A well-known YouTuber specializing in Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) content got into a tight spot with CGC, a card grading company. He manually cut cards to assess the reliability of CGC's services, received an almost perfect score, and now CGC might take legal action against him.
The Stakes of Pokemon TCG
Collecting Pokemon TCG is a serious hobby for some, and the cards' validation by trusted assessors is vital to its dynamics. TCG cards can sometimes fetch millions of dollars, and even former NFL players are known to have attempted fraud with these cards.
Factory Error Cards
Within the Pokemon TCG collector community, a subset is particularly interested in factory errors, which can augment the value of seemingly valueless cards by up to ten-fold. Errors like misprints or miscuts where a machine misaligns the card and removes a part are highly desirable and need to be authenticated.
YouTube Experiment Exposes CGC
The YouTuber, Shiny Vert, decided to test CGC's quality control by sending them a few manually cut cards for grading, which they certified as factory errors. Following the public disclosure of the results on his YouTube channel, CGC not only banned him from having any future cards graded but also sent 'threatening' legal documents.
Obstructions of the YouTuber
In a subsequent video, Shiny Vert detailed his banning and CGC's following threats of legal action for what he admits is CGC's 'mess-up.' He further clarified that CGC graded his cards as error cards, not him. Following an email detailing his banning and responsibilities for possessing a graded Pokemon TCG with 'clerical errors,' he claimed that CGC threatened him with legal repercussions to make him back off.
Questions Regarding CGC's Grading Practices
Shiny Vert expresses his concerns regarding the possible impacts on numerous people due to subpar grading by CGC. He warned his followers to be excessively cautious while dealing with the company. He also pointed out the issues with CGC's response to his actions, emphasizing that he highlighted an issue that should not exist in the first place, and they banned him as a result..