Pokémon collector Jesse Peng says the $660,000-plus he paid for a 2011 Call of Legends Shiny Rayquaza went toward a fake slab. The card itself was real, he said, but an investigation into its history led him to conclude that the casing and its authentication details were not genuine.
Peng described the card as clean and said its label appeared authentic. The purchase was handled through what he called a well-respected middleman in the trading card game community. However, he said his own verification system flagged the slab as fake.
According to Peng, the issue was the “fugitive ink” used on the slab, which did not match the ink on authentic examples in his collection. He said the card and label were real, but the ink was not reproduced correctly.
Peng, who owns PDGR, said he has the resources to pursue the scammers and plans to use his app and verification technology. He also said the seller had just under $2 million in cryptocurrency, including money from Peng’s purchase and other sales.
Peng said the experience has made him consider quitting the hobby, which he feels has been harmed by greed. Separately, the FBI has been investigating cases involving fake credit cards used to buy high-value Pokémon cards, with stores in New Jersey among those targeted.
Sources: Dexerto.