This was the trade:
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No rarity people’s champ 
Can someone ELI5 me on the bottom 3? Are those the original art for the trophy cards?
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I believe they are signatures with art, like a custom card type of deal, but authenticated
« The Charizard collection most notably includes:
- BGS 9.5 No Rarity Charizard
- PSA 10 First Edition Charizard (one of the best copies previously owned by @realkingpokemon )
- Ken Sugimori signed CD Promo Charizard (Pop 1)
- Other incredibly rare cards including one off illustrations. »
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dream collection for a dream card, seems like a good swap
How do you get 900k from those cards? I expected more? What are the bottom 3 worth? I see like 725-ish before the bottom 3.
I bet the deal has been in the works for some time now, so prices have changed after everything was agreed.
I’m happy for both parties and happy that both parties are happy.
That being said, I would much rather have the illustrator as the signatures dont do it for me but thats just my opinion.
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(one of the best copies previously owned by @realkingpokemon )
This line always makes me laugh. Regardless of the veracity of the statement.
It reminded me of kids comparing identical toys trying to find a way to say
that there’s is more special than the others.
Very interesting trade and real life example of would you rather have question.
I’m curious as to what others here would rather?
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I’d much rather have the Illustrator, but that’s just because I’m a Zard hater. No idea about the monetary value for both sides of the trade.
If both parties are happy, congrats to everyone involved!
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As a collector, I would much rather have the Illustrator.
If my goal was to immediately cash out, I would much rather have the Charizard / Trophy Pika illustration collection.
If the goal is long-term investment, not sure. Up in the air.
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Great question @hisoka107 and great analysis @EnlightenedBulbasaur .
If I was in either person’s position I don’t know if I could do it. If I had all of those Charizards and the drawings I don’t think I could let them go and if I only had the illustrator I don’t know if I could let that go. I guess that’s what makes trading so interesting and personal.
Years ago I would have said set cards because I was primarily a set collector and getting 1st edition base charizard would have put me in a position to complete a 1st edition base set. I couldn’t justify the prices in my head back then which is hilarious now given what we pay for lesser cards. A lot of collectors here have rubbed off on me (collecting wise and not physically like I’d hoped for except for @gemmintpokemon) and through all of your posts and mainly @smpratte for really bring these cards to light. I’ve come to appreciate the artwork rather than the historical significance. Hopefully more folks can answer the question I posed above. I’ve really come to appreciate japanese trophy cards as I’ve aged.
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Wow that’s incredible the next is gonna be in 1mill dollars if there going to be a another one in the market
Depends on what your goal is. I personally feel better having Quality > Quantity. Sure at the margins, you can squeeze out more money as a business with a higher amount of cards, but as a pure collector, I prefer having my money tied in a quick 1 off transaction. As far as these cards go, Illustrator any day of the week.
I can buy every single one of those cards (minus the Sugimori and illustrations) in a 9/8/etc… I can’t just up and buy an illustrator at pwcc next week. The availability of the zards are just too easy to pass up. If the other end of this deal wanted to liquidate their illustrator, this was the way to do it though. Get some cool trophy illustrations with some zards to sell now, or speculate long term for their growth.
Regardless of the finances, I just want a “piece” that someone can turn to in my collection. This is why I constantly talk about wanting to own a snap charmander. If I had a super rare trophy (like the illustrator), I could have 10 1st ed psa 10 zards and all everyone would want to talk about is the illustrator. Its just that cool and I think trophy cards are just that cool.
I assumed so but I might be wrong. If that’s intended to be public it will be 
If for eg. one already has an illustrator…FOR EXAMPLE, it’s a no brainer to break up with the long term GF and trade her in for a new and interesting clique of brand new rides. Those sketches are mini art pieces, and if 3/3 and not repeated again (one can hope), man how can you beat that? Those sketches are incredible, esp in lieu of how parentally propietary the PC is. Even the personalizing of the sketches, which would normally be a deduction, just adds provenance and a story that marks a point in time. Beautiful. And then to have all the other Zardistic iconographies?? Pshhh. Anyway, there aren’t enough support beams to keep the Illustrator propped up as the hobby’s grail with the 1st ed Zard and trophy Pikas (just to name a few) messing with the narrative. The community is now pretty much walking on its own and will get to decide that for itself. Personally (as if it matters) I would absolutely choose the diversified trajectories of the grouping, from both a collector, an aesthetic, and investment standpoint. And the cool thing is, I could totally see choosing the Illustrator from a different collecting perspective. I know at least two people who will have a *nice* re-framing of the year 2020! What an amazing time for you all who have been doing this for so long. Very happy for all and glad others were ok with sharing!
Illustrator any day. The only barrier to entry for the bulk of the value in that trade (1st ed + no rarity) is money.
I’d like to believe that uniqueness of the Sugimori signature and the sketches played a big role in that deal happening.
Realistically speaking, there is no way to obtain an Illustrator on the open market unless the stars align regardless of how much money you’ve got.
I would also argue it’s much easier to grind your way to a million cash than trade your way up to an Illustrator.
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