Pokemon fan with classic game claims Wata swapped it for a copy
The Pokemon CompanyA grading mistake may have left one collector disappointed, as it seems a copy of Pokemon Colleseum has been swapped for another in an alleged mix-up from grading company Wata.
A Pokemon collector by the name of u/kazuya955 has shared their disappointment and frustration in a Reddit post, as they claim to have sent a copy of Pokemon Colleseum to be graded, only to get a different copy of the same game in return.
Alongside the post, the collector commented, “Wata might have swapped my game… more in the comments”. Then, they explained the full story below.
“Last year I sent for grading to Wata an italian copy of Pokemon Colosseum for Game Cube, it came back with a cool 9.8 A+ seal. A couple of months later I realized that the copy I received back was not the copy I sent them” explains kazuya995.
In the thread, they explain the differences between the copies of the game, saying,
- “Nintendo red strip seal has a different position;
- The SIAE seal (the golden sticker on the front, this sticker is present only on italian media devices like games, vhs, dvds ecc.) has a slightly different position and has a different number on it, each sticker is unique;
- The marking on the back of the original copy is not present on the graded one.”
It’s pretty damning if true, though Wata is yet to respond. Meanwhile, other Pokemon collectors and fans are sharing their own thoughts in the comments below.
One person adds, “Unfortunate lesson learned: WATA is a scam, never consider them again.” Then, another says, “After all the controversy against wata the last few years I’m curious why you still choose them?”
If you’re a collector looking to preserve your pulls, be sure to check out our guide covering how to get Pokemon cards graded, and from this encounter, it’s almost certainly worth taking detailed pictures of your cards before you send them off.
