Need E4 input, possible resealed WOTC cello pack

General
1

Hi -
I recently purchased a sealed WOTC black star promo: Lucky stadium, #40 (this one: File:PokémonCenterWizardsPromo40.jpg - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

I suspect that this may be re-sealed or sealed at home, and could use some expert opinion here. Here is why I think it is resealed:

  1. There is wear on both cards (the filler card and the actual promo)
    1A) This wear, even though the cards are aligned, does not match between the cards
  2. The crimp seal is obviously uneven on one of the seals. It looks like one side was strongly pressed down, while the other barely has crimp marks
  3. 1 flap is not attached to the cello, the other flap is partially attached
  4. The seal on 1 side is partially ripped through, like someone applied pressure to seal the flap to the cello body
  5. The unevenly sealed side is visibly warped into a curved shape - it is not even

Here are pictures of the card - would appreciate some analysis/opinions on this. I can provide more/specific pics on request.

20230620_182148
20230620_1821481908×4032 560 KB

You can see the nick on the bottom of the card.

20230620_182120
20230620_1821201908×4032 1.11 MB

Obvious curve on top seal.

20230620_182249
20230620_1822491908×4032 393 KB

Partially separated flap.
20230620_182315
20230620_1823151908×4032 782 KB

Bottom of the crimp is solid and well defined before trailing off to nothing.
20230620_182225
20230620_1822251908×4032 623 KB

Warped/partially torn crimp - also, see the mismatched damage on the two cards side by side.
20230620_182329
20230620_1823291908×4032 734 KB

Another pic of the uneven crimp at one end.

2

@TCAGaming may be able to provide expert input. He’s gone through many thousands of sealed WoTC promos.

2 Likes
3

I don’t think I can confidently swear one way or another, but I will say that all the damage inside the packaging is very unusual. Cards will definitely get damaged inside packaging but that’s an awful lot of it. But the plastic itself also has lots of damage and signs of reckless storage. If this has been mishandled for 20 years I suppose it’s not unreasonable.

Other things however are normal for these cards. The crimp is often uneven or diagonal, for example. Here’s a pic from another sample:

IMG_6428
IMG_64281170×1671 348 KB

I’m inclined to say it is probably just the result of bad preservation, but I would wait for more opinions.

6 Likes
4

I’ve opened theme decks where about 10 of the cards randomly had bent corners; damage out of the sealed WOTC is definitely not uncommon.

I would feel pretty comfortable saying not resealed, but will defer to those with more experience.

2 Likes
5

Yea I don’t think you can confirm anything. Realize that rewrapping this card is not something most people would even consider. It was probably stored very poorly. It would be strange to pick this out of all the things you could possibly rewrap and if done, wouldn’t you want to do it well?

I lean strongly towards it is probably real, but someone who has handled more may offer a more certain opinion.

2 Likes
6

I agree with consensus here. Seems improperly stored, card might’ve gotten knicked while being out away years ago.

1 Like
7

If this is an homemade reseal that man really put some effort on it.
I would give him money if the cards weren’t damaged