Pentagon Auctions Rare Pokémon Cards Under Trump
▼ Summary
– A rare Pikachu Pokémon card is located inside a Lucky Box vending machine in the highly secure Pentagon food court.
– The gacha-style machine, which dispenses graded collectible cards, was installed around Christmas Eve last year.
– Players pay between $100 and $200 for a chance to win prizes like the rare card or autographed sports memorabilia.
– Lucky Box primarily operates over 20 machines in Las Vegas, where winners have obtained other valuable Pokémon cards.
– The article notes the machine blatantly demonstrates the gambling-like aspect of chasing rare, valuable trading cards.
A unique vending machine offering a chance to win rare, graded collectibles has found an unlikely home within one of the world’s most secure buildings. The Pentagon food court now hosts a Lucky Box machine, a gacha-style device where patrons can spend between $100 and $200 for a blind box containing potentially valuable trading cards. Among the possible prizes is the highly sought-after Surging Sparks Pikachu card, featuring a full-art illustration of the Pokémon wearing a Stellar-type Tera crown. This particular machine, installed around the Christmas holiday, presents a curious intersection of high-stakes collectibles and military bureaucracy.
Photographs shared on an Army-related subreddit show the machine prominently displayed in the food court, with a large image of a Charizard card on its side. It remains unclear whether that specific Charizard card is actually available inside the device or if the graphic is merely decorative. The company behind Lucky Box announced the Pentagon installation on its social media channels before deleting the post. Their accounts typically showcase winners who have scored valuable items, ranging from rare Pokémon cards like a vintage Venusaur or an ancient Mew promo card to autographed sports memorabilia.
While most of the company’s documented machines and winners are located in Las Vegas, the Pentagon unit represents a novel venture. There are no posts yet of anyone claiming a major prize from within the military headquarters. The very presence of such a machine highlights the blurred line between collecting and gambling in the trading card world. Spending significant money for a random chance at a valuable card is a common practice for collectors opening sealed packs, but seeing the model physically embodied in a loot box machine makes the gamble strikingly explicit.
The image of a high-security military complex safeguarding a vending machine filled with coveted Pokémon cards is certainly unusual. It ensures the valuable contents remain protected until a lucky individual, after paying a considerable sum for a chance, finally claims the prize. This setup underscores how the pursuit of rare collectibles has permeated even the most formal and guarded environments, turning a simple food court visit into a potential high-reward gamble.
(Source: Kotaku)
