So when we talk about the old WOTC stuff, we almost exclusively talk about 1st Edition with only a few exceptions (i.e. Base Set Unlimited Charizard). My question is, do you think Unlimited cards are worth picking up from an investment standpoint, or are they essentially just cards to add to the collection?
I’ve noticed that Base Set Unlimited holos have gained some steam over the last couple of months and that the prices of some of the non-holo rares have increased.
Do you think sets like Jungle, Fossil, etc. will eventually follow suit once the 1st Edition market begins to thin out?
The charizards (base, base 2, LC, team rocket - PSA 10) , unlimited shinings, and the big LC cards are the only unlimited WOTC cards I see having any investment growth tbh. I think there’s still too many fossil, jungle, base 2 boxes floating around and being opened to experience much growth. Neo destiny holos have had some growth, but nothing exponential imo. If you’re looking purely for investment purposes I’d say just the first few I mentioned.
I think the 10s may come around one day. When the 1st ed cards are just non-existent or way too expensive, some people won’t want to settle for lower grade 1st eds and will probably hunt down the really nice unlimited.
You’re already starting to see this phenomenon happen in English Base set
We have seen pretty big increases in prices of Shadowless commons/uncommons/non-holo rares recently. Like, I believe PSA 10 Shadowless Dragonairs are going north of $300 now. Unlimited cards are the next in line.
What I’m thinking is that eventually, as prices continue to rise and the population of 1st Edition cards becomes more scarce, people will start going for the cheaper Unlimited variants. Eventually, the Unlimited cards will be the only ones we can really find.
Perhaps this will be more prevalent in the Base Set than any of the other WOTC sets, but I also think some of the more valuable cards in the Jungle/Fossil sets (PSA 10 Kangaskhan, PSA 10 Lapras, Dragonite, the Eevelutions, etc.) may see some growth in Unlimited.
Shadowless prices have been following the pattern I described in my first post but I don’t think you should treat shadowless as a subset of unlimited cards. They have their own unique identity that makes them desirable. They are also relatively scarce. Currently, unlimited cards in general haven’t really carved out their own identity.
I’m just saying that once the Shadowless prices rise too high, people will probably start going for the Unlimited variants. For example, PSA 10 Dragonairs in Unlimited are going for around $100 now. That’s pretty high for a non-holo Unlimited card.
Are they a good investment? It all depends on what you buy them for. If you buy a Pinsir for 5.00 then sell it for 10.00, then it was a good investment. If you pay 10.00 for the pinsir then sell it for 10.00 then it wasn’t a good investment.
A good investment is buying an item at a price point where you can eventually profit.
Of course, but when you use “investment” as a general term, there is no question certain sets are better and safer investments than others (i.e. Shadowless > Unlimited).
Sure, you might be able to find a card at a really nice price point. For example, most PSA 10 1st Edition Base Set common cards go for a minimum of $35 and up, but once in a while, you might be able to find one at $30 and jump on it.
But, for the most part, price points tend to be pretty consistent.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, my question is more along the lines of, is it wise to pick up Unlimited cards? Or is it a better plan to simply focus on 1st Edition and essentially ignore all but a few Unlimited variants? Will Unlimited eventually yield a sizeable investment based on its price point right now?
I don’t really expect massive growth on non holos of the sets you have mentioned. However, you can probably buy fresh pulled bulk for dirt cheap and see how you do a few years from now.
As Gary mentioned, there’s just such large quantities of product waiting to be graded for when/if it becomes worth it.