So I recently unearthed my collection of old Pokemon cards, and I figured it would be a good idea to check to see if I have any full sets. Excluding rare holos, I think it would be feasible to complete my Base Set, Rocket, Jungle and Fossil sets for £100-150, and would maybe be able to complete both Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge for maybe an extra £50, depending on prices.
My question is, is it worth trying to buy all of the rare holos from the set as well ( given that I’m not too fussed about condition), and trying to complete each set? Or is the increase in value of a full set, offset by the cost of the holos and the average condition of some of the cards?
I’m new to the whole serious collecting business, I really only collected as a child and in the past month have rediscovered my collection, so any advice would be great
There’s no such thing as an increase in value on a full set, unless it’s mint… I’m not sure exactly what you are asking, but most of the value is from the holos.
The rest of the cards are a few pennies each. If you’re just looking to complete your current sets and don’t care about condition, try to buy cheap lots on ebay where you can get a lot of the holos you want. Binder lots and such.
SO selling a full set, unless they’re all mint, has no effect on value? Interesting to learn, so it might be more sensible to scout around and try to find the cheap holos to complete my sets. What are binder lots? and what makes them cheaper than buying the individual cards?
Sorry for the stupid questions >>
What I mean is you can already buy complete sets for fairly cheap. For example, you can buy all 102 base set for about $200… if you’re not too picky on condition.
If you were to try and complete it buying a few singles here and there you’d end up paying quite a bit more than that, especially if you add shipping on each transaction.
I recommend doing a lot of research on ebay on specific sets/cards you are looking for. Sometimes people are looking to get rid of their card collection and rather than listing everything at $5-10 each, they just sell everything… You can pick up holos at $1 or so each sometimes.
If you’re struggling to find things on eBay due to postage from other countries try joining facebook groups in the UK as there are a couple where people sometimes sell off their old cards as lots.
