In Probably Stolen, how to spot counterfeit Ribwich packaging comes down to checking the date, facility number, logos and edition details together. A believable date or an attractive wrapper is not sufficient by itself. Missing, torn-open or counterfeit packaging fixes the sandwich's final value at 40 Credits, regardless of the premium features you think you see.
Use the Magnifying Glass and complete the authenticity checks before calculating bonuses. The two genuine production runs are January 425 through December 429, and January 432 through December 438. Dates in the gap, dates outside those runs and missing or invalid dates are counterfeit signs. The wrapper's other details must also agree with its claimed production run.
Start with the physical packaging
First check whether packaging exists and remains intact. Missing plastic or a torn-open wrapper already determines the flat 40-Credit result. You do not need to add premium-edition bonuses to a sandwich that fails this basic condition.
Separate packaging condition from packaging authenticity. A wrapper can be present yet counterfeit. An authentic-looking logo does not repair torn packaging, and intact plastic does not make an impossible date genuine. These checks address different ways the item can fail.
Inspect before entering an appraisal. Looking for the most valuable detail first makes it easy to anchor on a high price and overlook a disqualifying condition. Begin with the checks capable of setting the flat value, then proceed to the features that matter only if the wrapper survives them.
If a detail cannot be read clearly, continue inspecting rather than filling it in from expectation. A small mark that resembles a familiar logo is not the same as confirming the required logo. The Magnifying Glass is useful precisely because the wrapper's details matter more than its overall appearance.
Validate the production date
The genuine date windows are specific and separated by a gap. Treat them as two runs, rather than one continuous period from the first year to the last.
| Claimed date | Authenticity check |
|---|---|
| January 425 through December 429 | Within the first production run |
| January 432 through December 438 | Within the second production run |
| Any date in years 430 or 431 | Outside both genuine runs |
| Earlier than January 425 | Outside the genuine runs |
| Later than December 438 | Outside the genuine runs |
| Missing or invalid date | Counterfeit |
Check both month and year. A familiar year does not make an invalid month acceptable, and a valid-looking month does not rescue a year outside the production periods. Read the complete date before classifying the run.
The first month and the final month also have appraisal significance, but they do not relax authenticity. Their bonus applies only to the specific endpoints, not to every January or December printed on a wrapper. For counterfeit detection, the first job is confirming that the date belongs to a real run at all.
Check the facility number independently
Davre used 35 packing facilities. A missing or invalid facility number makes the Ribwich counterfeit. Check the facility even when the production date is valid; passing one authenticity test does not waive the others.
Some facility numbers affect value without making the wrapper fake. The high-quality facilities are 01, 02, 05, 08, 21 and 34. The low-quality facilities are 07, 15, 18, 26 and 31. Those categories describe quality-control differences among genuine facilities.
| Facility detail | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Number belongs to a genuine facility | Continue the other authenticity checks |
| Number is missing or invalid | Counterfeit |
| Genuine high-quality facility | A valuation feature, not independent proof of authenticity |
| Genuine low-quality facility | Lower quality, not automatically counterfeit |
Do not label a sandwich fake simply because its genuine facility has a poor quality record. Conversely, do not accept a wrapper merely because it prints a premium facility number. Counterfeit packaging can fail somewhere else, including its date, logos or edition details.
Match the logos to the claimed run
Every genuine Ribwich needs the Davre logo. If it is absent or incorrect, the wrapper is counterfeit. This requirement applies to both production runs, so a first-run date is not a reason to overlook a missing Davre mark.
The Ribwich sticker is run-specific. Second-run sandwiches have it, and a missing or incorrect sticker makes that claimed second-run item counterfeit. First-run sandwiches do not have the Ribwich sticker. The date and sticker therefore need to agree as a pair.
A useful inspection sequence is to identify the date first, classify the run and then check the sticker expected for that run. Looking at a sticker without deciding which run the wrapper claims can lead to the wrong conclusion.
Keep the Davre logo and Ribwich sticker separate in your notes. One is a universal requirement; the other depends on the production run. Calling both simply “the logo” can hide the exact mismatch you need to catch.
Verify the Deluxe Edition as a pair of features
A genuine Deluxe Edition has both a sesame bun and extra pickles. If only one of those features is present, the sandwich is counterfeit. Do not award a Deluxe bonus from one attractive detail while ignoring the missing partner.
This is an agreement check between the item's visible features. You are not merely looking for something that seems expensive. You are checking whether the combination satisfies the game's definition of the edition.
For example, seeing a sesame bun should prompt you to check for extra pickles before classifying the sandwich as Deluxe. Seeing extra pickles should prompt the corresponding bun check. Either one alone fails the pair requirement.
The double-meat-patty feature is different. Genuine double-patty sandwiches are rare, but rarity alone is not a counterfeit sign. Complete the wrapper checks before deciding what that feature means for value. A premium feature on a failed wrapper still does not override the flat counterfeit outcome.
Use a fixed inspection order
A repeatable order makes small packaging details easier to handle. It also helps you avoid doing a long appraisal calculation for an item already disqualified by its first visible defect.
- Confirm that the plastic packaging exists and is not torn open.
- Read the full production date and check it against the two genuine runs.
- Inspect the packing facility number for validity.
- Confirm the Davre logo.
- Match the Ribwich sticker to the claimed production run.
- Check the sesame-bun and extra-pickle pairing if Deluxe features appear.
- Only after those checks, evaluate premium features and price modifiers.
You can stop valuation arithmetic when a condition fixes the final value at 40 Credits. If you keep inspecting for learning purposes, keep that separate from changing the result. Discovering a rare feature later does not cancel the earlier packaging failure.
For several sandwiches, inspect each item independently. A genuine wrapper from the same seller or the same apparent batch is not proof that every other sandwich is genuine. The actual date, facility and visible features belong to the individual item you are appraising.
Distinguish counterfeit signs from low value
A genuine Ribwich can have a low-quality facility, while a counterfeit can advertise a high-quality one. Price and authenticity are related but different questions. If you begin with the desired price, you may misread a negative modifier as a counterfeit rule.
| Observation | Correct interpretation |
|---|---|
| Genuine low-quality facility | A valuation deduction |
| Missing facility number | Authenticity failure |
| Date within one valid run | One authenticity check passed |
| Date in the production gap | Authenticity failure |
| Second-run sticker missing | Authenticity failure |
| Rare double patty | A premium feature only after other checks |
The flat 40-Credit rule is the key boundary. It applies when packaging is missing, torn or counterfeit. Do not start from the normal base value and then keep stacking ordinary modifiers onto that failed condition. The wrapper failure determines the result instead.
Recheck the detail that disagrees
If an appraisal result is unexpectedly low, revisit the disqualifying checks before assuming that a premium bonus is broken. A date in the wrong period, an invalid facility, an incorrect logo or an incomplete Deluxe pair can explain why a sandwich with impressive features still has the minimum value.
If your result is close to what you expected but the wrapper passes every authenticity check, the issue may be valuation rather than counterfeiting. Keep that later calculation separate from this inspection workflow. Confirming authenticity tells you which pricing rules may apply; it does not by itself finish every addition and deduction.
For a suspected fake, identify the exact failed condition. That makes the next inspection more useful than simply remembering that the last sandwich “looked wrong.” Read the actual date, match the correct sticker rule, verify both Deluxe features and inspect the facility. A clear chain of checks is what turns a confusing wrapper into a defensible appraisal decision.
Practice with a date-and-sticker mismatch
Consider packaging dated within the second production run that lacks the Ribwich sticker. The valid date does not save it: that run requires the sticker, so the wrapper fails its authenticity check. Now consider a wrapper with a plausible sticker but a date in year 430. The sticker does not save that item either, because the date belongs to neither genuine run. In both cases, identify the failed requirement before spending time calculating premium features.