'Pawn Stars' host Chumlee pays a small fortune for guest's Pokémon card with a rare defect
Collectibles are a popular item on "Pawn Stars," and Pokémon cards have a lot of takers. However, that did not impress Rick Harrison enough to make him shell out a significant amount on them. But in another episode, Chumlee spent a lot of money to buy a single Pokémon card. It had not even turned out the way it was supposed to. It had a serious manufacturing defect, but surprisingly, that’s what made it so valuable. In the end, the pawn shop employee shelled out a pretty penny to acquire it.
The anime series has become massively popular over the years, with fans of all ages going crazy for the original show, games, and trading cards. Pokémon trading cards have been around for a long time, and thanks to their popularity, the rarest ones today can bring in a lot of money. One such card came to the shop, and it was called an ‘error card.’ The reason why that is the case is simple: there was an error in its manufacturing.
Pokémon cards usually have both sides printed. One side would have the picture of the Pokémon, and the other side would show its stats. On this particular card, both the contents of the front and back were printed on one side, overlapping one another. The card looked like a mess, but one could still figure out what should have been on the other side of it. Such error cards are extremely rare, which is why they’re so valuable.
The card was of the ghost-type Pokémon Gastly, one of the beings from the original series. The guest said that he had purchased it from another collector and wanted $4,000 for it. Chumlee knew that such cards were worth a lot of money, but wanted to have an expert come in and take a look for authentication and valuation purposes.
In came a man named Matt Quinn, Senior Grading Finalizer at CGC Trading Cards. “Yeah, you’ve got to be careful with some of these cards,” he said. Chumlee seemed to have a pretty good idea about trading cards, but a second opinion in such matters is always helpful. The expert took out a magnifying instrument and looked closely at the card to make sure that it wasn’t a fake. Once all the doubts were cleared, it was time to place a value on it.
The guest wanted $4,000, but Quinn revealed that it was worth $3,000. “I think that is a little bit conservative, but I respect your opinion,” the guest said. “His opinion is the one I have to live with,” Chumlee said. Once everything was verified, it was time for negotiations. The two bargained a bit and settled at $2,500. “I’m walking home with some cash, so I definitely played this card right,” the guest said after the transaction.
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