The long saga of a box of first edition base set Pokemon cards has come to its inevitable conclusion. This box of cards has been reported on for years, only to come into the hands of influencer Logan Paul in December 2021. This specific box has long been rumored to be fake, even persuasively so, but without opening the box there was no firm proof. That's now changed, as Paul has confirmed that the box has been opened. His $3.5 million box of Pokemon cards is now confirmed to have been a scam.
In a video titled "I Lost $3,500,000 On Fake Pokemon Cards" published on Thursday, Logan Paul shares a recording of him and his entourage opening the infamous box. The group includes card collector Matt Allen, who Paul purchased the box from in the first place, as well as the owner and several employees from the Baseball Card Exchange, which previously authenticated the box as real. After the BBC reiterates that it believes the box is authentic, Paul even pours himself a glass of wine.
It's at this point that the group decides to open the box of what they believe to be Pokemon cards. Inside, they expect to find six "Booster Boxes," individual boxes each wrapped and sealed that contain many booster packs. Upon opening, the group immediately believes their money is worth it. There do appear to be first edition base set Pokemon TCG booster boxes within, judging from the boxes themselves and the clear plastic seals they use. That brief moment of excitement ends quickly, however.
The BBC owner turns to one of his employees who looks absolutely shattered and says, "What?" The employee says the boxes look "puffy" and that they don't look right. The BBC employees all go quiet at this point, as Allen pulls out one of the booster boxes. Even Logan Paul immediately recognizes that it and all the other Pokemon boxes are fake. The Pokemon TCG booster box labels are completely incorrect.
Together, they decide to open one of the boxes just to see what's inside. Rather than Pokemon TCG packs, first edition base set or otherwise, the box is full of G.I. Joe TCG card packs. Whoever put this box together, wherever they are, they clearly have a sense of humor.
Logan Paul is not without a sense of humor regarding the situation. He laughed at times during the reveal, cracked several jokes about the box being G.I. Joe cards as if it made the situation that much worse, and talked about how important his Charizard card is to him now. Odds are Paul will be getting his money back. Mass Allen may have more trouble finding the person who sold him the box originally, however. At the very least, Pokemon card fans now have a proper conclusion to this entire fiasco.