So I’m trying to have a collection of every Mudkip card there is, but I think I’ve met a large wall here.
The 2015 Art Academy Mudkip is one that I have no clue where you go about.
I’ve tried to find it on all the normal sites you go to look for it, and even looked to a lot of the known Japanese sites, but it seems impossible to find.
What are some places that I might of missed and or should check?
(I know that it would be good to ask here on a buy thread, but I need at least 50 posts so I have to wait until I get to that point.)
It’s just not something you are going to find. Only 100 copies were given to the winner so they have complete control over distribution.
Most of the Japanese winners only traded amongst themselves. Some of them may have sold to other Japanese collectors but only a tiny fraction have ended up in the hands of Westerners. The Goomy and Gourgeist are ones you may find in the wild but I don’t know of a single public sale of the Mudkip
If you’re just looking at shopping sites, then in general it’s patience, consistency, having the money for when stuff does appear, patience again and a bit of luck. Chances are multiple people will buy the card you look for within minutes from seing it if the price is somewhat fair - just ask the mint raw Tropical Wind that sold in Japan for 10k within like an hour this year.
Because rare stuff is rare, the opportunity to obtain it itsself is valuable.
A generous public offer will do you wonders also. When i set my sites on a card, im online daily checking all the marketplaces i know. If you have not already, set up a Instagram(wish i did years ago)a fair few sales happen there. Alot of us have gone years without finding some of our wish list cards. Just keep on hunting!
When I read the title, “patience and determination” was the comment I was about to post, but looks like you’ve beat me to it.
For the Art Academy Mudkip specific, it’s indeed going to be a tough one. With all Art Academy cards, the winners received 100 copies, and there are some extra copies floating around. There are 22 Art Academy cards in total: 10 Japanese; 9 English; 1 German; 1 French; 1 Spanish.
I know some winners have sold more than halve of their 100 cards already, I also know some winners who still have all 100 of their cards and haven’t sold a single one yet. Some pop up sometimes, some haven’t even popped up for sale once.
As for the Mudkip, it’s unfortunately one of the tougher ones to find. I know of two pretty big Art Academy collectors in the western market. One who has 18 out of 22 and one who has 20 out of 22. The one with 18 out of 22 is still missing the Mudkip himself, which should give a pretty good indication just how rare the Mudkip AA card is. The other one with 20 does have the Mudkip however, and there was also a collector at Worlds 2016 whom had a full set of the Japanese AA cards as well (as mentioned in this Efour article), so there is still some hope to one day find this card.
In general however, the best thing to do is:
Search for them on a regular basis. Not just for sale, but if another collector happens to find it, you might be able to ask them for information if they are willing to share.
Let as many people as possible know you are willing to buy this card. The more ears out there, the better your chances on finding it. (Especially in combination with a high buying price, and possibly finders fee.)
Have (sufficient) funds available when you do eventually find it for sale. As a Pikachu collector going after the twelve Pikachu Art Academy cards, this is the toughest one for me. I’m far from rich, and not only have countless of other Pikachu cards I’m looking for, but I also have to save money for my future of course and can’t just throw 10k USD at a single card like it’s nothing. I’m already very happy I have 7 out of the 12 Art Academy Pikachu cards in my collection right now, but I’m pretty sure it will take quite a while before I’ll be able to finish the set of 12 (especially since two are also still missing in both those big Art Academy collector’s collections, including my favorite: the Pikachu Emotions one by Ginga).
Just like with all extremely rare cards, you just have to keep your eyes open, and be ready to strike when the opportunity arises. Although that’s definitely easier said than done, and mostly requires a lot of patience and perseverance, as already mentioned at the top by @papafrankgod .
Greetz,
Quuador
Another option that might help - the Buy section of efour is good for extremely rare cards that aren’t available from other sources. If you’re lucky, you might hit a collector here who didn’t actively look to sell, but is willing to part with the card. However you need at least 50 posts to post there. So you and I are in the same boat on that one.
