diff --git a/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/HoverEvent.java b/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/HoverEvent.java
index 0603083b..3b658b39 100644
--- a/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/HoverEvent.java
+++ b/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/HoverEvent.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import com.google.gson.JsonDeserializer;
 import com.google.gson.JsonElement;
 import com.google.gson.JsonObject;
 import com.google.gson.JsonParseException;
+import com.google.gson.JsonPrimitive;
 import com.google.gson.JsonSerializationContext;
 import com.google.gson.JsonSerializer;
 import java.lang.reflect.Type;
@@ -297,9 +298,19 @@ public final class HoverEvent
             {
                 JsonObject value = element.getAsJsonObject();
 
+                int count = -1;
+                if ( value.has( "Count" ) )
+                {
+                    JsonPrimitive countObj = value.get( "Count" ).getAsJsonPrimitive();
+                    count = ( countObj.isString() )
+                            // NBT can serialize as {#int"b"} so remove the b
+                            ? Integer.parseInt( countObj.getAsString().substring( countObj.getAsString().length() - 1 ) )
+                            : countObj.getAsInt();
+                }
+
                 return new ContentItem(
                         ( value.has( "id" ) ) ? value.get( "id" ).getAsString() : null,
-                        ( value.has( "Count" ) ) ? value.get( "Count" ).getAsInt() : -1,
+                        count,
                         ( value.has( "tag" ) ) ? context.deserialize( value.get( "tag" ), ItemTag.class ) : null
                 );
             }
diff --git a/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/chat/BaseComponentSerializer.java b/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/chat/BaseComponentSerializer.java
index dde8a6d7..a08f5cc7 100644
--- a/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/chat/BaseComponentSerializer.java
+++ b/chat/src/main/java/net/md_5/bungee/chat/BaseComponentSerializer.java
@@ -71,17 +71,14 @@ public class BaseComponentSerializer
             HoverEvent hoverEvent = null;
             HoverEvent.Action action = HoverEvent.Action.valueOf( event.get( "action" ).getAsString().toUpperCase( Locale.ROOT ) );
 
-            if ( event.has( "value" ) )
+            for ( String type : Arrays.asList( "value", "contents" ) )
             {
-                HoverEvent.Content[] ret = new HoverEvent.Content[]
+                if ( !event.has( type ) )
                 {
-                    context.deserialize( event.get( "value" ), HoverEvent.getClass( action, false ) )
-                };
-                hoverEvent = new HoverEvent( action, ret );
-            } else if ( event.has( "contents" ) )
-            {
+                    continue;
+                }
                 HoverEvent.Content[] list;
-                JsonElement contents = event.get( "contents" );
+                JsonElement contents = event.get( type );
                 if ( contents.isJsonArray() )
                 {
                     list = context.deserialize( contents, HoverEvent.getClass( action, true ) );
@@ -94,8 +91,14 @@ public class BaseComponentSerializer
                 }
 
                 hoverEvent = new HoverEvent( action, new ArrayList<>( Arrays.asList( list ) ) );
+
+                // stop the loop as soon as either one is found
+                break;
+            }
+            if ( hoverEvent != null )
+            {
+                component.setHoverEvent( hoverEvent );
             }
-            component.setHoverEvent( hoverEvent );
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/chat/src/test/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/ComponentsTest.java b/chat/src/test/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/ComponentsTest.java
index b41b84fb..6f1400e2 100644
--- a/chat/src/test/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/ComponentsTest.java
+++ b/chat/src/test/java/net/md_5/bungee/api/chat/ComponentsTest.java
@@ -12,6 +12,16 @@ import org.junit.Test;
 public class ComponentsTest
 {
 
+    @Test
+    public void testItemParse()
+    {
+        String json = "{\"extra\":[{\"text\":\"[\"},{\"extra\":[{\"translate\":\"block.minecraft.dirt\"}],\"text\":\"\"},{\"text\":\"]\"}],\"hoverEvent\":{\"action\":\"show_item\",\"value\":[{\"text\":\"{id:\\\"minecraft:dirt\\\",Count:1b}\"}]},\"text\":\"\"}";
+        BaseComponent[] component = ComponentSerializer.parse( json );
+        String serialised = ComponentSerializer.toString( component );
+        BaseComponent[] deserialised = ComponentSerializer.parse( serialised );
+        Assert.assertEquals( TextComponent.toLegacyText( deserialised ), TextComponent.toLegacyText( component ) );
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testEmptyComponentBuilder()
     {