“Friend of mine received this sealed and graded original copy of Pokémon Yellow,” Kick said. “U.S. Customs: Broke the acrylic case, ripped and discarded the seal, [and] sliced the front of the box off. Maybe they weren’t fans of Wata Games?”

Wata Games is an independent company that grades and certifies games for collectors. Chances are you’ll encounter Wata Games if you’re looking for high-quality, mint copies of old games. The company was responsible for grading and certifying The_Master_Of_Unlocking’s copy, giving it an A+ rating and a score of 9.2. According to Wata Games’ website, the game is in “exceptional condition” and worth $3,800. Or it was until U.S. Customs came through and decimated the certification.

“So…either they hated the battery inside the cartridge…or they thought it’d contain drugs or something,” one tweeter suggested in Kick’s mentions. “Can U.S. Customs just destroy things without recourse,” asked another tweeter, with many others demanding consequences against the agency.

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  • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Okay just so we’re clear no level of law enforcement should be able to just break your stuff and not pay you for it, unless we as a society are saying “You are too rich and we’re taking your stuff”

    No matter how you feel about collectibles I feel like “The TSA shouldn’t destroy people’s things with no recourse” is a pretty easy line to draw