This is a Member Guest Blog Post from PopaTop22. He would probably admit himself that he spends too much time with Funko Pops but that allowed him to formulate opinions on how to get around the ever increasing flood of fakes.

As Funko Pop collecting continues to grow, so does the market for counterfeit figures. While some replicas are easy to spot, others can closely mimic the originals, making it essential for collectors to know what to look for. Here are the top tells of a replica Funko Pop and why using a reputable grading company like PSA is crucial for ensuring authenticity and preserving value.

Top Signs of a Replica Funko Pop

1. Box Quality and Print

Authentic Funko Pop boxes have clean, vibrant printing with no blurring or color inconsistencies. Check for:

• Misspelled words on the packaging.
• Incorrect fonts or logo designs.
• Lower-quality cardboard or uneven folds.

Here are some examples  –

Check out the Pop’s PPG Database Item page to see if one of the volunteers has already added Fake photos and other fake related info!

2. Sticker Authentication

Special edition or exclusive Pops often have stickers on the box (e.g., Comic-Con exclusives). Fake stickers may look off due to poor alignment, color mismatches, or incorrect wording.

3. Paint and Mold Details

Examine the Pop itself:

• Authentic figures have precise paint jobs and clean edges. Replicas often have sloppy or inconsistent paint applications.
• Check for rough or uneven molds, as counterfeits often lack the fine detail of genuine items.

4. Bottom of the Box and Figure

Look for the Funko copyright information and serial numbers:

• Legitimate Pops have crisp, consistent stamps or prints.
• Counterfeits may have missing, misspelled, or low-quality markings.

5. Price Too Good to Be True

If a rare Funko Pop is priced significantly below market value, it’s a red flag. Always cross-check prices with PPG before making a purchase (if Price Points are not recent check also with other sources).

The Role of PSA in Funko Pop Collecting

Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is a trusted name in the collectibles industry, providing authentication and grading services for Funko Pops. Here’s why using PSA can elevate your collecting experience:

1. Ensured Authenticity

PSA’s experts meticulously inspect each Funko Pop to confirm its legitimacy, protecting collectors from unwittingly buying replicas.

2. Condition Verification

PSA grades Pops based on box condition, figure integrity, and overall presentation, giving collectors confidence in their purchase.

3. Value Protection

A PSA-graded Funko Pop adds credibility and transparency to its market value. Graded figures are easier to resell and often fetch higher prices due to their certified condition and authenticity.

4. Long-Term Preservation

PSA encapsulates graded Funko Pops in tamper-proof cases, ensuring long-term protection from damage or wear.

Why Authenticity Matters

Counterfeit Funko Pops devalue the collectible market and can leave collectors feeling cheated. By educating yourself on spotting fakes and using a reputable grading company like PSA, you can build a collection that holds its value and reflects your passion for authentic collectibles.

Invest in your collection’s future by ensuring every piece is genuine and graded — it’s a decision you won’t regret.

And if you can help by adding Fake photos to PPG reach out the team here!

The post Spotting a Replica Funko Pop: Tips for Collectors and the Role of PSA in Authenticating Your Collection appeared first on Pop Price Guide.

And Autographed replaced the Lobbycard as the best way of getting autographs.  They were also more versatile as they also work for sports stars, magicians, politicians, and anybody else somebody’s signature is desirable.

And now we have Graded Funko POPS, initially, only PSA and only for autographed items (and only verifying the signature) new companies joined (first the VVGS, followed a year or so later by PGS). Now PSA has started to grade all single POPs and CGC is staffing up to do the same. It is only a question of time until they offer to grade for 6 Inch, Double Packs, and some other Funko sizes.  That raises a ton of questions.  How will we at PPG measure values (see our post from yesterday)? And how much of the market will become graded POPs?

We learned from other segments such as Comics and Trading Cards that it is really only worth grading collectibles that will come back with high Grades, say 9s and 10s.  For very early or rare items lower Grades will also work. Most POPs in collectors’ hands were never played with (say different to early Hot Wheels), so a high percentage could potentially be graded that high, maybe 10% a 9 and 1% a 10?  We heard early reports of only 0.35% making it to a 10 but that is on a super small sample size.

We thought we stick our neck out there with a forecast for what this market could look like in 18-24 months  –

Please note that this chart represents units, not value.  Graded items will naturally become a much larger percentage of the value of all POPs out there.  We already see an influx of collectors and money from sneakers, comics, trading cards, and NFTs to POPs and many of those are very familiar with Grading. We forecast the current trend of ungraded high-quality, low-production-run Funko POPs to rapidly increase in value to last for maybe another 8-12 months.  Further, we believe that there will be a specialist emerging for grading Prototypes – here the grade will not be so important but authentication will be! While it is hard to verify the authenticity of a production POP in its box it is sooo much harder to do this for a Proto (some collectors only buy Protos where all owners from Day 1 are known).

And now we love to hear your thoughts!

Do you hate all of that (it will make it harder to buy certain rare POPs)? Do you think this is great? Do you disagree with our theories?

Please tell us in the comments.

The post Grading & The Future of POP Collecting appeared first on Pop Price Guide.

With the popularity of Graded figures clearly on the rise, now comes the task of adding them to Pop Price Guide in an easily manageable and efficient manner and this has become more urgent last week.  Why?  Meet the first Mint Gem 10 graded Ms. Marvel and what she did to our Estimated Value!

That was a 15x Lift!  Is a 10 worth that, who knows?  But should it change the EV to that extent?  Cleary no!

We had to take action.

Phase One (launched today)

All Price Points for Funko Pop! figures graded 9 or 10 will be moved to a new “Holding Page” for now.   Think of it as Quarantine…

So we are adding them but are not currently displaying them (we want the data for when we are ready).  We will also review the Grades that get paused (for now we think 8 is the equivalent to our current Near Mint / Mint).

NOTE.  4 or 5 Estimated Values will change overnight as we move Price Points out.

Phase Two

Planned for the end of January we’ll create the ability to add the Grades of Price Points directly to the Database Item. Price Points 9 and above will show on the page but will not be calculated into its Estimated Value during this phase.

Phase Three

Towards the beginning of the spring in March or April, we’ll introduce the final stage.

Check out the Mockup –

Note that you’ll now find price tiers for Graded Pop!s, in addition to Ungraded Estimated Values for In Box and Loose figures, as well.

Give it a look and let us know what you think!

Comment below with any questions, concerns and kudos or message us at support@hobbydb.com and we’ll do our best to address them.

The post Adding and Separating Graded Funko Pop! Figures on Pop Price Guide appeared first on Pop Price Guide.

With the popularity of autographed, custom and error items on the rise, we believe that authentication, encapsulation and grading will play a major role in the future of collecting Funko Pop! figures…and beyond.

Follow this link to read more about Professional Sports Authenticator and why a partnership with PSA was a home run.

As part of our announcement, we ran a giveaway asking you to comment on what types of items from your collection that you would have graded, including your choice between five PSA Graded Funko Pop! figures to win at random.

Thank you to everyone who commented! All told, close to 900 of you shared your thoughts on PPG and PSA! And stay tuned. We’re hoping to be able to offer more giveaways in the near future.

So without further delay, here are your winners. We will be in contact for more information.

• Jimi Hendrix – Cbrockrocks
• Freddy Krueger – Tigres13
• Darth Maul – RealJenk
• Scarlet Witch – StrawHatJunee
• Tom Brady – UnbridledRiot

Thank you, once again. Your feedback is invaluable. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or kudos by commenting below or messaging us at support@hobbydb.com!

The post Pop Price Guide and PSA Partner Up, Graded Funko Pop! Giveaway Winners appeared first on Pop Price Guide.