Hi all!
I felt like making a post to ask the community a question - what do you collect? If you want to share why, too, please feel free to share! I know everyone has a unique answer to this, and I hope it can bring inspiration and discussion around the extensive world of Pokémon, truly anything and everything! There is no wrong answer.
I am keen to learn more about the TCG and non-TCG cards in both English and Japanese and about the many other topics within the world of Pokémon!
I species collect salamence. My main goal to finish right now within that collection is to collect all 3 lv x variants and all 9 ex variants in psa 10 for English and Japanese. I’m at 11 of 12 right now which is great but its been harder than maybe it might seem. The remaining ex is population 2 in psa 10.
Anyway I really want to complete that set of 12 cards and then collect some sealed japanese modern boxes while picking up other psa 10 salamences as I go.
I collect prerelease and staff prerelease cards as well as any english stamped promo pertaining to a childhood memory such as toys r us, burger king, build a bear etc. I really want my binders to walk you through my childhood, and bring up the memorys almost every 90s kid has.
I guess end goal is to have a complete prerelease set with their staff counterpart. I am focusing on the former, with the latter being an added bonus.
a lil bit o’ errythang
I’m probably the most uncultured collector on the forum.
-WOTC-era Competitive Play Decks
-WOTC Binders
-Sugimori Water Color Art Japanese Cards
-Select few Gold Stars
I collect Piplups, Prinplups, Empoleons, and their cameos, and Dawn/Hikari/Akari and her cameos in all available variants, prints, and languages!
I also collect Tandemaus and Maushold in English, though I may start branching out to Japanese in the near future.
And finally, I enjoy full art supporters and art rares, though I have a casual collection of these mostly comprised of the ones I use in decks and those I pull from prerelease tournaments and other league prizing.
My two main collections I’m working on are a TCG and non-TCG species collection of Hoppip/Skiploom/Jumpluff and a reverse holo Expedition set.
I also have random side collections that get added to sporadically: artist collections, EX era reverse holos, Chinchou/Lanturn and Wooper/Quagsire species collections, Vending series, etc.
I’m trying to stay focused on the main collections for now, so the side collections don’t really see much movement.
I have a main collection where I collect a bit of everything and then I also species collect Flareon
I collect Japanese promos. My short term to mid-long term focus is to finish numbered promos from the P-promo set upto XY-P promo set (with a few exceptions, ofcourse). Unnumbered promos is frankly is not achievable but the aim is to collect as much as I possibly can.
Cheers!
Generally speaking, I am vintage focused with both English and Japanese but I do have a few modern cards/sets that I really enjoy as well. I will always enjoy WOTC stuff since that is what I grew up with, and I have grown to enjoy more mid era cards as well as Japanese cards I never knew about as a kid.
Mainly Full Art Trainers + anything that trainer has related to them for the most part.
will pick up other stuff here and there that i also find interesting
I collect species, certain sets, Japanese promos, errors, and whatever speaks to me. The majority of my collection is vintage, but I also collect modern cards and I try to open at least one or two boxes from each English modern release. I don’t fit nicely into the categorization of species collector or set collector, but I find that I am much happier this way.
I started collecting my childhood favorite after pulling the #1 card I wanted and didn’t expect to get: Shining Gyarados. After pulling that at 14, I started only focusing on that pokemon. I find species collecting incredibly enjoyable. I like when there is a common theme that ties a collection together and makes it easy to recognize. Collecting both TCG and non-TCG items, it gives me a lot of joy to see the various depictions Gyarados has undergone throughout the years. From being portrayed as a raging dragon of the sea, to a cloud in the sky, or a kite in the wind. The variety is what keeps me in it. Having strong memories shared with others has also helped be the glue that keeps that drive going as well.
I collect english or italian vintage (WOTC, ex, until dp-platinum era). After that, starting with HGSS, I just pick individual cards or species that I like. Nostalgia is playing surely a role, but space and resource management are important too.
I also appreciate vintage japanese promos and sets with exclusive art, but I do not aim for 100% completeness. It’s more like the cherry on top for me.
I collect base set. But I did recently buy a modern card which looks very cool
I feel like this is me every time this question comes up.
My current goal is to obtain and catalog all the variations of theme deck boxes with stretch goals of products that included decks, world champ decks, and any other side decks. Currently sitting at 4 decks short of all English decks and about a dozen short of products with decks. There are over 400 when you add them all up and im the only one who’s been dumb enough to waste money trying to do this 
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I also like oddities and unique cards with unique history, which ive picked up a few in my random collecting. Fun times.
I really really want a zap shadowless deck but it’s so expensive 
I collect 2 primary categories.
I species collect Umbreon and Espeon because I love Colosseum.
I collect Birthday Pikachu. Every version ever released. All the celebrations, wotc(besides German Wotc Birthday Pikachu since it’s the rarest non-english/Japanese card ever made), Japanese anniversary, '98 Japanese, Natta Wake. In the highest grade possible from PSA, CGC, BGS. I’m 85% done since it’s at least 3 copies each. I also collect unnumbered promos from '96-01. Japanese VS set, Wotc Black Star Promo set, Team Rocket set, Neo sets in either PSA,CGC, or BGS 10 if possible. Some will never be achieved in highest grade bc of price and low pop. Here’s a few that aren’t in my safe currently.
