Hey guys, I was talking with a friend the other day about this topic because I bought a Shining Raichu 1st edition PSA 9, and he came with the comeback that he would much rather have an Unlimited Gem Mint 10 over a 1st Edition PSA 9, they are kind of like the same price. I don’t know if this applies to more sets, other than base set, and I never really put any thought into this before, but I really like the idea that it’s a 1st edition card. On the other hand, it would be cheaper to go for Unlimited 10’s of my favourites and fill with 9’s, than going for 9’s in 1st edition and fill with 8’s. I’m still going the 1st edition route, will spend more but I’ll try to get them all in 9’s.
What’s your thought about this? I know it’s a matter of personal taste, but I would like to know where you guys stand. From a collecting and investing point of view. You are welcome to discuss whatever you feel about the topic.
From both points of view, I prefer to collect first edition WOTC over unlimited. If someone asked me if I’d rather hav a gem 10 unlimited shining raichu or a mint 9 first edition, I’d go with the PSA 9 because I like the look of the stamp on the card. In my opinion it gives the card more depth, and knowing it’s the first edition print instead of unlimited makes me feel like I have something a bit more exclusive/rare. I also feel like PSA 9 first ed WOTC holos are fairly cheap.
I prefer the 1st edition card over unlimited even if the grade is a 9 instead of a 10. In terms of base set holos, PSA 9 1st edition cards sell for well over 2x the price of the PSA 10 unlimited version. I would even say some PSA 8 and 7 cards top the unlimited price. So the overall market values lower grade 1st edition base set cards higher than PSA 10 unlimited. I’m not sure how this applies to other sets such as Fossil, Jungle, etc.
Is first edition better than unlimited? Pretty much base set yes.
But for me growing up the price of 1st edition and unlimited packs were always the same price. I didn’t care too much which I had as I never questioned how many cards were printed. I’m still not sure how much rarer 1st edition print runs are to unlimited. (Anyone have a quantity number?)
Do they warrant a higher price? Yes. By how much is what you’re willing to pay. Just a preference really.
Unlimited. Especially when i woke up and realised unlimited appears to be more scarce in mint condition compared to 1st ed in sets after team rocket (in most cases).
Over time (10-20 years away) people will wake up be like what? Unlim pop is lower in psa 9 and 10 grades and boostter boxes have dried up for both 1st ed and unlim (base - fossil and maybe rocket excluded).
IMO you can’t go wrong with either. There’s too much variance depending on the card to give a proper answer to your question.
I do think PSA 10 Unlimited cards from some of the earlier sets have great potential. It just doesn’t make sense to see holos sell for like $40 when loose weighed packs are $30+ or so.
The same can be said about PSA 9 1st Edition holos though that I see as little as $20 sometimes. It makes 0 sense.
I Disagree. Sure, there are more 1st Ed. Cards than Unl. Cards within the PSA POP Report. This is especially true when you start looking at the Non-Holo Cards! It really doesn’t have anything to do with the Unl. Cards being tougher to find / grade though… It’s simply do to the fact that 1st Ed. Cards command a higher premium than Unl. Cards (across the board) right now; so everyone has been focused on collecting / grading those cards.
Looking at what we know now - I can see a similar trend that we are currently experiencing with the Base Set. Now that the 1st Ed. are becoming more-and-more expensive, collectors are starting to go for the Shadowless and Unl. Cards - thus, those POP Reports are increasing (as more-and-more people see the value of those cards and submit for grading).
Personally, I don’t grade any Unl. Cards outside the Base Set right now. However, that’s not to say I don’t have a decent stash of MINT Condition Unl. Cards - it’s just not worth my time / effort to grade these cards right now. In 10-20 Years, if the prices start reflecting what we see with the Base Set, you could bet that the Unl. POP Reports are going to sky-rocket. There is A LOT of Unl. Product out there!
Well said. I was surprised to see most Gym series holo have a pop of like 10-15 in PSA 10, but there’s just no demand for them. I literally had to give one away at auction for like $20 or whatever it was. Ooops… lol
There’s probably a ton ungraded in private collections. I still think most are undervalued though, even base set.
In the case of the OP, I would honestly go for Shining Raichu in PSA 10 because it’s a key card. If it was some random Neo holo I would probably opt for the PSA 9 1st Edition.
