YouTuber Logan Paul discovers his $3.5 M Pokémon cards are fake
Internet personality, boxer, and Pokémon fan Logan Paul made headlines in December after spending $3.5 million on a box of first-edition Pokémon Card booster packs.
Following speculations online including suspicions raised by PokéBeach, that he may have spent millions on fake cards, the YouTuber recently verified his purchase and confirmed they are indeed fake.
update on this: I’m flying to Chicago this weekend to verify the case with BBCE, the company who insured its authenticity
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 5, 2022
to be continued… https://t.co/grLMa92JCM
In Paul’s latest video posted Friday (Jan. 14), titled “I lost $3,500,000 On Fake Pokemon Cards,” he details the dubious purchase and how he was duped.
Upon opening the case, Paul and crew see that boxes inside were forged due to their poor print quality, while the supposedly “sealed and authenticated” Pokemon Card booster boxes were shown containing G.I. Joe booster packs.
In recent months, first-edition Pokémon cards have been hitting valuations well into the thousands of dollars, with collectors snapping up the rare cards.
IGN reports that in December 2021, Paul announced he purchased a “sealed and authenticated” box of first-edition booster packs which could contain rare cards worth a small fortune.
Pokemon card experts quickly began to question the veracity of Paul’s purchase, which he then claimed was "the only known one in the world."
just dropped $3,500,000 on this sealed & authenticated box of 1st Edition Pokémon cards ? pic.twitter.com/rMY2bVnKV2
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) December 20, 2021
Some observers noted that the box Paul purchased did not resemble previous boxes for a similar set, and the original seller changed their story on how they acquired this valuable case at least three times in the past. The box reportedly first sold for $75,000, well below the auction price.
In response to the online speculation, Paul traveled to Chicago to verify his purchase with the Baseball Card Exchange (BBCE). The previous owner of the set claimed the BBCE verified the legitimacy of the set before, but Paul set out to authenticate his purchase in person.
According to IGN, findings show that while the exterior box showed signs of authenticity based on the aging of the case, once opened, Paul, BBCE, and everyone else there discovered the Pokémon Card boxes were filled with G.I. Joe collectible cards.
Considering the insane amount of money he spent, Paul reacts to the discovery in shock and anger, while the owner of the BBCE says “we all got duped.”
To verify the authenticity of the cards, Paul brought with him a card collector named Matt Allen who purchased the case for $2.7 million before selling them to Paul for $3.5 million. In the video, Allen says he never would’ve purchased the set if it wasn’t approved by the BBCE, and Allen says he will begin a new process to remedy the situation.
Watch the entire video below.
Interest in Pokémon and the Pokémon card game has only continued to grow in recent years, with multiple card sales at auction setting new records in the past two years. With speculation for Pokemon Cards continuing at a fever pitch, it's no surprise that counterfeit products and forgeries are becoming more common in the market.
