This is a place where we can all recognize and learn about people from the past who helped turn this interesting child’s game into the world class collectible hobby it is today.
How big is our Pokemon world? Well, consider this: Between 1999 and today, PSA has graded MORE Pokemon cards than Football cards. Who would of imagined that back in 1999 Well it didn’t happen by accident. A lot of people worked very hard and made it happen!
You can even use this place to thank those who helped pave the way for you and this adventure you’re on.
Remember…new visitors will see this and your passing on knowledge to them helps to keep our history alive.
Would you care to share a mention Gary? I’d love to hear about the past as I’d said in the other thread.
How did you get the stats on how many Pokemon cards were graded? Cool stuff! Do you have ties to PSA?
Not going long into the past but…Who paved the road for me? Well that would be Scott Pratte. The first Japanese Pokemon card I’d bought was a Fan Club Shining Magikarp that I got on eBay years ago. It was a completely impulse purchase because I thought it looked cool. I held onto it for a couple years and thought heck, I might as well grade the thing. I didn’t know how, and someone pointed me in Scott’s direction. He helped me out and I checked out the “smpratte collection” link in his signature and knew right then and there that I would try to own all those insane cards. I would spend hours just looking at cards in his Photobucket account, that really paved the way for me. It gave me hope that I could amass a collection like that, and it subjected my eyes to so many good cards all at once. I am confident I would have never owned a trophy card if I had not seen Scott’s “collection” of them. So thanks Scott
Is anybody here familiar with Steve Gordon from Bradenton, Florida? He’d be an honorable mention for sure.
With several of our financial help he put together several of the biggest deals from Japan ever. One deal, back in 1999, brought over 500 birthday pikachus sealed in their sticker packs. Those packs sold at the time for about 400.00 and he got the best ones graded and the 10s sold for 1000.00. He also helped me bring over the first lucky stadium sets. I still remember him selling an ungraded stadium set for 1800.00.
His amazing connections with Media Factory (the Japanese manufacturer of Pokemon cards) made it all possible. Those connections didn’t just happen. They were nurtured over time, using many translators. Many of us know the difficulty in dealing with the Japanese regarding their products so that alone was quite an accomplishment.
Steve passed away unexpectedly in 2006. His contribution to the Japanese side of our hobby was significant and his mention here…well deserved.
Well said my friend. Actually Scott goes way back to our early days and deserves a spot on this thread for sure:)
Yes, I’ve worked with PSA on and off since 1996. Mostly consulting though since 2000. In researching an article I dug up the numbers on football/pokemon grading. This number includes the thousands of cd promos we had done for the home shopping show network in 1999 but still its significant.
OH that’s why there are so many of those darn cards graded, that’s cool!!! I bet they sold for crazy prices. Does PSA consult you at all for the grading/labelling of Pokemon cards etc? I’ve always wondered how they decide what to grade and what not to grade. It’s all a mystery!
I wish I was collecting in that era, sounds like a crazy time, lucky stadium sets for $1800! Although my bank account would have hurt. Then again I’m sure there were some fantastic deals then by todays standards. I’d love to hear any stories from the past
Right…that’s one thing PSA inquires on. The most recent is the series 5 bandai carddass charizard.
The values have changed on pokemon, both up and down. I just saw a post from 2010 where Scott says the 1st Ed base boxes are worth from 500 to 800 and he was right cause there were so few around for sale. Now the going rate is still 5 to 8 but THOUSANDS lol.
A bit more than a year ago I could (and did) buy a PSA 9 1st edition Charizard for my birthday in August, I paid $325 shipped which was above the going rate at the time. It was a birthday present after all… January 2011 I also bought a PSA 9 1st Edition Charizard, I paid $250 shipped. We all know where prices are now Just a year and a half to two years later…
I wanted to emphasize a few people, one in particular, Clive Mosby. Clive is from the UK and had a couple of usernames depending on where you knew him: Avmozz (pokegym) and pokeblokey (eBay). He also helped run the site “greylight”. If anyone was collecting in the mid 2000’s they probably had that site bookmarked. They had all three 1997 pikas and an illustrator. They also had loads of japanese promos ranging from university magikarp to 2002 mcdonalds promos.
Why I wanted to specifically point out clive is because he helped many people find cards they needed. This also was true for sellers such as smason108 and Brianjapan. Something that I think is not respected among the younger generation who are buying and selling is that they are operating on the backs of people like this. The criticism of someone selling cards is a contradiction as a collector, we need the sellers, we need the middlemen. Without noppin and their fee’s, we would not have the opportunity to own some of the items we do.
Anyway, I hope this read is not too sappy. I just wanted to highlight the sellers, in my opinion, who were great role models and helped collectors like myself and many others.
Oh and Gary, I remember when I said that about the 1st edition booster box. I actually saw one end at $900 right before typing that. I am glad that the demand has changed so quickly!
This is a great idea to put up such a thread, Gary!
Actually I remember talking to Will on the pokegym about 4 years ago (if I remember correctly). He was just grading some of the No. 1 Trainers at that time. I bought my frist trophy cards at that time as well - nothing very expensive, just Pikachu Victory ring and so on. I also remember talking a lot with Scott at that time. And honestly both our collections were pretty lame back then but we were dreaming of owning some of the rarest cards. Now, years later it is amazing to look at Scotts photobucket
I stopped collecting about 2 years ago. Luckily I got back into it in March last year and was able to buy some new additions during the last year.
I have to say that Scott played a major role in my collecting “carreer” as well… so thanks as well from my side
Good point with the sellers, they have always been important for us collectors. I think we mustn’t forget promo_sen. He was selling some of the rarest cards a few years back. I loved his auctions because every card he listed had a starting price at £0.01 and no reserve! He was the first to sell a Victory Mew on ebay and from that point on I always wanted to have one. I think promo_sen and this Victory Mew are the main reasons I collect trophy cards.
I remember grey light! I used to go there daily because it was the only site that actually had pictures of the pikachu and illustrator at the time. I think Clive is the only person that I know of that had a complete SSB, TMB, trophy Pikachu set and illustrator at one time or another.
A newer seller I’d like to mention is Nick…roadrunner on eBay. He was very creative with his auctions and always threw in bunches of bonuses to buyers. Due to his good will and great work thousands of casual buyers became major enthusiasts. Wonderful personality and deserved mention here!
Wow, that was a blast from the past, I bought from roadrunner multiple times. He and Jimmy Hume always gave extra cards. In my earlier years I always shopped with them.
Jimmy still gives bonuses on everything! A month or two back I asked him a simple question about a lilypad mew. He promptly responded of course. A week later I bought some cards from him and he gave me a lilypad mew as a bonus! I couldn’t believe it, what generosity, let alone that he had remembered me inquiring about it.
Class act, I would (and do) pay a premium happily for any item he sells.
What about all those parents who ran to an fro looking for a pokemon pack for you. As well as driving to poke league and all the other sacrifices required to be a PokeMom or PokeDad. As you get older ill bet you can really appreciate them more:).
Tell me about your folks.
I don’t Know if Brianjapan was mentioned, but I definitely think he should be! He gives us the ability to buy directly from japan without the need for a middle man…and not just cards too! Although his prices are bit high he is more than willing to work something out and goes into great detail describing his items. Finally, he is professional and responds quickly.
Yes, I briefly mentioned him, but he is definitely a role model seller. Sometimes buying something from him would be cheaper than going the noppin route. Especially if you are in a country where you have to pay additional fee’s on an items value. He definitely works with the buyers and responds as soon as you hit send.
Well, I think I need to give another shout out to Scott here.
His creation of the thread “Where are the collectors at?” on the PokeGym was the first time that a lot of us began to properly come together as a united community, having group conversations rather than just discussing things in private messages.
I came into collecting a lot later than some people, and while a lot of collectors seemed to know each other, there wasn’t the sense of community that we have now.
Other personal shout outs go to dogma for the article on PokeGym which gave me my first taste of trophy cards.
Also to Avmozz for refusing to accept that I would only ever collect English cards, and dragging me head first into Japanese cards.
As for who paved the road for me, I don’t think I could pick just one person, but I have a few in mind.
First, I’d say my dad really set me up for success in the Pokemon card world. He’s been dealing in sports cards and memoribilia since he was around 20, so he has a great mind for business. Because of his own business, I’ve been able to mooch supplies off of him such as penny sleeves and toploaders and also envelopes for when I ship stuff. He taught me how to use eBay and PayPal and be a successful buyer and seller online and in person. Nowadays, I’ve learned a lot of what he has to teach me, so we help each other out with advice and opinions on our business affairs. I can safely say I would not be collecting Pokemon today if it weren’t for my dad.
Now, when it comes to why I collect the cards I collect, I’d say Scott, David Persin, and pretty much this whole community have really shaped the goals I want for my collection. Scott is the owner of the first major collection I ever saw. I had seen a few nice collections, but those mainly consisted of complete english sets, so when I first saw Scott’s collection, it really opened my eyes to the vast Pokemon card world. Scott’s various Japanese and English treasures are what first really inspired me to put research into cards outside of the English sets. David Persin hasn’t really “paved the road” for me, but he serves as the Gary to my Ash. I’ve determined that I want to own the largest English card collection out there, and when I do finally reach the end of my goal, David Persin is going to be my ultimate competitor (especially since he is already pretty much there haha). So, David Persin serves as my catalyst and inspiration for my collection. And then this whole community (UPCCC specifically) has really encouraged me to keep collecting and make my collection as great as it can be. It has also served as an extremely amazing resource for card information and card acquisition.
Well it didn’t happen by accident. A lot of people worked very hard and made it happen!
but we were dreaming of owning some of the rarest cards. Now, years later it is amazing to look at Scotts photobucket 