Customs Officials Confiscate Clair Obscur Collector’s Edition, Mistaking It for Ancient Artifact

A peculiar incident involving the Expedition 33: Clair Obscur collector’s edition has emerged, as a shipment was detained by Iraqi customs officials. The authorities reportedly suspected that one of the items within the package constituted a genuine historical artifact, leaving both the buyer and gaming enthusiasts puzzled by the unexpected turn of events.

According to Reddit user Ahmed15252, documentation from customs revealed that the art book in the collector’s addition had been flagged due to its potential cultural significance. This raised concerns that led to the item being sent for further evaluation to Iraq’s Ministry of Culture and Antiquities.

Customs Mix-Up Sparks Online Reactions

The customs letter highlighted a request for the ministry’s official stance, indicating that verification was required before the item could be released. In a humorous twist, the buyer shared their perplexity: “This can’t be for real! My Expedition 33 journal, which is part of the monolith set, got detained by customs for being ‘possibly ancient’, ” they remarked. The player noted that the customs staff had opened the package and erroneously decided that the art book’s artistic elements were too reminiscent of antiquity.

They continued, “The book has been sent to the Iraqi Museum / Technical Committee to confirm that it’s merely a contemporary video game art book and not some newly unearthed artifact. What an outstanding experience; I’ll definitely ‘accidentally’ import history again!”

This misunderstanding quickly became a source of amusement within the gaming community. Players weighed in with their thoughts, pointing out the absurdity of the situation.“Here’s hoping one of the customs agents knows how to Google and gets the rest of the department to try the game, ” joked one commentator. Another quipped, “I imagine the customs team will find themselves on the receiving end of some laughter from museum curators, who will hopefully advise them not to waste their time with such trivial matters in the future.”

My expedition journal art book was detained by customs for being “possibly ancient”🗿 by u/Ahmed15252 in expedition33

Interestingly, fans pointed out that despite its visually vintage style, the book employs modern binding methods, features high-quality glossy paper, has copyright information clearly printed, and the text is in English. These attributes strongly indicate that while the book may appear aged, it is unequivocally a modern item.

Though the collector’s item remains in custody for further investigation, Ahmed15252 has chosen to keep a light-hearted perspective.“Honestly, I’m just going to laugh it off! I’ve been waiting around 7 or 8 months for this set, and finally, it arrives—but then this happens, seriously?!”

As the wait continues, it is uncertain how long the evaluation process will take or when the eager fan will finally receive their ‘ancient’ artifact. Hopefully, it won’t be long before they can reclaim their unique collector’s addition.

Source & Images