Well this thread was an unexpected ride. I clicked thinking maybe older slabs might be more desirable because of more demanding qualifications. PSA in particular has consistency issues with their contemporary volume (an understandable but regrettable fact of the matter) so you can’t take a grade for granted. I expected some kind of discussion on that and instead it’s… whatever this was.
I think it’s wrong to play to the emotion of hobbyists who would prize the historical value of something and posture with an exorbitant price tag that exceeds many people’s annual income. This is distasteful behavior.
I think if you truly respect something for it’s supposed cultural value your first instinct should not be to sell it for $55,000, an unprecedented price you made up based on nothing. This kind of opportunistic behavior colors Pokémon collectors as a fools to take advantage of. It is insulting and bad for the hobby. Who would the theoretical buyer even be? Some millionaire full of whimsy? Is that really where we’re at now?
I am a “historical” collector. I seek out and study and preserve lots of weird things from the Game Boy era that most people don’t value highly. It can be lonely, honestly. So to see someone baiting thousands and thousands of dollars for something “historic” hits me personally because I can only assume they think collectors like me are idiots. That sucks!
What youre thinking of here is what id refer to as “pseudo rarity”. Its a term i started using towards items that arent really “rare”, but have some defining feature that others may “think” makes its rare. An example of this could be any given set card graded in a 10, or here with an ancient mew card that has an old case. The “rare” factor isnt defining the card, but its based on one factor of it. In a PSA 10 case, its condition, and with this its the year graded. Its only going to be as valuable as one wants to pay for it, and most collectors who would have such disposable income such as your asking price wouldnt think twice at the idea of buying this card for the case alone. Most of the time, these niches fall flat and its really nothing to define as being desirable beyond the point of it being an old case. If you can find yourself a collector who values old grading company cases for pokemon cards, cool. But i can assure you youll have a very difficult time in doing so as most people want the item inside the case as opposed to what its wrapped in.
So in short, the premium is based on demand and that demand for an old case isnt high. Just look at the people who fight over 4certs vs 2certs and have for ages now and will continue to do so as more come out. Its one small little detail of the item and what should be considered isnt when it was graded but rather what is the item. And as usual, your value will be determined by those willing to buy it.
Frankly, it sounds like you think the slab is worth an staggering figure, and that you wanted validation from the community. You’ve only offered rebuttal to any comment contrary to your initial view of the slab being super valuable.
What exactly was the point of this thread, @yaghma,?
