An original, sealed copy of Pokemon Yellow worth almost $10,500 has reportedly been ruined by US customs

An original and sealed copy of Pokemon Yellow has reportedly been wrecked by US customs, meaning it's no longer worth the $10,500 it could have been in its original condition. 

This story was originally shared by Stephen Kick, CEO of Nightdive Studios, on Twitter, who said: "Friend of mine received this sealed and graded original copy of Pokemon Yellow...US customs: Broke the acrylic case, ripped and discarded the seal, SLICED the front of the box off." You can see the extent of the damage in the tweet embedded below, but we warn all the collectors out there, it's not a pretty sight. 

To put this into perspective, normally, copies of Pokemon Yellow - that are in good condition and contain the box, cartridge, and manuals - can be sold for a few hundred dollars on reselling sites like eBay. This copy in particular though was sealed and graded by Wata Games, who gave it an A+ rating and a score of 9.2. 

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What this means, in terms of Wata Games' scale, is that the game was in 'exceptional condition' with "a seal that is in near mint condition." There's not an exact replica of this game in this condition on the likes of eBay, but there is a copy of Pokemon Yellow with an A+ 9.4 score (one step above the copy we're talking about) which is being sold for $10,500 USD - approximately £8,495. Ouch.

Sympathy for Kick's friend can be found in the replies to the tweet with fellow collectors and Pokemon fans alike distraught at the news. The almost mint-condition game has definitely lost its A+ 9.2 rating now that the front cover of the box has been ripped off. It's genuinely so sad to see. 

We caught up with the unfortunate owner, who says they were shocked by the "senseless damage" to their copy of the game.