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 cosmos 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;
Vertical print lines on the holofoil afflict 17 of the 28 cards I’ve had so far.
A horizontal print ‘score’ line along the entire length of the bottom border on the reverse side affects 22 of my 28 cards.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Love this card so much I made it my profile pic, just gorgeous, have the Japanese in a 10 but the English holo is much better. Of all the English cards I cracked and graded from this limited release, ZERO came back a 10 (got a number of 9s though) so I had to break down and purchase a 10. Glad I didn’t wait. Like you, wish I’d bought more. Goes to show when a card speaks to you…
That’s funny, I have that same read on Fossil Dragonite I’ve never been able to unsee. Thankfully I just see a Gengar starting his big bellied Gengar walk.
huh… I have one of these in a psa 9 I got sent in a trade a long time ago when it was bulk chaff because it had that one weird swirl I like. Been in my overly procrastinated slab break open pile for some time. This feels wrong. Is this not all just money laundering at this point?
It’s totally wrong but what the hell do I know, the market’s gonna market. People would send me these promos for free with eBay purchases during the peak of the Champion’s Path release schedule. It’s like those checklane blister promos that most people ignore. Only in hindsight do people go, “remember that £4 Tyranitar/Alakazam/Gengar promo from that blister? That was a cool card”, and then it begins. It all serves to prove that TPC continue to make strong products and cards that people genuinely want, regardless of inherent rarity or distribution. Ever since mid-SWSH the market has been completely spoiled with great, highly-collectible cards across all sets; main products, peripheral products, it’s almost impossible to keep track of in real time. So we end up in this type of position, a few years pass, print cycles move on and time acts as a perpetual gold pan, sieving-out these overlooked gems. I guess there’s a reason the old saying “collect what you like” stands the test of time.
. Very nice card
