Let’s say you couldn’t afford a Pikachu Illustrator, would you get a proxy for your own satisfaction or simply accept you’ll never own it…
& why?
I’m glad i’ve managed to build my collection goals in a way that i can afford every card i want, but if out of nowhere a card i couldn’t afford would appear i’d rather watch an empty binder slot instead of a replica. Filling it with a not authentic card would feel like living in a lie and would end up being more downer than the empty spot
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I’ll be honest i don’t really see the point in having proxy cards in my collection.
I buy / find the cards i need at my pace and have been able to find nice cards with luck over time.
I don’t really see the point in buying a fake card to add into the binder other than lying to myself or others ? I’m pretty much like joponnes above. I’d rather have an empty spot than a fake one.
I know the cards i want exist and i can see them at any time on the internet, no need for a fake one
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+1 with this sentiment. I personally would just make peace and come to terms with the fact that I cannot afford the card and have a gap in the binder slot than fill it with proxies.
For myself, I think it is a more healthier approach to also accept cards that I am being priced out of as a part of the collecting journey. Also, you never say never but empty spaces can also serve as motivation to keep trying or be in the hunt for some cards that you may somehow still be able to afford.
Cheers!
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On the other hand i could imagine filling the binder spot with an art piece based on the card but clearly indicating it’s not a real one, for example with gold star/shining art similar to cards in this post
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I think they are lame
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I have a proxy for a higher end card. Once I save up enough for the card I will replace it. Id never try to advertise it or sell them though. I also played with proxies back in the day and we used proxies for cards we never had to get a feel for how they worked, and if we wanted to use them. I think its important to ask why youd want a proxy, and the intentions behind them.
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I like oricas, weird vintage bootlegs and custom cards of course, they’re almost always cool to see. I would love to print my own custom cards in the future.
Behold the bootleg grails (not mine):
Proxies on the other hand, are a bit of a slippery territory.
I have nothing against it, if you want to fill a hole in your binder and the card(s) are out of reach. That’s truly a matter of taste and personal choices, since I perfectly understand why someone would prefer owning at least a replica of the artwork, instead of nothing.
I do own a bunch of mtg proxies, while the Pokemon ones never grew on me.
However If you’re going to change your mind it is better to not release them into the market: unfortunately many bad actors are using them to deceive others. So, enjoy & destroy
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If I had a binder slot I couldn’t full I’d probably print my own copy Akabane style to stick in as an obvious placeholder, rather than trying to accurately imitate the real thing and participate in the secondary market of fake cards
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In the words of maxmofoe
“That doesnt look like sableye, that looks like bulbasaur fing psyduck in the a$$”
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They have no value to me.
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At one point I had proxies of some pricier cards. I would rather have a blank space than a replica or print out. Having seen both ways, the fake card just makes it worse than not having it at all
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I don’t like proxies or custom cards.
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I really wish I knew how to make custom/orica/proxy cards. One of my favorite cards is the Parent Child Trophy Kangaskhan card and it’s become so out of reach that I wouldn’t mind having a proxy. I like the idea of a proxy card with the word replica somewhere on there. I understand the stigma behind them and the issues it creates but at the same time that’s not really my problem. I want a replica of the card for my personal use and display purposes. I’m thinking of seeking a few proxy cards for my display cases. I won’t show them here for the sake of keeping things legit and not getting boo’d off stage lol.
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I’m clearly in the minority here but I love proxies & custom cards 
I like getting them with wild holos & textures that the originals don’t come in so that it’s clear they are not the original but I can still look at cool art. Also I use them in my binders for when I have a graded version but don’t want to crack it to put in a binder.
And I collect fakes of my favorite pokemon, some of them are really funny, some of them are surprisingly good, and once again, I adore the different holos. Its just fun for me, personally.
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I think if you like it then go for it, but stay ethical, and dont use them for malicious intent. Otherwise there really is no issue.
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I love custom cards of stuff that dosent exist in real world. Eg I have Pokemon pocket custom cards I have a crystal snorlax custom. But I’d never buy a replica or fake of a real tcg card. I do like the idea of printing paper versions as place holders tho
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I prefer cards to have a purpose. If they arent filling the set authentically then they need something unique about them for me, whether its the art or holo when real ones arent, i want to have a reason to own them that isnt “i cant afford a real one”.
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Having proxy cards to ‘collect’ when they are direct and obvious 1:1 effort to replicate a card are dumb.
Transformative artistic expressions that involve a humans artistic interpretation of a card to collect are cool (People altering cards with cutouts to make ‘3D’ versions of cards for example.)
Proxy cards used for play at local events should be encouraged and allowed to a certain extent, especially when the price for a playable card gets ridiculous (People shouldn’t have to pay more than 200 dollars to make a deck).
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