Hello everybody. My name is Rohan. I registered an account a while back and have just lurked ever since. I’ve come across much in the way of good advice, insight on collecting Pokemon TCG and general goodwill between members on UPCCC, so I thought I should try and contribute.
I started collecting as a young kid when TCG first hit Britain circa 1998/1999. I was given a 2-player starter set by my mother and I had incalculable fun trading on the playground. I also got scammed outta my holographic Machamp, but it didn’t stop me (I’ve got a first edition shadowless now to make up for it though). My family moved from London to South Wales and there was some interest in trading cards, but not for long. Shops stopped stocking Pokemon boosters and put Yu-Gi-Oh in their stead but I couldn’t get into it that much. After a while, I stopped. Occasionally I leafed through my binder of holos but that was it.
Fast forwarding >>>>
My girlfriend gave birth to my daughter (July 23rd, 2011) and I had much less in the way of free time. I kept on playing drums and classical piano, but gave up World of Warcraft. Hardcore raiding and night feeds don’t go hand in hand. I was up late one night and a gargantuan wave of nostalgia hit me. The idea of collecting Pokemon cards again excited me just as much as it did when I was 7/8, so I went for it. I trawled around the net for information and ideas. The poketubing scene on youtube was really helpful (how I found this site). I really vacillated over what I was going to collect, but the new cards were pretty alien to me and I couldn’t get used to them. So I decided to go for the old-school stuff.
It’s been tremendous fun. I have been going through all the Wizards of the Coast sets (All Japanese except Base set, which was my first TCG love). They are not all complete yet, but I’m on the way. I’ve found other things I like too, such as the Masaki Promos and the fan club rewards (I’ll get that bloody Porygon eventually). I got my first PSA graded cards today, which were first edition shining cards from Neo Revelation - they are both rated 9 and that’s plenty good enough for me.
I’ve very much enjoyed reading your threads and looking over your collections. As I said at the start, I’ve learnt a lot about collecting from UPCCC. If I figure out how to post pictures in the thread, I’ll show you what I’ve got at the moment and maybe you can give me some suggestions.
Enough with the wall of text - hope I’ve posted this in the correct space.
Welcome! You will find many others here have had similar experiences with pokemon. Do not feel shy about posting. Majority of the people who are here started the exact same way you did. Going back and doing all the sets, then moving onto promo’s and prize cards. If anything it is the natural progression of collecting.
You are also not alone in playing piano.
Oh and congratulations on your daughter! It will be a nice experience sharing pokemon with her as she ages. If she is interested of course.
@smpratte - I’ll try not to be shy. I do like the idea of collecting promos very much, but I need to learn a little more about them as promo sets seem a lot more diverse. I was looking at thread by Cujucuyo and I liked a lot of the art, but many of the cards I had never seen before. Pokemon has caught my daughter’s attention. She’s just under two but she does have a habit of raiding the cabinet I keep my collection in (“Look Daddy, it’s a Pokemon card!” - you can imagine my terror when I find her shaking my ultrapro binder . . .). What kind of piano music do you play?
@reina Sierpe - Thanks for the welcome. Alas I do not own any yet. I saw them and liked them enough to want to start collecting them after I finish Wizards in Japanese. I don’t want to try to go after too much too quickly though. Any advice for when I do start?
@not Zelda Gilroy - Thank you for welcoming me. I’ve read a lot about your collection. It gave me the impression that you have pretty much everything as far as Pokemon TCG is concerned. Are you still actively collecting?
@eleutherarch welcome to our community. I’m very glad to know you’re collecting cards for your daughter. I’m doing the same thing for my 2 kids. We have an excellent group here so please don’t hesitate to ask questions and share your thoughts. Do share your collection as well. Cheers!
Your name is Rohan? You automatically are welcomed here! That’s one of the coolest names I’ve ever heard. Congratulations on being awesome!
Anyways, welcome to the forum! If you couldn’t already tell, we all love Pokemon (a little too much ;P) so you’ll fit right in. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions you may have, but I suggest using the forum’s search feature before doing so just to see if your question has already been answered.
@justjinkee - Thanks a lot for your greeting. I’ll try to contribute as best I can and get a couple of pictures up.
@daelum - Cheers man - I get endless LOTR jokes but I wasn’t named after a realm in Middle Earth. Thanks for the nice reception.
@reina - I’ll take a look. I’ve always loved the base set Porygon art (I’m one of the few who actually likes Keiji Kinebuchi’s 90’s cgi) so when I saw the fan club card, I wanted it BADLY. I think Scott has one on ebay at the moment, but my budget won’t allow for it. What area of TCG do you prefer and tend to focus on?
I used to play a lot more than I currently do. While I was in college I focused a bit on classical music. I tried to tackle Rachmaninoff, but Rachmaninoff tackled me. I was in over my head on him. Now I mostly play on the Korg Triton 88 I have and just improvise for a good hour or two, if I have the time.
If you need any help identifying any promo card feel free to post about it. If you need a reference sheet for the Japanese promos, Here is a comprehensive list of the unnumbered japanese promos. They are the most sought after cards in the hobby. There are also related links at the bottom that can link you to just about every set in Japanese or English.
