Hi everyone! I’m fairly new to collecting Pokémon TCG and recently started buying vintage cards. But something’s been bugging me…
I’ve noticed that some vintage booster boxes have slight differences in their packaging, even when it’s the same set. At first, I assumed that meant one was fake, but I’ve seen several of these variations listed as verified and authentic.
Right now, I’m looking to buy a Base Set 2 Booster Box, but I’ve come across two versions with different precut holes on the front (where the Pokémon logo and Mewtwo are).
One version has the cut dipping into the “K” and rising into the accent mark.
The other version doesn’t dip into the “K” at all.
Does anyone know if WOTC actually produced boxes with these kinds of inconsistencies? Were there multiple print runs with slight design changes?
Would love to hear from anyone who knows more about this!
I really appreciate the advice, but I didn’t express myself that good now that i’m reading back my post, hahaha. I’m relatively new to collecting vintage cards, although I’ve been collecting from modern sets for quite some time.
Because of that, my knowledge of authenticity is mostly limited to current releases. When it comes to older products—especially from the WOTC era—I’m not familiar at all. Still, the offer I came across is quite unusual, which is why I’m reaching out for support.
I would stick to buying sealed vintage from trusted sources. I have two base 2 boxes that I bought in 2018 and that set does have the circular holes in the wrapper if I remember correctly
What’s the price? Can you see the box in person to do the peep check and get a general feel?
If it’s a source you trust and has experience with vintage sealed / has had this particular box for a long time, go for it if your gut tells you it’s the right decision
I’m from Mexico, and the box is from a very good friend of mine who now lives in the U.S. He mainly collects recent sets—mostly Yu-Gi-Oh!—and doesn’t really deal with vintage stuff.
He found the box at a garage sale and basically bought it with the idea of reselling it to me. We do that kind of thing often—if one of us spots something the other might be into, we grab it.
We did a video call to check it out. The only parts that raised some suspicion (and that I’ve seen on other authentic boxes) actually looked fine. After talking it through, we agreed that since he doesn’t collect vintage at all and I’m just getting started and still learning, we’d split the risk.
He originally wanted $1K, but agreed to let it go for $500 plus all shipping costs. Honestly, that’s not a huge deal for me. And if it turns out to be a replica, I’d be interested in fully documenting the box so there’s more info out there for others who might end up in the same situation like me.
Did he find it at a garage sale recently or way back? If he’s asking $500 for a $10,000 box he’s either completely clueless about the value, or he knows that it’s fake and is trying to pass his loss over to you. I’d be curious to know how much he paid.
I know he’s your friend, but is he the kind of friend who would casually give you $10k?
Another interesting detail is how you talked him down to $500. Did you think $1k was too much?