2019 Panini Fortnite Series 1 Crystal Shard Black Knight #252 PSA 10 GEM MINT

In 2017, Panini released the Battle Royale style video game Fortnite. The game became an instant success and grew rapidly in popularity among gamers across the world. The surge made it a global phenomenon for years. The Black Knight skin was the first Legendary skin that was released in the Season 2 battle pass December 2017. Since then, this skin has not been released into the game. Its absence has created scarcity, and left players unable to obtain the skin, unless they played the game more than five years ago. Panini teamed up with Epic Games in 2019 to release the first series of Fortnite cards. A 300-card set, Panini broke it up in lots: base action photos (1-100), Rare Skins (101-200), Epic Skins (201-250), and Legendary Skins (251-300). Panini based these skins on the in-game releases from the initial release of the game, up until they configured the set. This set features some of the most important skins for the storyline for Fortnite, promotional scenes, fan favorites, and widely used in- game play such as Peely, Fishstick, Brite Bomber, Ghoul Trooper, Red Knight, and Drift. Panini only made three variants for every card for the set: the base version, Holofoil, and Crystal Shard. Panini only made Crystal Shards available in mega boxes in a clear plastic pack separated from the other cards, which affected their condition due to the loose pack. In the overall PSA population report, there are only 39 total USA Crystal Shards that have been graded for the Black Knight skin. Only 10 have received the PSA 10 designation. Panini also manufactured these cards in two other locations: Brazil and Italy. There is only one PSA 10 Brazil Crystal Shard Black Knight and 16 PSA 10 Italy Crystal Shard Black Knights. This information explains the scarcity of the cards as collectors had a 1/100 chance of pulling one in a mega box as each box came with two Crystal Shards. Panini has suggested it will no longer manufacture Fortnite cards in the near future as their contract with Epic Games only included three releases—the final in 2021. But the future remains bright for the cards, especially among young players who comprise a sizable portion of the fan base. To further strengthen interest, Fortnite teamed up with Star Wars, Marvel, Dragon Ball, Naruto, athletes such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Patrick Mahomes II, among others. Also, the 20- year nostalgia cycle could hit Fortnite cards in the future. As a result, this Series 1 Black Knight in a PSA 10 should cause a Battle Royale of its own in this month’s Premier Auction.