Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Monolith Collectors’ Edition art book seized by customs
That’s not something you read every day. A Reddit user in Iraq claims customs detained a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 collector shipment after officials flagged the included art book as “possibly ancient,” based on posts shared on Reddit.
The claim comes from Ahmed15252 on the Expedition33 subreddit. The user posted photos of the package and paperwork and said the book was forwarded to an Iraqi museum technical committee for verification. In a follow-up comment, the user said they were told the process could take “1 or 2 weeks” before they can retrieve it.
This can’t be for real, My expedition journal that comes with the monlith set got detained by customs for being “possibly ancient”, Customs opened the package and decided the art book looked a bit too ancient. You know… drawings, symbols, vibes, Result: The book has been officially sent to the Iraqi Museum / Technical Committee to confirm that it is in fact a modern video game art book and not a newly discovered lost artifact, 10/10 experience will definitely accidentally import history again.My video game art book was detained by customs for being “possibly ancient”
Source: Reddit
Some people commenting in the thread noted the documents do not clearly state that anyone believed the item was an ancient artifact. Rather, the wording about an “art book with drawings of monetary value” and says the case was referred to Iraq’s Ministry of Culture and Antiquities in the area of the Diwaniyah customs department. That could point to a standard cultural property review rather than a literal antiquities claim.
The item in question appears to be The Expeditioner’s Journal. The game’s official site describes it as a 48-page hardcover art book included with the “Monolith Set,” alongside a 20.3 cm resin music box statuette, a Steelbook, and a premium case.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 collector’s edition
The story still sounds bizarre, since it is hard to believe customs would confuse a new book with an ancient scroll. At the same time, it shows how quickly something can be judged as “dated” at a glance. Perhaps it is also a lesson for GPU vendors still shipping 8GB graphics cards in 2026, sooner or later someone might treat that configuration like an artifact.
Source: Ahmed15252/Reddit
