I have a similar experience, I have a light dragonite in beat up condition from when I was a kid, and bought it in psa 10 a couple of years ago. I would probably choose my beat up one too.
Base Set Venusaur! As a kid, my cousin let me choose one card of his large collection that I could keep. I chose Venusaur. Was one of the first cards I owned and still have it in a binder
Alright, we can stop here. You win.
In all seriousness, this is major goals right here. This is so awesome to see. Don’t let go of that fire breathing dragon.