Identifying Non-English Magic Cards by Copyright Line
The easiest way to tell apart the European languages is by looking
at the copyright line; the phrase "All rights reserved" is different
in every language. This won't work for newer cards, since WotC got
rid of the "All rights reserved" text a couple of years ago.
English
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that since you're reading
this, you already know how to identify English cards. But just in case,
here's a typical copyright line for an old-style English card:
Easy enough? But wait, I tricked you, that scan is actually from a
Chinese card! Yes, it seems that some Asian language cards
use an English copyright line. But the card text is a dead giveaway.
French
Here's a French copyright line:
Apparently, there's a German island ("Insel") than was erroneously printed
with a French copyright, so watch out for that.
German
A German copyright line (sorry, I couldn't find a white-bordered one):
Italian
The copyright line:
Portuguese
The copyright line:
Spanish
The copyright line (very similar to Portuguese):
Japanese
Some Japanese cards write "Illus:" in katakana, like this:
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Brett Allen
(allen@cs.washington.edu)
This page is Copyright 2001-2006, Brett Allen.