15 Years Of Collecting

[smpratte]

15 Years Of Collecting Pokemon

A Brief History Of My Journey With E4 & Collecting Pokemon Cards

Collecting Pokemon cards 15 years ago was rarer than a 1st edition Charizard. So rare that even Pokemon websites lacked a dedicated collecting section. PokeGym was the main spot back in the day, but it was entirely about playing the trading card game. I remember lurking for about a year, then on July 26, 2009, 15 years ago to the day, I created the megathread “Where are the collectors at?”

This was made simply out of the relentless desire to discuss collecting pokemon cards. I was online every single day, and have been ever since, please send help! Shortly after, I realized one megathread wasn’t enough, so in 2010, UPCCC was born. You can browse posts from that period here: upccc-archive

At the time everything was very informal. The amount of views per day were maybe 100, mostly from the same few people who just wanted to hang out. Social media wasn’t a thing, Instagram didn’t exist, everything was more niche than a PCL promo! However, a few years later, collecting Pokemon did something it hadn’t before, it became more popular. Social media started to bellossom, graded cards started to expand, to the point where we experienced one of our first hype waves, the 2014 Gold Star bubble. I remember people shipping their PSA orders to worlds 2014, which was unimaginable at the time. Speaking of Worlds 2014, this is where I debuted the name “Elite Fourum”.

Pokemon continued to grow and had one of the first mainstream moments in 2016 with the wombo combo that was Pokemon Go & the 20th Anniversary. With Pokemon becoming more established, it was time to formalize the site. After creating the ultra pun name “Elite Fourum” I designed the logo, and in 2016 I officially changed the site name to E4 as we know it today!

This was a massive year, not only for pokemon, but I did something I never thought I’d do, make videos. Rudy (AlphaInvestments) started making videos in 2016 and a few members suggested I should do the same for Pokemon. The problem is irl I’m reserved. No one has ever called me outgoing, ever. However the relentless passion made it easier to push through the shyness, and thus the non-editing grandma basement videos were born.

smpratte

Although my YouTube started on a whim, it became the driving force for E4 traffic. This growth continued at a healthy pace until 2020. There are years that carry more weight than others, 2020 is easily top 10 of our lives. It blew Pokémon up overnight! E4 experienced an uptick in traffic, my YouTube and daily “what should I buy” questions were over 9,000! This growth also transformed what used to be an intimate collectible into a mainstream commodity.

The abrupt exposure skyrocketed prices! Multiple veteran members cashed out for good, but most were priced out and asking, “where is the cheaper option”?! The scent of money attracted numerous new schemes in the form of NFTs, mystery boxes/slabs, and just outright gambling. These abrupt changes created heightened animosity, but there were many positives; more people know about Pokemon than ever before! Entire countries not only started collecting in the past few years, but now some even have their own languages printed on cards!

This unprecedented growth created a new climate. Cards now have price charts, and people who talk about those charts, a lot. Promos that were once enjoyed by a select few now generate global pandemonium. Put a grey hat on Pikachu and people Gogh crazy! It’s like 1999, except all those kids are now adults with adult money. The hobby’s rapid evolution meant it was time for E4 to evolve into its final fourm, elitefourum.com.

We can now do magical things like upload photos and have a functional mobile site!
In all seriousness, this is one of the most enjoyable times on E4! Prices have cooled but the passion is persistent; people from all over the globe just enjoying collecting! I never could have imagined the site achieving 2 million views per month!

Pokemon today feels almost like a post-war era. Collectors experienced once in a lifetime chaos compacted into a few years. There are more deterrents that can diminish your passion. The future of Pokémon has never been more unknown than now. One thing that is known — we all enjoy the same hobby. Sometimes that universal value is blurred in our daily competition. Hopefully this brief reflection is a reminder that while the hobby is always in motion, that value remains constant, 15 years later.

[DeekBoy]

Solid write up! I remember stumbling on your channel after watching a PrimeTime Pokemon video back in the day. No hype or bullshit, just someone who has passion for the cards and the history. Met some great people for the short time that I have been on this platform.

[ascendedbidoof]

@smpratte

daily “what should I buy” questions were over 9,000!

I remember watching through your public Q&As and feeling secondhand frustration at the amount of “what should I buy?” questions as if there was an easy answer. After joining your Patreon the quality of questions compared to the public QAs were a night and day difference.

I’m really happy that I stumbled on your videos and subsequently, E4, back four years ago. I’ve learned so much from everyone here and I don’t think I would have the collection I have now if it weren’t for the absolute abundant amount of knowledge here. I haven’t been buying many Pokemon cards recently as my other interests have taken priority but I have not once ever felt unwelcome. The community here is unrivaled, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.

Happy 15th collectaversary, Scott. Cheers to the next 15!

[Gstiess92]

First of all, great write up and it’s really interesting to see those milestones from your point of view.

I was born in the early 90s and can still remember the original Pokemania. Still, when Pokemon became uncool I still stayed loyal to the franchise. I really got into competitive battling (although I still was kind of young and not really good) in the mid-2000s (ADV format and early stages of DPP). There were some German speaking sites and of course Smogon where I felt like home because in real life Pokemon was seen as something “for little childs” and I just knew a few people who still played the games. In the mid 2010s my wife and I started playing our old games again (I played Pokemon Red every day on my commute to work back then) and this sparked my interest to get really back into Pokemon. Shortly after Pokemon Go happened and me and my friends played it a lot.

Fast forward to the pandemic, I found my old Pokemon card collection and remembered the times as a child when my dad went to Japan two or three times a year and always brought me the latest Booster packs. I started to enjoy collecting cards again and this was also the time when I discovered E4.

Although my collection is rather small compared to many others here, I really love this site and its members. I’ve said it once before but this is probably one of the least toxic places in the internet to discuss stuff. Even criticism is really well phrased and constructive and everybody just wants to be helpful. It really reminds me of the internet of the early 2000s.

So thank you Scott for creating this place and everybody else who contributes to make this such a relaxing place to hang out.

[c0ll3ct0r]

2014 really was a turning point.

[Taigataipan]

Only regret with UPCCC/E4 is I didn’t join this place any earlier.

2014 was still great time to finally create account, just like others I received a warm welcome from small yet active userbase. There’s a long list of people I’d still like to see visiting this place but you can’t have everything at once, at least we get constantly new members who are willing to share their collections and opinions about hobby. Over 12k users + all the visitors isn’t a joke or lucky strike.

[codytcas]

Very cool write up! This community is so knowledgeable and helpful it’s insane. Thanks for everything you, the staff, and the members do to make it so great.

Cheers to 15 years Scott

[Dyl]

Happy 15th, Scott! Your many contributions to the Pokemon collecting community are appreciated beyond words.

[holoshedinja]

Oh my god I remember PokeGym what a flashback…

Congrats on 15 years!! The hobby really wouldn’t be the same without you.

[trainerjack]

What a great ride you’ve had! Thanks for sharing your experiences and for everything you’ve done!

[mrbubbles]

Congratulations on the 15 years Scott! Really enjoyed the write up which felt like a nice snapshot of your undertaking. I am sure with everything that has happened in those years, it must have been an amazing journey.

Thank you for everything that you have done for this hobby through E4 and beyond. We are all for the better because of it.

Cheers!

[pokecollectoramy]

@smpratte

Put a grey hat on Pikachu and people Gogh crazy!

How dare you

[trevcatchem]

So cool to see how your initial hunger for community and conversation around collecting has transformed into the forum we have today! Great write up, congrats on 15 years!

[PokemonClassics]

Congrats and happy 15th anniversary. I remember PokeGym . . . it’s crazy to think that was over a decade ago! Anyway, I’m thankful for the community here on E4; the collective expertise on this site has helped me more over the years than I can convey.

[pfm]

It’s been a fun ride so far. Let’s do another 15

[DarthEevee]

Great write up. I remember pokegym, and the old pokebeach design, and the very first toys r us leagues (I still have my Pokémon organized play Id card, not this play! Pokémon bullshit). It’s been a fun ride. I wish I’d found e4 sooner, I only found this existed as a fluke by seeing @holahart ’s eevee collection on Reddit and realizing I was joining a much larger world by getting more serious with my collection

[filthynwah]

Congrats! Nice puns

I’m still a filthy casual when it comes to Pokémon, but this forum is just a generally exceptional community. Y’all have a mature appreciation for the TCG that is rarely seen in any hobby these days. I’d rather watch paint dry than watch instatoknot hypebeasts shill but I hang around here because I feel like I might learn something and find something that’s actually fun. Thanks to @smpratte and all the quality contributors here.

Also, I’ll forever be kicking myself for not getting back into the TCG when I started Pokémon Go in 2016. Alas, we all make mistakes.

[gengarbrigade]

This place changed my life.

• I went from making movies and music videos

• I re-entered Pokémon back in December of 2019 because of a Pokemon Radar suggested video

• I found a video of Smpratte and tried out e4 with what was supposed to be a temporary stay due to Covid forcing me to stay inside because of asthma resulting in a break that turned into a hiatus in art.

• I permanently stayed and found life long friends

In my six years, my collection is crazy with cards I wouldn’t be able to find or afford today, I’ve become a different person entirely and found the love of my life who supports my devotion to Pokémon and e4.

I appreciate what you’ve done @smpratte to keep this place for everyone, free knowledge to anyone that wants to take it seriously when you didn’t have that 15 years ago when you started, and most importantly the Mods that keep this place safe and secure.

[camrok37]

Thanks for the write up and the quick historical snapshot of what has happened in the past 15 years. It’s got to be so cool for you and also unbelievable how fast that time has passed and what you have learned and experienced along the way. Thanks for letting us join in on the journey

[lyleberr]

Thank you for creating and continuing a place where collectors can congregate while sharing and storing knowledge. Im not the typical collector, I dont follow anyones videos or social media, Im not really that interested in values or top rarity cards, I collect my own way without regard for the absurdity of it, but despite all that I still feel like I am in the correct place for me. E4 and the attitude of the community coming first is one of the most amazing things I have seen over and over again in my shortish time being a member. You should have great pride in being a hand that, as you can see by the comments, has helped lift people to places they never dreamed possible. Some opinions of E4 may be critical in the darker corners of this hobby but I have never heard anyone say that E4 negatively affected their life the same way that people have said it has made their life better, even if they have moved on from the hobby.

Looking forward to what the future brings here… while adding my own twists to it.