I’m trying to decide on which card I want to buy. I’m a pikachu collector, however lately I’ve been thinking of a Charizard to pick up. I thought about PSA/CGC 10 jap base as an option. I’ve also thought of completing a shadowless set of some sort. Even though I’m not a hug fan of base. I guess the the biggest questions I ask myself are:
why am I wanting this card
can I finish the set later on? ( I only collect PSA 8.5s/10s. open to CGC 9.5/10 depending on card.)
what will gain the most value in the future? 4) does grading copy matter?
I’ve narrowed it down to the 3 options.
Budget for these range between $2,600-3200
PSA 8.5 Shadowless Charizard
CGC 9 Gold Star Pikachu
CGC 9.5 E3 Red Cheeks Pikachu
It’s a bubbly market to be spending thousands of dollars in at the moment, but my personal choice would be Pikachu ! I think the art is stellar. Rarely do we see Pikachu so serious and powerful looking.
This pick ups would be acquired with 85% trade and then I’m paying rest of it cash if that helps. Beautiful copy! Is yours the saturated version by any chance?
Thank you! I’m not sure that I have seen a large difference in saturation among English copies. Do you have photos to highlight this difference in saturation? I would be curious if it is not just an artifact in contrast due to scanners or from UV bleaching.
Here is a side by side of the different colors I’m referring to. Not all of the gold stars are like this for some reason. One of my birthday pikachu wotc holos has a much darker saturation to it then the others. Similar to the shadowless ruby Charizard I suppose.
I’ve found two PSA 8.5 shadowless Charizard. Technically I can get two cards I want, if I just got a PSA 8. However, I’m weird and love the 8.5 grade bc it’s such a troll by PSA. If I did get a 8 I’d want the ruby red variation
As far as future value it’s difficult to bet against Charizard and I do think shadowless is a great value. PSA 8.5 is kind of an odd ball grade though so that could hinder some of it’s growth potential as I imagine there aren’t many collectors pursuing an 8.5. I’d prefer an 8 and pocketing the extra cash but that’s just me though.
I also love the gold star pika but the gold star market is pretty hot right now so I’d be weary of a potential market correction.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. I’ve found a few new cert 8s that are $700 cheaper than the 8.5. The 8s are also cleaner copy’s which I prefer. Most collectors don’t like the half grades I’ve noticed. My logic behind it is it’s cool, odd, technically higher than a 8. Issues I’ve come across in the past have been selling or including in trade. Value always seems to get rounded down to 8 prices.
Shadowless Charizard is just too cool
Once you have it, its hard imagining your collection without it. Looks the same as 1st ed (minus the stamp) so it has that special feel holding it, especially in a high grade. Good luck with whichever you choose!
Psa 9 is roughly 2x the price of psa 8 though
Still a lot easier to cut than a $100k psa 10 tho ha
! I think the art is stellar. Rarely do we see Pikachu so serious and powerful looking.
