https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/tcg/famous-figures/pokemon-slowpoke-master-set/23367
Go for the win triple
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Fun fact: the #1 spot on the PSA Slowpoke master set list is currently occupied by Gosha, the illustrator of the Art Academy Tangrowth
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Become a binder collector as god intended
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Wow haha. I would never compete hehe. I just want English 10s with the exception of the Mcdonalds slowpoke
I would rather do 9s than binder
Buy strong PSA 9s that are indistinguishable from PSA 10s. They are harder to come by, but they do exist. Pay the premium for a strong copy and be satisfied that you have saved $10,000+ for a slightly different label. It’s what I do, and it makes me very happy and fulfilled.
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@dalewilliamson I would counterargue that those who claim “grading is a scam” and “population control” are arguing from emotion rather than logic. Grading is inherently subjective and inevitably inconsistent; examples of misgrades can be cherry-picked from any era of PSA’s history. When grading you are paying for an opinion on condition, and that’s exactly what submitters receive. It’s been well-documented that PSA 10 populations on even the most difficult to grade vintage cards are still increasing, so it’s hard to argue PSA is intentionally withholding PSA 10’s, while simultaneously issuing them.
I would concede that PSA is likely more attentive to higher-value cards: they are more aware of common conditional issues for Pokemon cards, and more thorough in their evaluations when they are on the hook for large grade-guarantee insurance payouts. That’s just logical risk-management though, not evidence of a conspiracy. Also, keep in mind that PSA now has a financial incentive to overgrade and upcharge submitters, not the other way around.
Finally, I’ll acknowledge my bias as a PSA 10 collector, but at the same time I’d also point out the fact that I have regularly advocated PSA 9’s as a better value. The difference in condition between 9’s and 10’s is too negligible for most to justify the huge price disparities. The only reason I collect PSA 10 sets is because I started in 2011 before prices spiked. If I were starting over today, I would collect PSA 9’s without any reservations.
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JUST SAYING . . .
PSA 10 1st Edition Slowking Population in 2022: 10
PSA 10 1st Edition Slowking Population in 2025: 17 (70% increase)
PSA 9 1st Edition Slowking Population in 2022: 290
PSA 9 1st Edition Slowking Population in 2025: 445 (53.45% increase)
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I’ve asked myself flavors of this question before, and it’s a fair question. I think it’s inevitable we want to collect the best of the best if we’re able to.
Something that I have accidentally found has helped me in the past is actually seeing the cards you’re interested in getting in person. Seeing them and physically holding them helps remind me that I just simply want the card, and a nice condition is a bonus but not always necessary. Sometimes it feels really easy to be swept into a tailspin with all of the noise and constant virtual copies viewed/bought/sold/discussed on the internet. Once you get a copy in your hands that’s not a 10, I bet you’ll just be happy you have one.
Best of luck! Don’t stress 
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Not trying to invalidate your feelings, but it might help to remember that in Pokemon we are very fortunate to be even having this conversation.
In other hobbies like vintage sports and comics the 9s are far out of reach for the average collector. That’s assuming a 9 even exists. For many key items in those hobbies there are only a few high grade copies in the world, or none at all.
As Pokemon continues to grow the goalposts will inevitably shift here too. 10-20 years from now a collector might well see an old thread like this and be envious of your situation. Perhaps by then even the 9s are out of reach on the key cards. They could only wish to have a “mint” copy of their favorite card.
As a 9 collector myself this perspective has helped me stay grounded and avoid feeling too frustrated.
Just something to think about 
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More cards > mint cards
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I totally respect your stance! I agree that grading is subjective which means there are flaws amongst grades. I probably could re phrase the use of the word scam as I think it is a loaded statement but I still stand by my point that it is increasingly harder to get high grades on vintage compared to earlier on. There are examples of miss grades new and old but my experience is that on average it has become tighter than what it used to be. I don’t buy into conspiracies perse, just my subjective observation as someone who has been in the hobby for 10years. In relation to the post I think putting a number on a card shouldnt be the primary reason to collect unless your intention is for investment! I think there is so much more value in PSA 9’s in comparison to 10’s! with that said, if I could afford to collect everything I like in PSA 10s I probably would! I suppose thats natural for the mindset of a collector but If getting 10s financially impaired my life then 9s is a by far a better value proposition
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I’ve only recently started getting into slabs and only have one PSA 10.
Still,
I think you should choose one big-ticket slab to acquire and display as the “trophy” of your collection… and then do the rest NM binder style for awhile. The great thing about grading is that you don’t have to always buy pre-graded cards, you can always submit your own for grading down the line. Just a thought. Especially as you said that you would rather collect 9s than raw, you can collect NM raw as a goal for some time and turn those into 9s.
Good luck on your new goal!
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That’s reasonable . . . and I can 100% agree that it isn’t healthy to prioritize a label number over the actual card.
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There exists atleast one 9 that is better than atleast one 10, so why would you place 5 figures of value for one card on a label difference.
Collect 9s, or even better, raw NM binder - the way Arceus intended
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As a slab collector, I can’t deny the beauty and convenience of a well-organized and curated binder collection!
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for me I just realized im too broke and its not meant to be
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Love your youtube channel by the way!
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Thank you everyone. Doing the math I realized I could buy 21 PSA 9 1st Edition Slowking Neo Gen for the price of a single PSA 10. I think I will just accept that will be a 9. Everything else will be a 10 though 
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