Placeholder Content Image

Check your attic for this rare collectors’ card!

<p dir="ltr">A rare Pokémon card has fetched a whopping record $546,000 (US$420,000) at an auction.</p> <p dir="ltr">The insanely rare 1999 Pokémon Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Charizard card was sold on March 19.</p> <p dir="ltr">The description of the card on the auction website describes the inspiration it holds even a quarter of a century later.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Emblematic of the strength and power its design was meant to portray, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard card continues to inspire awe even after almost a quarter of a century,” it read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This historic piece of art designed by celebrated artist Mitsuhiro Arita is easily the most recognizable Pokemon card ever made.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Incredibly enough, 3,000 copies of the card were submitted to PSA Authentication and Grading Services but only 121 were given the highest grading of “10 Gem Mint” due to its popularity.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Featuring the highest attack power of any of the original Pokemon cards produced; the ferocity of the artwork coupled with the might of its Fire Spin caused most Pokemon fanatics to use it with pride. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It is one of the most coveted trading cards ever produced. Widely considered one of the holy grails of the Pokemon world, this Flame Pokemon is poised to show continuous returns for years to come and become a premier investment piece for any portfolio to have.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Maybe it’s time to ask the kids or grandkids to go through their own Pokemon collections!</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: PWCC Market Place and Shutterstock</em></p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

Two US cops fired after abandoning a robbery to play Pokemon Go

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two US police officers have been fired after they went off to chase virtual Pokemon creatures instead of responding to a robbery. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eric Mitchell and Louis Lozano were cruising the streets searching for Pokemon in the augmented reality smartphone game, and abandoned their jobs in the process. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An in-car recording revealed that the pair heard the call for help during a robbery at a Los Angeles department store, and decided to drive away. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Officer Mitchell alerted Lozano that ‘Snorlax’ ‘just popped up’,” legal documents show.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“For approximately the next 20 minutes, the (recording) captured petitioners discussing Pokemon as they drove to different locations where the virtual creatures apparently appeared on their mobile phones.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The officers caught the virtual Snorlax before turning their attention to a much harder creature to conquer. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Holy crap, man. This thing is fighting the crap out of me,” Mitchell said of the Pokemon, according to the documents, which were published last week.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Both officers were charged with multiple counts of misconduct, and admitted to failing to respond to the robbery, but denied they had been playing Pokemon Go. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The smartphone game took the world by storm in 2016, with users searching for fantastical creatures using the real world through their smartphone screens. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite challenging the court’s ruling and upholding the notion they were not playing the game at the time of the robbery, both men were charged and fired from their jobs with the Los Angeles Police Department. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Technology

Our Partners