So lately I feel like I’ve hit some of my short term collecting goals with Pokemon and now I’m trying to figure out my next steps. One of my more ambitious collecting goals was/is to complete one of the Base Set holo prints in PSA 10. Unfortunately a few years ago I didn’t have nearly the capital to spend on Pokemon as I was still in school/college and focusing on that so I didn’t buy near as much as I wanted to back then. Now I have a lot more money but the prices and supply have changed drastically as we know.
I’ve focused mainly on collecting & completing a Base Set 2 holo set (20 cards total) which has proven to be very difficult as it’s very hard to get in high grade. I have 50% of the set in PSA 10 and the other 50% in PSA 9 which I’m very proud of. Some of the cards I just can’t seem to find and I tend to look almost every day on multiple websites and sometimes it takes months before one comes up for sale. I get a real thrill out of finally buying a PSA 10 from this set and I realize it’s a niche set but for me I enjoy collecting it.
Aside from this, I’ve been buying other cards from other sets that I simply love with no goal to complete the whole holo set. For example, I’ve picked up a few PSA 10s from 1st Edition Fossil and Gym series and even some Modern stuff. I also have a small variety of 1st Edition Base, Shadowless and Unlimited. Lots of raw binder stuff as well.
Anyway… I’m really considering now maybe venturing away from Base 2 and collecting the 16 holos from Base Unlimited. The supply is readily available for all 16 cards and I see more and more increasing in the pop report. It’s also relatively affordable (at least for my budget). I’m worried though that maybe this will spread myself thin and I won’t have the money to spend on a Base Set 2 card that comes available.
Should I just be more patient and save my money instead? I realize opportunity cost is a real thing in collectibles and with time limited auctions and availability, the last thing I want to do is get stuck in a corner not being able to buy a card that I want to complete a set. I’m just having a tricky time balancing my long term goals with potential opportunities in other cards/sets which are actually still obtainable.
Sorry for the long-winded post here, I’m just curious how everyone here keeps a balance with their collecting goals basically.
It is a great time to buy those cards at the moment IMO. There seems to be an oversupply of WOTC since that was the focus of the mass hoard being sent to PSA when papa Paul came onto the scene. I am also picking up more WOTC too since the prices seem very solid especially if you compare to sealed product and even comparing to modern graded.
But more specifically Base 2, 10s have a lower pop overall and like you said appear less often so I would prioritize that set since Base unlimited you can readily find those cards and supply won’t diminish in the future.
I’ve been putting off buying any base set for the last year-ish as I “know” PSA’s backlog is filled with base set cards and I believe the prices are going to go down quite a bit further. Take that how you will.
I have been working on a Base Set 2 holo set though as well, but mine is just a PSA 9 set with the only requirement being there has to be a swirl on every holo. Base Set 2 is awesome, I would personally save for the cards you want out of Base Set 2.
Thanks, I’ll definitely take a look at those guides @shizzlemetimbers . I definitely have been buying more at these levels as well as we’ve had sizable correction compared to last year this time… that’s for sure. I do hope to see more graded PSA 10 Base 2 hit the pop charts, but man it’s not growing very much at all. Maybe a 5% increase this year so far, I just don’t think much of it is out there or in Gem grade condition let alone Mint from what I can tell.
@mingemirl , that’s more or less what I’m thinking. The only reason I’m tempted by regular Unlimited is because I’m sitting on the sidelines right now and with the prices coming down I thought it might be a decent time to start collecting it again. Aside from Charizard, pretty much all the other holos are within my monthly budget that I set for myself. But, because it’s going to probably continue to rise in supply more I may be better off going for some other lower pop stuff that I can find due to lower overall availability and opportunities.
@swirlord , a great point you make. I’m definitely pretty happy with my Base 2 collection and I’ve managed to get some of the rarest in the PSA 10 grade, particularly Raichu, Magneton and Scyther.
Now I’m just stuck on a hunt until the next card comes by. I REALLY want the Clefairy & Wigglytuff but I am yet to come across one in 10 grade .
There’s obviously a lot of appeal in collecting 10s … have you considered just collecting all 9s (or 8s)? 1s are a novelty as well (and there are 1s that aren’t creased/worn to hell as well)
I would say save for what you really want as that will give you more joy at the end when you finally complete it. Not sure about your situation but something that I do sometimes is that I tend to have a set budget for the week/month depending on your situation. If at the end of that time period I haven’t found anything for my primary collection I will use some of that for my secondary collection. This way if durning the next time period I find something that goes for my primary collection I can buy it. I might miss out on some cards for my secondary collection but it is a more widely available set so I am not worried about those items coming back up later.
9s really do look great. I find if you find a way to get enamoured with a number, it makes “downgrading” easier as well. 7 is lucky in the west. 8 is lucky in the east (Asian countries). 666 is self explanatory.
Yeh, a lot of it is just fixation on the number. Also a lot of 9s arent 10s because reasons like centering or print lines which isn’t even an aspect of actual card damage just card aesthetic and I personally could not care less about superficial things like that in an otherwise pack fresh card. 9s all the way, 10s arent worth the premium unless you care about value imo.
9’s are for the collection. 10’s are for “investment”.
There are plenty of people who will buy a misgraded 10 over a clean 9 just because of the number on the slab.
If you have a set of expensive and rare targets and also a set of cheaper and readily available targets, your best bet is to have capital always ready for the rare items and just take the time to slowly pick up the cheaper ones as go. Time is your friend.
First off congrats with completing the set! Personally I think that we as collectors generally rush things (we want the cards yesterday haha) and that makes us enjoy less the cards we have obtained.
For me the chase is 50% the enjoyment of collecting. Finding that perfect card or getting that steal, and meeting collectors along the way.
Personally I wouldn’t sell your base 2 set. You have them in high enough grade that they are worth keeping from an investment standpoint (and you may regret if you sell them).
Id be patient and stack the base set or whatever other collection goal you have!
Thanks - yeah I really have no intentions of selling them. I was just thinking that while I have the working capital, and while prices have been coming down, that it may be worth diversifying or accumulating some of the Unlimited holos. One thing is for sure is that the opportunity to buy them is far greater at this time compared to Base 2 which as I mentioned come up far less often.
I think though if I did manage to complete the Base 2 set in all 10s it would be immensely satisfying as the rarity is far higher but in some ways I worry if it might be impossible to complete compared to Unlimited (which is why I was thinking of collecting a less rare set).
For now, I’m just going to be patient for the next few months until the PSA backlog clears… as maybe more Base 2 holos will show up and I think without a doubt we’ll be seeing even more Unlimited holos as a ton of it is out there still. Like others have been saying… time and patience is most likely key no matter what route I go next.
Exactly this. Unlimited base will literally always be there in huge supply. To the OP, you WILL have regrets if that rare base 2 psa 10 pops up for sale and you are looking at your unlimited poliwrath and Nidoking instead…
stay the course! sometimes its not easy to continue a journey, but the why is always stronger than the how. id say stay committed to your original goal as mission number 1! (doesnt mean you cant pick up extras along the way)
I’ve learned it’s best to move at your own pace, don’t compare yourself to others, and always remember it’s never too late to chase a goal. No matter how far away it seems, you can accomplish more than you think with enough determination and patience.
Thanks all. I’ve decided against collecting a lot of Unlimited with the exception of only collecting my favourite holos from that set just because I like them regardless of collection goals (so probably only a few at most). For example, I really like Clefairy and Alakazam, so I’m going to try and get a copy of them regardless at some point. It may truly be easier building the whole Unlimited set, but then I’d probably just get bored and not appreciate it as much.
I’m also going to focus some resources on 1st Edition Base and Jungle, I feel a lot more desire towards these over Unlimited. Part of the reason I went for Base 2 over Unlimited was because of the scarcity and rareness of the holos in high grade which was interesting to me and I love the cosmos holo they have.
Interestingly because of how rare Wigglytuff is in Base Set 2, it’s actually become one of my all time favourite Pokemon cards now. I view it as a very elusive and possibly underappreciated card, and I look at it differently than I did before. I want to get a 1st Edition copy now.
I think in the short term I’ll get more enjoyment focusing more on getting some of my favourite overall cards and less focus on a big set goal. I’ve already completed the set anyway, so now I’m just going to play it out long term and see if I might actually get the whole thing built some day in the highest possible grade and instead just appreciate what I have as it stands.
.