Fill
out the contact form and let me know.
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
