Pokemon cards were all the rage in the ’90s and have kept their head high above water since. The competitive game has kept fans engaged for decades now, and its rare cards are harder to find than ever before. For some of these cards, they can go for some seriously big bucks, and it turns out some duped fan is raising a lawsuit over a major bust.
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Not long ago, the New York Post shared an article detailing the woes of one Marwan Alkhaja. The 38-year-old is a longtime fan of Pokemon who has put down lots of money on the trading card game over the years. His most recent buy cost him a whopping $60,000 as he found a pricey card which was a prize card in Japan. And it turns out the card is lost big time.
For those curious, Alkhaja bought the ever-coveted Trainer No. 3 card from a seller online. The eBay transaction went down in August 2018, and the Pokemon card was sold for a staggering price even after being brought down. The card in question is written in Japanese, and it was made in 1999 as the third-place prize card for Super Secret Battle. Obviously, this card is a rare one to find, but Alkhaja says it never reached him after the card arrived at a shipping depot in Queens, New York.
“This is not ‘just a Pokemon card,’” Mark Zaid, Alkhaja’s lawyer, told The Post. “Nothing that is mid-five figures is ‘just a card,’ and it is one of the rarest collectibles within that community.’”
According to the report, Alkhaja has proof the package was insured for up to $50,000 from its seller in Iowa. The package made it to Springfield Gardens in New York, but it has not been seen sense. After being run around for months, Alkhaja hired a lawyer to recoup his payment and some damages to the tune of $150,000. The case is ongoing, but you can see why the collector would be gunning after his cash. Alkhaja has spent millions on his Pokemon collection according to friends, and the addition of this card would be coveted. And if it isn’t going to join Alkhaja, it makes sense he would want his money back.
Would you spend this kind of cash on a Pokemon card? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing. Staff confirmed for the new series include Daiki Tomiyasu serving as chief director for OLM, Maki Odaira as series director, and Kunihiko Yuyama as creative supervisor.
