I am having trouble deciding whether to open and grade some items in my collection or keep them sealed. Specifically the Mario Pikachu boxes and an Adidas Pikachu which is still sealed and attached to the original magazine it was issued in.
On one hand I feel that if I leave them sealed in original packaging I am not able to enjoy the item in its full splendor, but on the other hand I will be gutted to remove them from the original wrapping.
If you guys could give me some insight on your thought process when deciding which items to keep sealed and which ones to grade it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Link to images of items I am conflicted about below:
If you intend on keeping these items as investments, probably best to keep them sealed. If you don’t care about any future value and only care about the collecting aspect, open away.
If both… good luck
Remember you can always open a box but never unopen one.
It really depends on what you’re looking to get out of owning the product.
If you’re big on the nostalgia value and collecting sealed items in original packaging, then keeping them sealed would be the best bet. If you’re looking to increase monetary value and protect the cards long-term, grading is the best option. However as @morgan suggested, you can have the best of both worlds if you buy a second one of each item!
I’m primarily an English-card collector but there are definitely some Japanese cards I just ‘had to have’ in my collection, and the Pikachu cosplay full-arts/Mario + Luigi ones in particular were must haves…they are tremendous to look at, especially in PSA slabs!
Thanks for the input guys. I am now considering having two separate collections, one for sealed and another one for graded singles, will be twice as expensive, but at least it will spare me the ‘feel bad’ aspect of opening the original packaging.
Another piece of advice I would like to ask. These promos that come in magazines and leaflets, are the cards likely to remain mint as long as I keep the magazine and leaflet sealed, or does anyone have any bad experiences with collecting these type of items?
PS: That is quite an impressive collection you have there Jayce87, those cards are indeed beautiful.
Usually promos distributed inside magazines etc. stay in good condition but there are some exceptions like Masaki promos, since 2 corners were pinched under leaflet’s cardboard it’s likely there’s more or less damage over the time, one of the main reasons they are so hard to grade.
Also certain collectors dislike keeping cards in original cellophane wrapping because they consider it as sort of sand paper which might slowly damage the surface. I’m quite positive @garyis2000 has spoken about this in past and can give you more detailed info.
