In 1998, the American market welcomed the inaugural Pokemon titles: Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue. Decades following their initial release, a dedicated fan recently unearthed an astonishing find – an unopened copy of Pokemon Blue, which had been stored away for years, now potentially worth thousands of dollars. A Reddit user known as Sausagenpeppers shared an image of this pristine game, still bearing its original K-B Toys price tag.
While the discovery of a sealed vintage game is remarkable in itself, the true significance emerged when Sausagenpeppers posted a photo of the box`s reverse side. It revealed an exceedingly rare printing error: the Pokemon Blue packaging displayed text intended for Pokemon Red. Such collectible misprints are highly sought after within the Pokemon community, suggesting that if Sausagenpeppers chooses to sell, the game could indeed command a price reaching into the thousands.
The fervent dedication of Pokemon enthusiasts is often demonstrated through their willingness to invest considerable sums, even for unofficial merchandise. A notable example is the Charizard-shaped Cheeto, affectionately dubbed “Cheetozard,” which fetched an impressive $72,000 earlier this year. The Pokemon market has also seen its share of unusual incidents; last May, a man in the UK was arrested in possession of stolen Pokemon cards valued at over $300,000, and there have been reports linking certain Pokemon cards to money laundering activities by the Japanese mafia.
Despite these occurrences, the primary Pokemon franchise continues to thrive, with its popularity showing no signs of diminishing. A new Pokemon TCG expansion is slated for release in November, and the next installment in the video game series, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, is scheduled to launch on Switch and Switch 2 on October 16. Furthermore, Pokemon Go has commenced its “Tales of Transformation” season, while Scopely has outlined the game`s various events for September.