What card has the most sentimental value to you and why?
Anything '97 carddass. The entire set is the feel good early sugimori art that reminds me of the red/blue/yellow strategy guides id just sit around and flip through as a kid
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Ancient Mew (US ver) - The only card* from my childhood which was still with me all the years till adulthood, inside a yellowed toploader… until I realised in 2020 (when I returned to the hobby) there is a better*, 1st edition “error” version. Sold it and got the JPN original version.
*Lost all my cards during house moving circa 2000 but I suspected my mom threw them all away as she was at that time constantly nagging I’m reaching adulthood and going for higher studies why am I still playing with Pokemon cards! I only kept Ancient Mew physically by my side as it was my fave Pokemon and most unique Pokemon card (at that time)… 
*Better holograms too than US version.
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Can’t do it.
Now, if I could only choose one part of my collection, it’d be my arita collection binders. Then add-in my lands collection. if 2 things. The journey through the eras, inclusion of classic WotC but also new stuff, and my endeavor to curate and complete it is VERY meaningful. My Lands are like that too. Though I’d be really sad at losing my EDH decks, I could always rebuild them.
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Jungle Snorlax was the first holo rare I pulled as a kid. I treasured that card for years!
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100%! I still look through those players guides!
Japanese southern island and vending come to mind. I have a Japanese southern island set in most of my binders, I think even in tbe 97 carddas one. 
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Base set Squirtle, favourite Pokémon from day one and still the card I enjoy looking at the most
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Probably the old WB promos with the stamp, and the other early movie promos like the bird trio, mew, etc. I remember getting them as a kid and just losing my mind lol.
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Probably the one card I cannot show. But runner up would definitely be the Himeno Signed 25th Anniversary Gyarados. Card symbolizes friendships, good times, amazing stories, and an incredible memory.
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Can’t pick just one so I’ll say a block, Late ex era sets, specifically Crystal Guardians through Power Keepers. I had some base unlimited and Rocket cards prior to getting these sets, but they were the first ones that I understood how the tcg worked and the excitement of getting your chase cards. Ex cards blew me away. Seeing silver borders deeper into my pack filled me with so much joy and this was my first experience with them.
Jirachi ex, Delta Charizard, Latios ex & Latios ex, salamence ex, absol ex and many more from these sets are really special to me. Delta species astounded me with their different types and though unconscious to me at the time the art is really sharp with some of the best all coming together. These sets represent the beginning of the my collecting journey where my love of the tcg really spawned and I will always love them for that.
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Definitely Base Set Squirtle! I can’t think of another card that rings of my childhood more than this. I love it. It was always my preferred starter in the Red/Blue games. I’d say Charizard is a close follow up because it was the first Pokemon holo card I pulled, but Squirtle is still really special to me because of the games:
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This is totally going to out me as a zoomer, but Secret Rare Archeops from Dark Explorers. It was the first Secret Rare I ever pulled. Pulling it is such a vivid memory for me. It was Christmas of 2012, my Aunt got me 4 packs of Dark Explorers as a Christmas present and it was in the second pack. Secret Rares were 1/72 packs at that time, so this was a big deal.
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There are a few. Ones that immediately spring to mind:
Base Set Machamp holo (my original from when I was a kid and I got the Starter Set)
Jungle Nidoqueen holo - this was actually my sister’s. For a time, we both bought packs and I remember her pulling this, and the card accidentally getting stuck to an uncommon Fearow for some sticky-fingered kid reason I forget. Pulled them apart and the Nidoqueen ended up with a surface tear on the back. Eventually she gave me her cards and I still have this one for the memories of us as kids.
The above two I have long since bought cleaner copies for my binder sets but I can’t seem to let go of these specific copies so I have them tucked away on the back page of the binder housing Base/Jungle as sentimental keepsakes.
Shining Steelix from Neo Destiny - only bought a single pack of this set when it was new then never found it in shops again. Pulled the Steelix on my one and only pack and kept it in NM condition so it sits proudly in my Destiny binder set.
Moltres/Zapdos/Articuno Jumbo Promo - I have no idea where this is officially supposed to have been released, but I got it as a free gift in the UK “Pokemon World” magazine way back when the mag was relatively new and still in single digit issue numbers (So GSC era I believe). First time I’d seen a Jumbo card and the whole concept of all 3 birds on one card was wild to me. It was only years later that I realised it was the Arita art from the Japanese Fossil booster box…
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Its gotta be this card… this is one of the first cards i remember owning, back when pokemon was still novel in my life. Honestly though it could be any card from late ex era. Funny enough, i cant rly think of any “pull” type cards that i would put in most sentimental category. Maybe delta species t tar. I still remember the day i pulled it
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These days it would be the two cards I had signed by Arita last year. Shadowless Abra and Fates Collide secret rare Alakazam.
From my childhood it was my shadowless Blastoise. All the kids in the neighborhood met up for a super smash bros tournament one time. Somebody actually swapped it out of my binder for an unlimited copy while I was playing. When I got home and noticed I had to go back over and demand my card back. I did end up getting it back at the time but unfortunately no longer have it today.
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No way I can pick just one, so I thought about it;
From my childhood: My base set Charizard (boring I know lol) and my Japanese Southern Island set. The Charizard was a gift from my dad on my birthday, along with a Chansey but unfortunately that was stolen. I was one of the few kids at school to have a Charizard at the time so that was pretty cool. The Southern Island set was another gift from my dad after we went to a local comic-book store and it had a bunch of imported Pokemon product. It immediately grabbed my attention, and I was lucky enough that he let me get it. The owner of this store was super cool and would always give me Japanese holo cards anytime I visited. This is where my love of Japanese printings originated from I think lol.
In more recent times: Shining Mew from Shining Legends and the Milotic from Supreme Victors/Beat of the Frontier. The Mew got me back into the hobby after pulling it from a clearance pin collection I saw on the way out of Walmart. I had zero clue shiny Pokemon were even in the TCG (I lost interest in the TCG around the beginning of the Neo era) and was instantly hooked as I enjoyed collecting them in the games. It was then I went down the rabbit hole of looking up every single shiny/shining card and found the Milotic. It quickly became my favorite card, as I thought the art was incredible, but also found it to be relatively rare as well.
*added a pic 
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Same. A card I won’t show. 2nd place would have to be Jolteon VMAX Lottery Summer Promo in a PSA 10 because of the funny story.
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God I dont have just one. The card that got me into the hobby (M Ray FA from RoS)?
My 4 year anniversary gift from my wife (Shining Charizard; now on 11 years)?
My Chinese Regice Star I pulled in one of the first hangouts with now one of my closest friends?
My 1st ed Zard, completing everyone’s childhood dreams?
I could find so many more because this hobby is all sentimental to me. So many cards are attached to wonderful memories or times in my life that I could never pick just one, even out of ones I didn’t mention.
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