I’m starting this thread to document my progress and share my journey as I get back into the hobby. Which started last year.
I first found this community about a year ago when I needed help spotting a fake card. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to educate myself on authentication. Whenever I’m unsure, I dive down the rabbit hole comparing high res scans, studying sales listings, and obsessing over the fine details. I’ve realized that truly knowing the card is just as much fun as owning it.
Right now, I’m focusing on learning while I collect. I don’t have one strict set I’m chasing; instead, I’m picking up cards that catch my eye and speak to me. Even though prices across the board have been increasing lately, I’m sticking to my rule of collect what you enjoy.
I also plan on sharing my collection of retro and vintage handheld consoles. This is a big part of the hobby for me because it’s where my journey started playing Pokémon Ruby for the first time as a kid. I love the hardware as much as the cards, so I’m looking forward to sharing some of those items here too, even the non Pokémon ones. Excited to share my Mail Days and progress with you all.
Gonna start with the 3 cards I graded myself for the first time. I haven’t sent a second submission yet, but maybe in the near future I will grade some others. I was a bit sad by the grade my Tag Team Gengar got since I didn’t see a single dent. I might crack it to get a better look, but I didn’t find anything before sending it in.
Very nice start. Some really great selection of cards so far and it is very lovely to see you taking your time and pacing yourself rather that going all in. It really helps to stick to a goal and more importantly a budget. Looking forward to reading more about your journey and see you progress through your goals. Thank you for sharing.
I’m a huge fan of Tag Team cards in general. I already have a couple of ungraded copies that I plan to send to PSA in the future, but I really wanted to secure a guaranteed 10 now before prices keep increasing. Also the label has some sort of printing hiccup on the left side. Didn’t notice at first when it arrived the other day.
Thankfully nothing happened to the slab because the seller sent it in a bubble mailer with a thin piece of cardboard to protect it from possible damage…
Finally secured the Giratina. I’ve had my eye on this card for some time, and I finally managed to add the Lost Origin hit that i mainly wanted to my collection. It feels great to finally have it in hand.
I’m still on the hunt for the Rayquaza VMAX Alt Art (Evolving Skies) and the Lugia V Alt Art (Silver Tempest) to round out the trio, but for now, I’m just enjoying this one. Debating if to get them before those 2 keep increasing in price.
I’m also currently debating a sealed item that’s up for sale. I don’t usually collect sealed, but this one is tempting me since i want to open it. If I end up pulling the trigger, I’ll be sure to share it here. For now, here is the Giratina.
Finally picked up this Karen’s Umbreon. I definitely waited longer than I should have and watched the prices skyrocket, but I’m still incredibly happy to have it in hand. I’m currently debating if it’s worth trying to crossgrade this to a PSA 10 or if I should just keep it in the BGS slab. The white dots are from my scanner and not the slab or card itself.
I also wanted to ask regarding the holo pattern. I don’t know much about swirls, but I can see 1-2 in there. When I move the slab under the light, the pattern almost looks like it’s moving or shifting it’s hard to explain, but I’ve included pictures. It looks like a spirals out rather than multiple lines on top of each other. I’m not sure if that’s strong enough to be considered a “true” swirl by the community’s standards, or how to even classify it, but i really like how it looks.
Here is what it looks like. Have to admit, I really like the placement since they are within each other rather than overlapping. Apologies, I am terrible at taking pictures of the swirl. Maybe I will try and get better shots from other angles later.
Finally, the cards I bought weeks ago have arrived. The big highlights for me are the Vending Gengar in an ARS 8 and the Charizard Illustration XY-P promo, which is still in its original cellophane wrap. I’ve wanted these two for a while, especially since I already have the 1st Edition Web Gengar and wanted to pair it with its Vending counterpart. I also picked up a Charizard ex from my brother, he was looking for some extra cash, so I decided to buy it to help him out and let him see the “dealing” side of the hobby when it comes to selling and trading. While it wasn’t a card I was personally wanted, it’s a slab that I’ll likely use, along with the Charizard promo as trade or to sell toward my main chase goals.
Back when I posted my Giratina V Full Art, I mentioned that the Rayquaza VMAX and Lugia V were next on my hit list. I finally decided to pull the trigger on the Rayquaza I just love the art, and since Rayquaza is one of my all time favorites, I wanted to grab it before the price climbs any higher. I actually already have the Moonbreon raw, which I’m planning to send off to PSA soon in hopes of a 10. Now that the VMAX is home, I have almost all the Evolving Skies hits I wanted, though I might still go after the Rayquaza V #194 to round things out.
I finally picked up the Lugia V FA from Silver Tempest. This was the only chase I mentioned wanting back when I posted my Giratina and Rayquaza from this set. Even though it might not be the flashiest card to some, I absolutely love the art. I’ve always been a big Lugia fan, but I realized I was actually lacking a lot of cards, so this was a must have for the collection. I have a few more items arriving in the next couple of weeks that I’ll share, but those will likely be the last big ticket items I buy for a long while. My wallet is definitely telling me it’s time to stop and just stick to the smaller stuff for a bit LOL. Even though my most recent buys have been modern grail the upcoming stuff will be vintage! Even though the vending Gengar was a great pick up i have to say i have a soft spot for the Pokemon i am trying to get currently.
I really love this card. The simple yet beautiful design of Pikachu being carried by the woman. My copy is still in the original cellophane wrap, and I’m honestly debating whether to rip it for a grading submission. The centering looks great, and a black light test didn’t show any whitening on the visible parts of the back. While I didn’t want to move the card too much inside the wrap to verify every edge, it looks like a very clean candidate for a 10.
I’m not usually a big sealed collector unless it’s something unique like this, but I much prefer seeing the card in a slab than tucked behind the wrap. Given the current market for PSA 10 set, the gamble for a 10 might be worth it to finally have this piece displayed next to my other grails.
I really appreciate the kind words. I actually have some vintage sealed Japanese items coming in with their respective original retail boxes soon. I’m excited to share them with everyone once they arrive in the states. Nothing major in comparison to the stuff i got recently, but i think they’ll be a great addition since i don’t see them that often.
Switching things up from the card side of the hobby. I wanted to share a bit of the retro hardware that started it all.
Here is the CIB Pokémon Silver along with the Classic NES Edition Game Boy Advance SP (only missing the charger, but it has every other insert). There is just something special about the classic consoles and boxes with everything in them like when they were first sold, the good memories of playing games when my hands were the perfect size.
The red OG Game Boy has a matching serial number and came with the box. The image showing Pokémon Ruby is the lot of games I found late last year, games I thought I lost 15–18 years ago (missing a lot of my cartridges). The Game Boys are minty with minimal wear for their age, which is one of the main reasons I picked them up. I have others I will share, but sadly I don’t have pictures of it at this time.
Haven’t posted anything for the past 2–3 weeks since I was thinking about what I wanted to get, as this was going to be the last expensive purchase I would make this year. I will post in the upcoming 1–2 weeks once the three packages arrive. Each from different proxy companies.
I have to give a shout out to Doorzo, which is a proxy service. They are not the cheapest, but they have actually fought for me against scammers a couple of times and made it possible for me to get a refund. That’s actually how I found this forum in the first place, because I was seeking advice last year when I suspected I was given a fake Gold Star. When it comes to Mercari and Yahoo Auctions, there is no such thing as a guaranteed refund because there are different rules, and it’s not like eBay where the seller is forced to give one.
There was an issue 2-3 weeks ago, a seller sent me the same item but in far worse condition to the point I wouldn’t even consider it sealed. Totally different from the listing. I didn’t buy booster boxes or packs since I know better, I bought something that is usually hard to scam people on. After Doorzo tried to communicate with the seller to come to an agreement and got ghosted by him, they proceeded to contact officials from those platforms. Today, I found out we won. Everyone knows there are risks when buying from other countries, especially when using proxy companies since they clearly state they don’t guarantee a refund or a resolution, but so far Doorzo has won all my disputes. Some proxies don’t even try and help you which is one of the reason i kept using Doorzo. When it comes to expensive items always use photo services. Took 10 days between the warehouse getting the item and getting my refund. Giving detailed explanations as to why it was the wrong item or fake, not as advertised greatly helped my cases.
I’m sharing my experience because I feel that this proxy specifically has done right by me more than once, and also to showcase the risks there are when purchasing overseas with little to no protection. This was a 1k refund, so it’s a huge relief.
After a bunch of buying, now I just have to deal with shipping. I have to say, I bought a good amount of grails that I am sure a lot of people will enjoy, especially some sealed items. I am not a sealed collector, but I made an exception with the sealed stuff I will be sharing in the near future (definitely not modern). The 1st Edition Fossil packs I picked up are actually just for trading since I found them at a good price. Honestly, I would say those packs are the least exciting stuff I will be sharing in comparison to the rest.
Half of what I bought is still pending shipping, but I want to space it out to make sure it doesn’t arrive during a week I am too busy, since I really like to be home and wait for my packages.
The start of many posts that i will make in the upcoming weeks. Finally started shipping everything that i bought since i got most of what i wanted. Wallet is hurting but i got a bunch of cool small grails. This 4 cards are on the smaller side of what i bought recently. I will share some sealed JP promos i got in the upcoming days.
I really enjoy the art and how you need two cards to complete the artwork. It’s a little awkward when they are graded since the cards won’t sit perfectly flush next to each other, but they look incredible regardless. Will for sure complete the set in the future.
