Gengar SWSH052 Appreciation Thread

General
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The only card that really floats my boat in CP is the Gengar SWSH052 Black Star Holo Promo from the ‘Stow-On-Side’ Special Pin Collection. IMO it offers a combination of beautiful, satisfying art by Shibuzoh plus an increasingly rare appearance of the galaxy holofoil pattern. I’m getting echoes of the Expedition set which I guess is bringing back the nostalgia.

Anyway so I’ve picked up around 28 of these guys so far (10 more on the way!) as I continue the hunt for a potential 10 for the collection, however I’ve run into some reoccurring issues with this particular card. I appreciate it’s a very small sample size, but thought I’d share as a precaution for other collectors in case it is a wider issue;

  1. Vertical print lines on the holofoil afflict 17 of the 28 cards I’ve had so far.

  1. A horizontal print ‘score’ line along the entire length of the bottom border on the reverse side affects 22 of my 28 cards.

  1. The corners on the back of the card are ‘lipped’ or ‘flared’ - affects 23 of my 28 cards. I’m aware this is something that’s present on many modern cards however I’m not 100% sure where PSA stands on this and whether they see it as an issue per se. My perception so far is that it’s been at the discretion of the grader as to whether they consider it to be at the detriment to the overall appeal of the card, however if anyone else can shed some light on that then that’d be brilliant.

As annoying as these issues are, for me it adds a little challenge to finding the GM10-worthy card & I honestly feel like I prefer it that way - adds a little scarcity to the mix.

Also, in hindsight I’m now not sure what I was expecting from making this thread other than “…yeah it’s nice” or “I disagree”. Oh well I think it’s a nice card, if you like it too enjoy the pictures :rofl:

19 Likes
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Amazing card.

I’m also curious how that lipping defect affects PSA 10 grades for modern cards.

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I had one of these in my cart on eBay yesterday and it was OOS today. I’m guessing its on it’s way to your house instead :laughing: . Very nice card

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That is such a good Gengar card! I wish they put more effort into the pin pack/blister promos. If they were all at this quality they would be a lot more special.

Also, has anyone else noticed the updated cosmo foil? The old ones used to be kinda pixelated but the modern ones have much more rounded edges. The bubbles and especially the swirls look a lot different. Can’t decide which I prefer, but both look great. Wish they would just stick with cosmos for everything, but it is what it is.

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First time seeing this art and indeed it is magnificent, thx for sharing

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Not every day Gengar even gets a promo!

The 10 I went through more had centering issues but the holo looks OK.

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I received a case of the lapras and coalossal boxes and many of them have all sorts of printing defects. Only one lapras is gradable and 3 of the coalossal are. All 4 of the promos have beautiful art

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Really been loving most/all of the SWSH black star promos honestly and this gengar is another great addition! Absolute stunner and seems to be a fun challenge to grade for gengar collectors.

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I really wish they’d just go back to galaxy/cosmo for all the holos in modern sets

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I’ll take the blame if you’re in the UK! I could only see one listing up recently which I *may* have cleared out… if you’re in the US however I’m completely innocent :rofl:

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I always liked Sabrina’s Gengar.

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I am in the US so it looks like you’re innocent :blush:

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Absolutely love this card! Very interesting it has so many printing defect but I agree that makes it more fun to track down a perfect one.