1st Edition Base Set

Market
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Hi Everybody, first time poster long time lurker. Let me start by saying I have really enjoyed reading the content on here for a long time, there are clearly some incredibly knowledgeable and passionate collectors here and I have a huge amount of respect for that

I would love to introduce myself in more personal terms but I am afraid I am the type of collector that likes to keep myself to myself. I have decided though it is time for a bit of social discussion regarding my collection and other things that interest me though.

I am from the South west of England. I am in my 30s and so had a phase of pokemon at school and got back into it around 2015 at an absolute gallop. Things escalated rapidly and now I have a collection that I can scarcely believe I own. I have gone from the kid with the rubbish cards at school that no one wanted to trade with, the kid who didn’t get pocket money or booster packs from his parents. To a man who owns a surprising level of stuff

My penchant particularly has always been for base set. I’ve never been able to get hold of things like trophy cards but I love that base set is the first of everything

I now own a 1st edition Shadowless base set entirely in raw cards, I never trusted anyone to grade it. Given I spoke with ludkins and graded gem about this in mid 2020 I think I am lucky I did not send with them as I could have lost my pride and joy there.

Recent movements in the market and life generally make me very seriously consider, for the first time in my life, that I should maybe sell some of my PC here. I am close to clearing my mortgage and hoping to start a family in the next couple years with my wife.

I figure I could part with my 1st edition base set at this time and still enjoy owning the rest of my collection.

I have no clue how to even start selling this though. I don’t think I want to use an auction house. I am well know on FB in UK groups for a bit of buying selling and collecting but I would very much like to keep my PC and this sale separated from that profile. Recent Pokémon thefts in the UK make me incredibly nervous despite me taking all the precautions I can reasonably take to safely store my collection

Some time ago I pregraded this set of 1st edition base and received largely 9s some 10s and a few 8s for non holo cards and basically all 6-8 pre grades with PSA for the holos. Would anyone even be able to hazard a guess at what sort of price I should be looking to seriously consider for this set? Naturally there are not eBay solds everywhere for this, and the market for first base seems mad to me at the moment

Even if I withdraw from this entirely and do nothing further I feel for the good of my future family I have to explore this possibility now.i really appreciate any wise input that any of you can share

Many thanks

RawBaseHoarder

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Gonna send you a PM!

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Welcome @RawBaseHoarder ! I’m not from the UK so I can’t offer specific advice on how to sell. But in general, if you want to sell now is a great time to do so.

Could you elaborate on this? You mentioned middlemen earlier in your post so I’m assuming they pre-graded the cards for you? If so I wouldn’t rely on those pre-grades as a basis for your expectations today. In general, many feel PSA is more strict today than in the past and/or less consistent with the grades they are assigning.

Best of luck on the sale!

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My advice would be to grade them. First edition Base Set are the type of cards you do not want to sell raw.

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I definitely agree with the others, my advice is to first get the cards graded. Then I would personally sell them through a big consigner in the US, or on platforms like Fanatics.

I also agree with Mr Garrison: I have no doubt that your cards are perfect, but it’s important to be realistic & conservative about those pre-grades. So consider a much stricter PSA when you’re taking this decision.

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Nobody ever posts pics with these stories. lol

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This. Grading with PSA will be expensive up front. If you don’t have the time and resources go with CGC. I’d personally consign with a large seller entity and opt for a buy it now only option. Use 130 point website to see sales across all platforms.

There are creative alternatives that typically carry higher risk and higher reward. I did sell a big card to someone off platform before and dodged fees without issues. I also had 50x more people try to drag me off platform and scam me.

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go with psa for sure for 1st ed base if u get 9 or below with cgc u prolly gonna lose like 75% value :rofl:

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Yea. As someone who collects, grades with, and enjoys CGC slabs, I would still probably grade my raw first edition base with PSA if I needed to get the most money out of it.

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Thanks for all the replies

I do understand that grading would be the best move in a lot of ways however in the UK things are difficult at the moment for this. I cannot open a PSA account and send directly (something to do with trump tariffs I think)

I would have to use a middleman. The two I mentioned previously were the most trusted and widely used in the country a few years ago but both have since gone under and left a lot of people out of pocket or without cards. Hence I’m glad I didn’t send with them a few years back

The only psa middleman that still exists is a company called the subcentre which has done some shady things in the past. I personally have spoken to the owner about grading high end stuff and I really got a bad impression from him. I wouldn’t trust him at all, plus the insurances they seem to send cards with don’t sound like they are sufficient for this level of a set

Ultimately I’ve always liked raw cards so that’s how I’ve kept them, I didn’t like the idea of sending them away and I still don’t now. Will add some photos when I get chance

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One option, which I have done a few times, is go to the Fanatics store in London and drop-off your cards for their Vault + PSA service.

They send your raws card (insured to a value you declare) to the Fanatics vault (takes about 4 weeks) and from there to PSA for grading. The cards are returned to the Fanatics Vault where you can list them for auction. You don’t have to deal with shipping or buyers, it’s a pretty smooth process. Not a quick one, sadly!

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In terms of selling, I would use a trusted middleman to broker the sale. Thus removing yourself as a named seller and some of the concerns you had about privacy and safety. Agree with others about grading (in terms of value, authenticity etc), but there’s something special about a raw set. Good luck :slight_smile:

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I’m increasingly considering an auction house. That way I can keep myself distanced from it somewhat

I see a London auction house has just announced a sale involving a PSA 9 illustrator this is clearly massive for the UK card market generally, surely an auction house worth using/considering as well.

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There’s several Canadian places that are a direct accept to grade cards with PSA. They could be your middleman service.

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Not sure if that’s worked right but attempted to put some photos on

My username is somewhat appropriate as I did go as far as to create this binder that I consider to be something of a base set master set

On the left is 4th print 1999-2000 base set in the middle is Shadowless on the right is 1st edition

Shadowless charizard I have elsewhere in a PSA 6 I have long considered cracking it for the binder but just about resisted

Other than that I have the yellow cheeks and red cheeks of both Shadowless and first edition Pikachu there too

I could consider selling all of it together, I could also quite happily keep Shadowless and or fourth print

But yes ultimately I’ve always liked a binder set I don’t see myself grading these

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If you are wanting to get the most bang for your buck, there is no way around not getting them PSA graded. By not doing that, or using a different grading service, you are leaving a lot of money on the table. (In my opinion.) Plus, it also removes any doubt of authenticity and card condition to buyers.

And if you don’t want your own name tied to the sale, I would consign them with Z&G Emporium. Your name won’t be associated with the sale whatsoever, and you’ll likely get even more of a premium from the sale, as most items do that are sold by Z&G at auction on eBay.

My only advice would be to get them graded and sold in a few different lots, of roughly the same value. That way you don’t lose everything at once, should a package get lost in the mail to and from PSA or to and from Z&G.

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Nice collection! You’ve gotten great advice already. Grade with PSA then consign with an auction house. Don’t overthink it, and don’t cheap out on shipping/insurance. If you go through with selling, good luck. I’ve thought about how my collection would look if I downsized and a binder like that would be the one piece that would be extremely hard to ever give up.

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Any recollection if you ripped the cards or bought them? It sounds like you would likely have the UK version of the 1999-2000. I am still trying to find ways to determine USA, Australia, and UK 1999-2000 holos.

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