So I am also a newer collector who loves graded cards. Therefore, I wanted to follow this thread. I will also be more than happy to share any advice that I have from my time collecting, but I wanted to ask one question first.
What do you mean by asking if you should go with nostalgia or be smart? I guess what I am asking is what does “being smart” mean? In my opinion collecting what you love is being smart. So I would say to collect what you are interested in which in your case most likely overlaps with what you are nostalgic about.
At any rate, Welcome to the forum, and to collecting!
I started back in Pokemon about a year or so ago now and its been a blast!
It took me a little while to find E4 but its been a great tool. It also took me a little while to find my footing in the hobby. I settled on collecting:
PSA 9 Base Set Holos
PSA 8 Shadowless Base Set Holos
Finishing my WOTC binder collection
For me, both PSA sets were affordable / realistic options. Of course, at the beginning, I was drawn to the 10s like anyone else Once I saw how much the big boys sold for, I had to set more attainable goals in the hobby.
If you’re looking for a PSA 9 Base Zard ive acquired a couple over the past few months and maybe we could make a deal! Shoot me a PM if interested and have fun with the hobby!
Welcome to E4! Glad you found your way here as it is imo the best resource for pokemon collectors!
I recommend starting with what you like, so going for nostlagia is definitely a good start. Reason being is that if you try to start collecting purely for strategic reasons, you may lose interest. Collect what you like and it will always be fun!
If you are also looking at it as an investment, I would recommend collecting 1st edition when collecting Fossil set. 1st editions will hold their value much better than unlimited. If investment potential is not important and you just want the cards for aesthetics and nostalgia, then unlimited will definitely save you a few bucks.
Can’t go wrong either way so you may as well do them at the same time like it’s one big set.
Place your wants here with your prices and you’ll save money and deal with true collectors;)
Welcome to Efour and welcome back to Pokemon. You will find this is one of the best community groups and the information, knowledge and passion here on this forum is unparalleled. You will find that there is a lot of attention on Pokemon today which is great but also means the demand is strong so naturally prices are up. My best advice is work within your means and be patient in building your collection. Half the fun is learning about the nuances that makes these cards special and the other half is hunting for them so try to enjoy the process.
Thank you all so much for the comments! I guess nostalgia and being smart kind of go hand in hand for a 90’s kid when it comes to Pokemon Cards. I guess I will want to sell eventually…maybe in 20-30 years?
I have a feeling this growth in price is going to continue. My “being smart” kind of collector mentality was I guess wondering if I should go after 1st edition Base//Shadowless cards before any others? What PSA grade is too low when it comes to 1st edition or shadowless?
My first idea was to go the cheaper route and collect some PSA 9 Base Set Cards (Mainly Holo). I bought those ages ago though I never did pick up the original 3 starter evolutions! I still occasionally see good deals on PSA 10 Base holos on eBay.
Should I go after PSA 10 Unlimitted Base or go after lower graded Shadowless///First Edition?
I found this forum through S-M-Pratte’s YouTube channel with his recent videos of Gary from Pawn Stars. That had to be my favorite episode of Pawn Stars of all time and I’ve seen every episode! I’ve been a subscriber of smpratte for awhile now but finally decided to try and get more involved after hearing them discuss this forum!
EDIT:
Oh wow, I just noticed that Gary himself commented on my post! Huge fanboy moment for me, oh wow! Was not expecting that!!! Thank you so much!!!
Not trying to selflessly plug here, but I sell a TON of cards via ebay auction (user: amtsupply) and a lot of the 8-10’s that I list don’t have a large following. You can easily pick up graded cards for less than the combined grading price + card price and either keep them or flip them for a profit to invest into something you are emotionally invested in.
Not trying to assist in the selfless plug, but I recently have had the pleasure of buying several items from amtsupply on ebay, and the entire transaction was handled politely and professionately. Definitely can reccomend from the buyer side of things!
Hello amtsupply! I think I’ve purchased a total of 5 psa cards from you very recently. Great cards and prices!
Lazzlo: If you really like Fossil, I would definitely go for those. If you want to collect some PSA cards I’d probably go for 1st edition 10s since I think they’re still fairly cheap, especially compared to 1st edition base set. I like to believe there’s still room for growth with Fossil.
With base set you can’t really go wrong with what you decide to collect. Unlimited PSA 9 or 10 will likely see growth and would be easier on your wallet now.
Personally, I went for 1st edition base set PSA 8 holos and PSA 9 non-holos to collect first. Once I completed that, I completed Jungle and fossil 1st edition holos in PSA 9. PSA 10 holos in these post-base WOTC sets are still relatively attainable though if you want the bird in the hand option. I went for PSA 9 simply because you get all the aesthetics of a mint card while not paying much (I picked up most Jungle and fossil psa 9 holos under $30). Then I moved on to shadowless holos PSA 8 or better.
The reason I collected these sets is purely that they are the sets I knew growing up. I recommend you start with the sets that have the most nostalgia and try to collect the highest grade possible and 1st edition.
With base, stick with PSA 9 or PSA 10 for unlimited holos. If you go 1st edition i’d stick to at least PSA 7 or better for holos and PSA 9 for non-holos.
With later WOTC sets I’d stick with 1st edition PSA 9 or better for holos.
You’re coming back in at a good time imo as prices are dipped a bit and growth has been a bit flat for sets like base and fossil so it’s a great time to buy.
I recommend collecting the most expensive, rarest cards of the sets first (I.e. Charizard, blastoise, etc.). Those ones are bound to grow fastest so it may save you a bit if you buy them early on.
All I could advise you is don’t buy graded Unlimited cards, except for Base and maybe some key cards(Neo Shinings or any Charizard). There just isn’t much demand for them.
Being smart would be focusing on PSA 10s only, but then you could only afford one card a month. I’m a 9 collector and I’m very happy with my collection. Some of the most common cards you can probably afford in 10 though.
When it comes to Shadowless/1st, I personally wouldn’t touch anything under PSA 8 except for Charizard.
Hope that helps. Good luck reaching your collecting goals.
Changed it to match more of the store name. Will be changing it again soon to gradedpokemon or gradedpokemondotcom once the website is built. Eventually aiming to create a marketplace where we protect everyone and built on trust.
A quick tip. Don’t use the DOTCOM one. EBay always catches those, or someone without a life reports them, and they pull the name and put up numbers until you create a new one;)
