Gold Stars are the peak of set collecting it could be argued.
For years I have put off collecting these cards. At first, they didn’t really interest me. Years later, when I began to appreciate Ex and DP, they have grown in appeal. They are possibly the most collectible cards released in a set. Shiny, hard to pull, great roster of Pokémon, low print era. I would like to begin collecting them.
However, I am very intimidated. Thoughts that run through my head.
English or Japanese?
What grade?
Why do so many Japanese 9s have atrocious edge wear?
Do I collect all of them or only certain ones? (I’m leaning towards only Gen III Pokemon)
Is it worth the cost to own these cards?
Can I even store these cards safely?
Buy Rayquaza first? Or wait until later in life and hope I hit a jackpot?
Pass on Rayquaza all together?
Do I try to buy these graded from Japan or wait for domestic auctions?
Huge cost commitment
I have never felt this way towards collecting in this hobby. Typically, if I want something I just wait for the right moment and buy it. But the Gold Stars just seems like such a beast to take on.
I am asking if anyone else has been on the sidelines for their collecting journey? Are you still on the sidelines? Did you finally make the jump? Do Gold Stars even appeal to you?
I’ve been trying to get english gold stars for my binder past 5 years, half way there atm. Getting GS these days for me is slow since life happened and priorities change but I’m in no hurry, I’ll get there.
If you go graded route someone smart once said buy the most expensive ones first since they might get more expensive in the future. I wish I did that 5 years ago since I havent gotten umbreon or espeon yet.
I collect English in PSA 9. It’s a lengthy process to put the funds together and to find cards that meet my standards. However, I love Gen 3 and think that it is well worth it.
Regarding your question about Japanese , many graded copies have significant edge/corner wear in PSA 9 or PSA 8. PSA clearly had trouble accurately grading these cards for many years (you can see the same issue across many new back EX-era Japanese cards and promos), but consistency has improved recently. The “strong” copies from those cert eras are most likely tucked away in collections, so we are only seeing the weak copies on the market.
I would start small. Buy the ones that speak to you most first. If it becomes too costly or overwhelming, you can always collect the ones that you like and ignore the ones that you dislike. They look excellent in a binder and can be much more affordable that way. Many new cert English are harshly graded in my opinion, allowing you to get mint binder copies for PSA 6-8 prices. CGC and BGS copies also sell for cheaper than PSA copies, so that could be another avenue for cracking.
A while ago I had been buying gold stars, aiming for PSA 10 in Japanese—imo Japanese just looks better. Now though I think binder copies for mini-sets like these (crystals and shinings too) is the way to go.
The biggest sticking point in going for Japanese will obviously be Umbreon (though you could maybe sneak a 25th anniversary copy) and Espeon, but if you focus on LP copies for the rest I think it’s definitely achievable over time. As far as getting Rayquaza, if you think you’d be able to save for it in a ‘reasonable’ period of time, I’d try and get it first, otherwise just start where you can.
I just want to touch on the part in the post where you mentioned they didnt interest you until later on. Was it because theyve risen in price, or because of another reason? Have you wanted to collect them because theyre your favorite arts, or is it just a “I need to buy them just in case they keep going up”. There are so many cards nowadays that are amazing arts people gloss over, but if value is the first thing you see then I dont think owning them is worth it imo. Its a never ending process of FOMO/regret that doesnt seem to be worth it, but I wouldnt collect them just because Ive never cared for them.
I’m currently one away from completing my English binder set. I think they’re an awesome set but not a priority for me to collect graded and PSA 10 is far out of reach for me. Also, I started with wanting every card mint and have slowly relaxed my standards to LP/EX
I started to do a PSA 9 English set about a year ago. Got about 7 or 8 cards in and backed out and sold them. They’re really, really cool cards but I just don’t like them quite enough to spend what you have to spend to get them.
I think you just need to do whatever makes you happy and what fits your budget. Personally, I don’t care much for Gold Stars other than the Japanese play promos and have slowly been trading away the few gold stars I have for other items I want. But I do feel that sometimes you can learn to appreciate a set that initially didn’t appeal to you. I initially wasnt attracted to crystals but now I have half of them and I’m slowly picking up the remaining ones missing from my collection
Thankfully no. I have never liked the art on them. Can’t quiet put my finger on why, but their body proportions and shadows look out of wack. They don’t do anything for me. Saves me the trouble of dealing this this situation though I suppose, and I can focus on other items. The only two that I could remotely see myself looking at would be Torchic and Mudkip.
with that said, i only have the CotBS/Deoxys set (ungraded). I might get the regis at some point. there aren’t too many others that interest me. the Delta variants are ruined by the foil imo. the groudon and kyogre look goofy. the johto beasts are largely carried by suicune. many others are just meh like alakazam, mewtwo, pikachu, and celebi. Metagross is another i’d consider.
i personally, am not a set collector. If they’re at all expensive (more than $10-$20, they need to actually excite me. It’s easy to buy up cards like ARs or cheap SARs to fill slots in my dex binders since they’re so cheap, but when it comes to something like gold stars, personally, it should be an easy decision to make whether you want to buy or not. If it isn’t an easy decision, it’s a pass.
This is the issue for me as well with the Japanese GS cards. The Umbreon and Espeon are virtually unobtainable unless you are wealthy. I have a low psa graded Japanese shining, 1st edition crystal, and unlimited crystal sets but think I’m going to pass on ever going after any GS cards due to those two not being set cards.
Go for Japanese simply because the white borders look way nicer. Especially with Rayquaza.
They do appeal to me, but not enough to go for the complete set. Would rather put that money towards a full CoL set, which I favor a bit more. I do hope to have certain cards like Rayquaza, Mew, and Alakazam in my collection eventually though.
in PSA 9. It’s a lengthy process to put the funds together and to find cards that meet my standards. However, I love Gen 3 and think that it is well worth it.