So I have set aside ~5k in budget to buy some cards and wonder what you guys would have bought?
I’m seriously considering getting a low end trophy card like the pop 1 psa 10 miracle diamond card or maybe the master scroll
but feel like I need help seeking alternatives.
I also have a chance picking up the three legendary beasts: entei, raikou and suicune in 1st ed psa 10 for 4500$.
I’m also considering sealed products, any thoughts on that?
Apologize in advance if this is the wrong thread.
Whichever card you like best! Everyone has different goals. For me, I’d save that money for higher end trophies.
End goal would be to profit, but I won’t spend it all on base charizards as I’d like to enjoy the cards aswell.
Which trophy cards do you have in mind?
All the high end ones seems to go for +30k?
This is roughly the budget I started with,
My initial plan was diversification, so I bought a number of 1st Edition WOTC PSA 10s and then I would suggest one or two higher end cards too $1k plus,
Of course this was all graded as that’s my preference but sealed product is probably a less volatile options, prices won’t move as much and offer more stability, takes a bit of time in my experience for boxes to catch card values sometimes,
The cards you have suggested would be considered ‘safer’ bets but this does mean keeping your collections broadly within few cards, (extreme example) but what if a Legendary dogs collector finally decides to grade their 100 1st Ed Neo Rev dogs,
It’s a great budget to start with and gives you plenty of choice but as I’m sure other opinions will be, if you don’t like/ enjoy having it in your collection then you won’t have as much personal investment in the cards/ hobby, the hunt is the real prize I found in this hobby! Grabbing that elusive card just out of reach is always my motivation 
Good Luck!
whichever ones that are available when i have the money i guess.
thanks for the thorough analysis.
I already have 12-15k invested as of now.
I agree with diversifying. I have some 1st ed WOTC cards like a PSA7 zard and PSA10 Ho-oh. Im trying to add lugia to the collection
Then I’ve also invested quite a bit in unlimited base.
I’m also into the japanese cards and have accumilated the entire shining set in PSA10 and a couple of 1st ed goldstars.
To diversify further more I’ve added a few of the newer full art cards such as the Festa 20th promo, Mario pikachu and the rainbow Charizard from burning shadows.
Now I feel like the “only” type of card missing is a trophy card but i’m torn in which card I should get. One of those I mentioned above or
should I save for a higher end?
But what would that higher end be?
Don’t know if I’m going to put in +30k in the future…
Buy the cards you like the most for your collection and want to keep. I don’t recommend you “invest” in cards you don’t actually want.
With 5k you should probably get about 3/4 cards that are considered more or less trophies:
Snap Contest cards
University Magikarp
Kamex Mega Battle Computer Error
Parent/Child Kangaskhan Trophy
TMB Bilingual Exeggutor
Hawaii Lucky Stadium
1999 Tropical Wind
Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres Phone Cards
Worlds Top XX Stamped Cards
Daisuki Master’s Scroll
Pokedude
Stadium Challenge Deoxys and Metang
Rayquaza Keldeo GAME SHOW
Rayquaza Giratina Super Rare Get!
DP/Dpt era throphy (wonder platinum, mysterious pearl…)
I’m talking of ungraded, the bold one are probably the best choice if you’re loocking for profit.
Full art throphies and no.1,no.2 and no.3 are in a league of their own and 5k is not enough to get more than one (and contain the risks)
@pokeuniverse I see!
I think @picigipi024 has done quite a thorough job at listing potential cards there,
If I had 5k now to just buy anything and add to my collection, and looking to sell down the road, I’d probably look at multiple Charizards from EX Dragon, or Jungle PSA 10s or those Legendary dogs!
How about you give me the 5k and I’ll surprise you with the cards 
Best of Luck man!
Thanks alot for the thorough advices. I will look into the cards on the list, many I didn’t even know existed.
Just out of curiousity, you say that I won’t be able to get “more than one” full art trainer card with 5k. How much do you value a ungraded example of the 2014 full art no 1 pikachu trainer? Is it obtainable for ~5k?
He/she has indeed.
The “dogs” (look more like big cats to me lol) are very appealing and are also low pop, but trophy/promo cards are just something else.
Handing someone the cash and let them do the work for me sometimes seem like the easier way hehe.
Thanks
6 sealed jungle boxes.
Seriously though, look into sealed product.
With 5k, I’d recommend investing in something that you can leverage arbitrage against and turn a profit quickly (<6 Months). There are numerous options out there. First and foremost, I’d recommend that you hold your money and deploy patience until you find the right opportunity. Don’t accept anything less than what you can invest into and double your money. For example, I’ve purchased 3x Binder collections recently:
4x ea at 20 binders each / $120-ish - www.ebay.com/itm/Pokemon-Neo-Promo-Folder-and-9-Cards-Japanese-Edition-Binder-Retail-Box-Of-20/192016341595?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Each of these buys are going to net me 10x my investment over time, even after grading fees.
Turning a profit is all about being patient and deploying your funds at the right place, for the right item, and AT THE RIGHT TIME.
Take a look at the item descriptions in the binders I’ve purchased. If you want to mitigate your risk exposure, look for items that say “never played” or “mint”. This gives you an easy out for an INAD case* (*controversial) (not advocating to do this, but we owe it to the people we sell to to accurately describe the items we are selling).
There are hundreds of opportunities out there right now. Some of my favorite keyword searches are for “sealed staff promo” “Sealed Promo” (these guarantee 9&10 grading more often than naught).
Look for someone that isn’t selling PSA graded items and that has bulk wotc holos. Look for binders that contain mint/nm cards and get them graded. The list goes on and on.
Personally, i’d probably try and acquire a PSA 10 Shadowless Blastoise
If you want to make profit, in my opinion:
1st ed PSA 8 charizards from base set is a very good option.
It’s an iconic card, PSA 10 prices have gone up since last year even, but PSA 8/9 copies went down in price. PSA 9 copies are starting to go towards their former price point again but PSA 8 are still lagging.
It’s also an easy to shift card, meaning it will sell very easily when you will ever be in need of money. Search for a clean copy that is priced right compared to others on the market and you should be good 
If you want cards just for your joy, just buy whatever you like. Me personally I find joy in aquiring a card I have been wanting/searching for a long time.
I would just be being patient and hunt down the best deals. It’s a great time to buy. You can’t go wrong with vintage PSA 10s or sealed product.
I would not pay more than $3000 for the legendary dogs and even that seems a little high. Perhaps I’m just cheap, but I just feel like it would only take so much for these cards to fall below the $1k mark. Even if I’m wrong and they don’t drop, I don’t see them ever being very profitable if you buy in at current market value. I don’t see buyers lined up to pay $2-3k a pop in the near future.
Be careful if you invest in trophy cards. What I mean is you just won’t find PSA 10 copies for $5k, so your other option is taking a gamble on yahoo japan and you’re never too sure of the card condition. It’s not uncommon for cards to go for about PSA 9 money so if the card comes back a 7-8 you’re going to have a bad time. I always opt for graded on every card I buy unless it’s a bargain like the examples @tnols gave.
Thanks for the advice. I already own a psa 7 1st ed base charizard, and like to diversify a bit. But the prices of psa 8 havn’t gone down?
I got a psa 8 for 1200$ back in 2016, it’s at ~3000$ now?
Anyway, I think that the 1st ed will soon become legendary cards, meaning they will be out of reach for most poeple because of their high price tag, so I have invested some in unlimited edition base instead as I think the base charizard psa 10 will pass 5k$ within the next 3 years. Just speculating ofc. But regarding the 5k investment, I have decided to go with a 1st ed neo genesis lugia in psa 10 + the master scroll in PSA 10 and that will leave some change over that I still havn’t decided what to do with yet.
But thank you and everyone else for your advises, they have helped me make my decision.
Lovely card, the Lugia. so hard to find/grade!
Best of luck on your future purchases 
Unless it’s absolutely trashed, I would absolutely value it more than 5k. How do I know? I would pay 5k for it no questions asked, and I’m a pretty budget conscious collector. Plus the 2014 is the first year they printed the FA, and some of them are in permanent collections, like Scott’s, and probably other high-end collectors.
With 6 available and the fact that FA trophies are almost never even sold publicly, getting a FA trophy at all is already a hard feat, let alone a FA 2014 1st place winner.
Almost all world championship cards now cost a hefty sum to purchase, but the FA are one of the more “common” ones seen released on the market, meaning you may actually come across one through the private markets, which is what I think picigipi024 meant.
Scott received 5 figures offers for his PSA 10 copy. He didn’t give numbers, but I think it’s safe to say a NM/M ungraded would fetch $10k at the very least. If I found one for $5k, I’d probably insta buy it with my credit card and pay 20% interest no problem. lol
@pokeuniverse I like your choice of cards you have decided to purchase. I’m not sure how much you will have left, but you can’t go wrong buying a couple of PSA 10 Charizards. Some still go for $500-ish which is crazy low IMO.