I see this question asked all the time, which, being honest, I don't understand because there is NO way to mistake a Refractor from a base card...unless you've never seen either kind before. I decided to take some pictures and a short video to hopefully help anyone who is having trouble telling the difference. Panini's Prizms and Upper Deck's Rainbows use the same technology.
In the second image and the video, the Refractor is on top, while the standard Chrome card is on the bottom. Note how the light refracts from the Refractor, and just reflects from the Chrome card.
VIDEO on YouTube
When scanned, the Refractor appears to be glowing from within- these are my scans of the exact same cards shown in the images:
And the Refractor:
As you can see, there is a world of difference, and it's impossible to mistake them. Hopefully this will help anyone who is struggling to identify my all-time favorite Parallel concept in cardboard history.
VERY slow trading due to health problems. Not transferrable so safe to trade with, just moving is painful and can't always access the cards.
Cardboard History My COMC
New Collection Website: Cardboard History Gallery (Still under construction)
Tips on how to make your scans look like the card does in hand (No more washed out, fuzzy scans!):
