Repro Labels for MVS

Just curious how you guys are able to tell a real MVS label from a fake, if there even is a way. Are the reproduction labels that good?

For example, is this a reproduction label on this cart?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEO-GEO-NA...559487?hash=item41f1ea9f3f:g:nR4AAOSwHORb1Kz0

That's a repro, it has no serial number.

Also, if the label has NGH-XXX where X is numbers it's a repro, as they got that template from James' site.

some Euro carts/kit have no serial, just from the picture it looks legit (can't say it's a homemade print, but looks consistent to the neo store one)

A lot of the early titles didn't have serial numbers on the label. For example my JPN label Magician Lord doesn't have a serial number either.

This looks like a real label to me, it has the barb wire affect in the text and everything.

Yup, looks legit.

And yes, I've seen some nice vinyl labels look as legit as the real ones.

At this Point, who even cares about the label?

As long as the Board and Chips are legit, that's all that matters.

The label in the 2nd pic looks like a repro (darker in colour).

What I usually do is compare the label to the one on hardmvs http://www.hardmvs.fr/labels/index.php or mvs-scans http://www.mvs-scans.com/index.php/Main_Page

Compare the colour/darkness of the label, font, round/square edges and also look out for what ggallegos1 said above as these are James' labels which are really close and great repro labels if your label is damaged

RAZO said:

Yup, looks legit.

And yes, I've seen some nice vinyl labels look as legit as the real ones.

At this Point, who even cares about the label?

As long as the Board and Chips are legit, that's all that matters.

Click to expand...

I’m in this camp, as long as the boards are original. The labels are made out of a material that just would collect grime and scratch off in their industrial use. I’m torn on replacing my worn ones with nice repros but I will eventually

That looks legit. Most of those older US labels don't have serial numbers on them anyways. The serial number is on the silver "warranty void if removed" sticker that is stuck on the side of the cart instead.

Also, those old style labels are horrid quality anyways, they just kind of feel like paper, and immediately look awful the moment they get creased from opening the cartridge, get any moisture on them, collect dirt and stairs, rip and tear easily and you can't clean them without making them just look even worse, and they just feel like paper, or at most, magazine print quality crap.

I do, on the other hand, love the holographic labels put on later carts. You can wipe them off to clean them, they last much longer, look better, feel better and actually do lend some authenticity to the cartridge and as far as I know, nobody reproduces them accurately enough to fool anyone.

A simply laser printer with sticker paper can produce a pretty nice basic label, although I prefer to print my repro labels on this frosted transparent sticker material, then stick that on plain white sticker paper, then apply that to the cart. It makes a label that looks like the original label, but feels better and holds up to cleaning and stuff. Also, I think it's just nicer than the original (while still looking identical) but also not trying to fool anyone.