Is this Pokémon Emerald original or Repro?

[Phenj]

Hello everyone, this seller on Facebook Marketplace is selling me this Pokémon Emerald, it's PAL/EU/ITALIAN, do you know if it is original or just a repro? The seller claims it is an original, but i'd like to hear an expert.

Thanks!

 

[ghjfdtg]

On first glance that looks like the real deal. It's very easy to spot repros with clear shell. A picture of the back side would be good just to make sure.

 

[EnterpriseFreak]

Looks real to me. The fakes I've seen so far don't have a RTC battery most of the time, use the US version of the seal of quality and have their ID4 (plus the region indentifier) mismatched almost always. If there's a picture of the back of the cartridge or the copyright text above the pins that would help indentify a possible fake too.

 

[Flame]

yes please. lets see its back

 

[Stirfry8993]

Mine is a fake, sadly, and it doesn't have that RTC battery like yours does.

 

[Phenj]

Thanks guys, just added the retro. Looks fine, but the black screw is sus.
EDIT: This one for comparision should be original, and there's a written thing on the back "MODEL NO AGB-002"

 

[Phenj]

It seems fake based on this.

 

[EnterpriseFreak]

Yeah that screw looks strange. There's also no Nintendo logo and Model No. on the back thats a red flag.

 

[Phenj]

Yeah that screw looks strange. There's also no Nintendo logo and Model No. on the back thats a red flag.

Yeah, that's the biggest red flag. I don't think there's any version of Emerald without it.

 

[RAHelllord]

Looks legitimate to me, the screw likely got oxidized somehow and turned black, i have one or two where that happened myself due to a mixture of dirt and moisture, and the lighting in the pictures is most likely the reason the print on the back is not visible. The PCB itself is definitely legit, I'd blame the rest on the dude making the photos not doing so in a well lit room.

 

[Phenj]

Looks legitimate to me, the screw likely got oxidized somehow and turned black, i have one or two where that happened myself due to a mixture of dirt and moisture, and the lighting in the pictures is most likely the reason the print on the back is not visible. The PCB itself is definitely legit, I'd blame the rest on the dude making the photos not doing so in a well lit room.

The print on the back should be clearly visible, i think, even in poor light conditions

 

[RAHelllord]

The print on the back should be clearly visible, i think, even in poor light conditions

Not necessarily with a shitty camera like they use. Poor sensor combined with aggressive compression and bad lighting could easily make it almost impossible to actually see.

 

[Phenj]

Not necessarily with a shitty camera like they use. Poor sensor combined with aggressive compression and bad lighting could easily make it almost impossible to actually see.

I see, thanks. I'll see the cart in person anyway

 

[ghjfdtg]

Looks legit to me. And yes, the screw can oxidize like that.

 

[AkikoKumagara]

Also agree it looks legit. I do think the text is on the rear despite not being visible in the photo.

 

[Flame]

its legit. the four golden squares confirm that.

edit: look at my gen 3 games.

 

[DuoForce]

If you ever get your hands on a repo and have an authentic copy of any Pokemon game for GBA then I'd shell swap the cartridge housing since the repos are usually in way better condition than the authentic copies
EDIT Another easy way to tell if a Pokemon GBA game is fake or not is to see if it is compatible with Pal Park from all the Gen 4 games

 

[Asia81]

its legit. the four golden squares confirm that.

edit: look at my gen 3 games.


View attachment 277200

that's a nice collection

 

[N7Kopper]

If you ever get your hands on a repo and have an authentic copy of any Pokemon game for GBA then I'd shell swap the cartridge housing since the repos are usually in way better condition than the authentic copies
EDIT Another easy way to tell if a Pokemon GBA game is fake or not is to see if it is compatible with Pal Park from all the Gen 4 games

Colosseum, XD, and Box are also good tells if you don't have a Gen IV game handy.