Some of these regular set holos are pretty obtainable to pick up (ungraded). I am thinking of collecting all of the regular holos for each set, but I want to focus on one era for now. Thinking of buying raw and trying to get all 10’s. I am mostly between D&P v.s HGSS, and stuck in terms of growth potential. D&P is probably lower in supply compared to HGSS, but the artworks aren’t generally as good. Also, HGSS was an era that brought back lots of Gen 2 pokemon, and that could be a factor in the long term for people that grew up during WOTC/neo era. Thoughts?
I am collecting, buying, selling and speculating on those holos too. Specifically in Japanese. I personally find the phrase overused, but in this instance, I would definitely say “buy what you like”. I think they are all very affordable.
If you like and appreciate all 3 eras and are looking for more specific advice, something to consider from a collecting and speculative perspective to focus on the Gen III Pokemon in Ex Era, Gen IV Pokemon in DP and Gen II Pokemon in HGSS. This is what i’ve done personally and it allows me to appreciate the rookie cards if you will of beloved Pokemon.
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I know the “what will soon stonk” topic is sorta a goofy meme but I like this one so here is my thoughts (mainly on ex holos)
Ex holos are super cheap for the most part. Early eseries ex holos have the same pull rates as early ex cards so they can sometimes get a very slight premium over later sets holos. I always preferred the Holo Rares to ex’s so I started to build some ex sets. Sets like deoxys can be built for stupid cheap in the 9 range. Especially considering sealed costs and print quality it seems ridiculous. But honestly I don’t see them going up too much, the introduction of ex and later gold stars killed the Holo rare hype swiftly and brutally.
Some gen 3 holos could be good growth cards but that will come from the cards being starters, or popular species, not from the being rare or chases.
I’d imagine the same goes for DP but worse as it has larger print runs and better quality, and hgss nobody seems to like
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Excuse me! How dare you
Hgss holos have amazing art and the style of the era stands out above every single era apart from wotc
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I’ll say this: in terms of Japanese, I have a much easier time finding raw mint condition DP and HGSS holos than I do EX holos. Not saying any of them are abundant, but EX holos are by far the hardest to come by, in my experience.
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i can’t speak on english, but regardless, i’d say it depends on the holo. you’re going to have an aggron that will still be relatively dirt cheap compared to a rayquaza.
with that said, i’ve noticed that delta species holos are by far more expensive than any of these eras on average (in japanese)
I absolutely love the D&P sets. They contain some of the best art in the entirety of the hobby. However, I do not think that there is massive growth potential there.
If anything, the LV.X cards could see some increase, but recently PSA 9s have been selling for $100 or less, which is crazy when you consider how prone they are to scratching and how difficult they can be to pull.
The D&P sets have incredible holos too, but I’ve only ever seen interest in them from species collectors. It’s a real shame because they are criminally underrated.
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I believe illustrations carry the most interest in collecting regular holos. ex and HGSS era holos are consistently great not only in their artworks but also that the stage 1/2 holos are more often part of a single artist evolution line e.g. Feraligatr/Meganium/Typhlosion lines in both EX Unseen Forces and HeartGold & SoulSilver base. Connections like this help the cards feel integrated and more interesting to collect (we’re seeing that now in Triplet Beat’s starters and Pokémon 151), and can subsequently translate to pricing down the road.
Some of the DP era holos are excellent, especially those by Himeno/Saitou/Fukuda. However, early DP sets chose CGI illustrations and stage 2 holos were drawn by artists different from their preceding evolutions, which left much to be desired that eras before and after had fulfilled.
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Good points.
Most sets lack collectability these days so it comes down to smaller sets/species/artists etc.
Set collectability can only be high if it’s exceptionally themed or has high pull rates, otherwise very few will bother. I guess tiny sets also have inherently higher collectability because they seem achievable.
I personally think HGSS is cool too but man its worth nothing. I like the idea of all the holos being evo stone evolved pokemon too
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They are also unfortunately a pain in the rear end to grade because of centering issues.
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overall though I do see gen 3 and gen 4 era sets continuing to grow. Maybe even faster than wotc because the kids who grew up with them are entering the phases of their life where they have money to spend on this stuff, whereas wotc fans have already been in that financial situation for years.
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I collected HGSS for a few years, and since then I’ve noticed Mint cards continue to be difficult to grade. Perhaps there is something there. EX had more fans tho, so that’s always a big thing to consider… Personally, go with what you love, which in my case is everything…