Yesterday I made a two hour trip down to San Diego to buy some graded cards from a seller I previously knew. We met at a local Starbucks in a shopping strip. I would say the amount of traffic for this strip is average for a California city. We sat outside for about two hours, conversing and negotiating the deal. At least five or six different parties noticed the cards while walking by and said something aloud about Pokemon cards among their group. Three different people actually came up to talk with us. The first was a twenty to thirty something year old who mentioned he threw all of his cards out before realizing they had value. He told us they were in good condition too, always kept in a sleeved binder and that he was amazed that some cards can be worth a thousand dollars. The second person was a security guard, probably in his late fifties,maybe early sixties that opened by asking us if they were trading cards and whether they had ruined the cards by overprinting like in baseball. He cited a $2,800,000 sale for a Micky Mantle baseball card and asked us if we ever tried going to swap meets or places where people might not know what they have. The third person was a kid, maybe ten years old, who was with his family but couldnāt help stopping to have a look at the cards he had only ever heard about. We had a few stacks of Shadowless holos spread across the table and the kid, with great excitement in his eyes, said something like, āThose are 1995 Pokemon cards!ā We let him have a quick look before he had to keep moving with the family.
Like magnets to the eyes, these cards captured the attention of a diverse group of individuals from different times.
Nice story. I wonder, though, if most people care about Pokemon cards nowadays mostly because they believe they are worth a lot of money.
Thatās what happened back in the late 1970s and early 1980s in regards to baseball cards. Those of us who collected because we loved the game were quickly being outnumbered by those who were only in it for the money.
Great story, i think the most pleasing aspect is the fact that the youngest generations know of the āolder schoolā cards. For them to have knowledge and respect for the earliest sets is truly exciting and impressive.
You raise a fair point and itās an idea Iāve pondered as well. I think Pokemon cards differ from sports cards though in that the point has always been to collect whether itās the multitude of video games, the cards, plush dolls, etc. Pokemon has always been about making money on some level. The cards were sold at least twice by the time they saw a kidās hands. Baseball is a game thatās free on a fundamental level. Nobody charges you to pick up a stick and hit a rock. Collecting cards that depict players you look up to or admire comes secondary. Itās a comparison that we could write many words about and Iād be interested to hear more about what happened back then as I wasnāt around to experience it.
In any case, money will inherently bring those looking to capitalize regardless of what hobby, interest, or product we give examples for.
