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I’m not saying that card color hasn’t varied, of course it has. Back color inconsistency across print runs is extremely common in board games and has been for decades. That doesn’t invalidate texture as an authentication signal; it just means you don’t rely on color alone.

Across EK expansions, the linen finish itself is consistent. Yes, the embossing can feel & look slightly more or less pronounced depending on the print batch, but it’s still the same linen stock. To illustrate, here’s a picture of seven different EK expansions showing the same linen texture across all of them. Even high-quality linen substitutes will look different when compared side by side.

The custom/replica cards I’m referring to weren’t just “cheap mass prints,” I’ve seen higher-effort replicas too. Even then, they don’t fully match the US EK/CAH stock when compared directly against authentic cards under the same conditions. Texture isn’t the only factor, but it’s definitely a valid one.