It is a game. Metal Pokemon cards are unofficial Pokemon cards that are covered in a gold-colored substance. So they are not part of the official game if that is what you are asking.
Pokémon cards made officially by The Pokémon Company may actually be made with real gold – these are extremely rare and were released for special occasions, like the 20-year anniversary. As for the Burger King gold-plated cards and other mass-produced gold cards, these items are not made from real gold.
Ultra Rare and Secret Rare cards (and cards of roughly equivalent rarities) are usually foil all over. In short, there are foil Pokémon cards of every rarity, so you can't determine the rarity of a card just from whether or not it's foil.
Ultra Rare cards are foil and feature a specific game mechanic and/or appearance that distinguishes them from Rare Holo cards. There are many types of Ultra Rare cards, including: Pokémon ex. Pokémon. (star)
If you've ever handled Pokémon cards before, you probably remember seeing some that are shiny like a piece of foil. These cards actually have a very thin layer of aluminum underneath a layer of lacquer.
Are Foils Valuable or Worth More? Foils are usually worth more than their non-foil counterparts. The increased drop rate of foils from 1:67 to 1:45 and the release of Set and Collector Boosters have dropped the average price of new common and uncommon foils significantly.
Foils tend to be worth more than regular cards because they are harder to obtain.
And although it sounds odd to hear, fake Pokémon cards—especially chase cards from relatively recent sets—XY onward—tend to have a very simple almost flat holo to them. In short, they just don't shine correctly. Sometimes, these fake chase cards will also have a brownish, yellowish, or orangish hue to them.
In sports cards, the difference between a foil and a holo is that a holo is only found on cards with a chrome finish. Since we are talking about holos, that of course includes Panini Optic, but could also include Topps Chrome (refractors) and Panini Prizm (silver prizms).
Rare cards of even rarer Pokémon. Sometimes collecting Pokémon just isn't enough to set a master trainer apart from the competition. For those that want to take having the rarest Pokémon to the next level, there are Shiny Pokémon: variants of Pokémon that are incredibly rare due to their alternative color scheme.
1. 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Pikachu Holo Illustrator. Logan Paul purchased the 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Pikachu Illustrato-Holo for $5.3 million in July 2021. The Pikachu Illustrator card is widely considered the rarest and most expensive Pokemon card in existence.
Gold Pokémon cards, specifically the special embossed gold holofoil cards are highly sought after by Pokémon fans and collectors. As of April 2023, over 200 gold cards are available to collect. Due to their rarity, obtaining these trading cards is relatively difficult, with a pull rate of roughly one per two boxes.
Secret Rare are exceptionally Rare cards that have a special number outside the regular numbers assigned to the set (for example, they will be 151/150). These cards are very rare to pull from regular booster packs and feature special art styles.
In fact, many fakes are poor and unwanted replications. For years, metal cards have been only unique gifts but now have the potential to be fake cards too. The Pokémon Company recently created four official metal cards for retail, opening the door for fake metal cards.
Foil is often referred to using general terms like "standard" and "heavy duty." These terms can be measured in gauge (thickness) too, just like plastic or sheet metal. Naturally, the heavier the gauge, the thicker and more puncture and tear resistant the foil is.
What is a Holo Pokémon Card? Just for clarification purposes, a normal/standard Holo Pokémon card is where the character graphic window is holographic/shiny, but the rest of the card isn't. Here's an example of a Holographic card, this beautiful original Base Set Charizard from 1999.
First and foremost, it's important to understand that fake Pokémon cards are not authorized or produced by The Pokémon Company International (TPCi). Therefore, buying, selling, or distributing fake Pokémon cards is considered copyright infringement and is a violation of intellectual property laws.
One of the mainstay variants during the Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield eras (2017-2023) was Rainbow Rares: full-art versions of Pokémon and Supporter cards with a rainbow foil coloration across the card. Rainbow Rares had a complicated place in the collector community.
Fake cards tend to be lighter in colour, often with the same shade of blue throughout. If you compare these two cards above, the real Pokémon card (on the left) has a deeper, darker shade of blue, compared to the almost washed out colour of the fake one (on the right).
It's a heavy price to pay for a board, we get it. eFoils are expensive for many reasons but the big three reasons are the cost of materials, the cost of labor, technology and the massive demand that simply cannot keep up with supply.
Are silver metal Pokémon cards fake? It is a game. Metal Pokemon cards are unofficial Pokemon cards that are covered in a gold-colored substance. So they are not part of the official game if that is what you are asking.
Foil Printing works by transferring pigmented foil onto a flat surface such as paper, cards, labels, and stickers. This is what gives foil wedding invitations their metallic design elements.