Is the term Grail so overused its lost is meaning?

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I wanted to discuss the term Grail in todays era of collecting, I have seen quite a few IG stories and posts around collectors overusing the term so last night I had a really interesting chat with a friend and we were trying to determine what cards we own in our own collections that we and others would class as “Grails”

We came to the conclusion that people overuse the term grail because they don’t have the in-depth knowledge that most of us in this forum have, and confuse a ‘personal’ grail which in that moment in time for themselves wether it be financially or because of there lack of knowledge feels like a grail.

So I ask myself especially in Pokemon does Grail on a larger scale just mean rarity of the card itself, the difficulties of obtaining it, and maybe the history/story that a card like this provides. like lets take the SNAP cards as a example or the 97 Pika Trophies.

Hits all 3 points rarity/scarcity and history.

As a collector who has been around for way longer than I wish to admit I find that collecting itself should always make you strive towards cards you thought were unobtainable, which if you showed to a room of like minded individuals they would be interested in the history of how you ended up with this card and the story behind it, and not just shrug past it like I tend to do with a lot of others ‘personal grails’

This isn’t against anyone who collects certain Pokemon or era’s and for example that PSA 10 Japanese non holo Cubone which is a POP 2 that they have been searching for tirelessly for 12 months. In their opinion it may be a grail, I understand that idea but that would be a card that has no sentimental or significance to another collector.

So yeah I guess my question to everyone is, what in today’s era of collecting classes as a universal Grail Card?

To be fair my opinion is that, A Grail card is a Low populated card around 200 copies or less recorded in existence, They Don’t hit public auction houses every week or two and you can walk around an event and not see one. The price is reflective on the rarity and the historical significance whether that be it was awarded in a tournament or competition.

But yeah interested to hear everyone’s thoughts, sorry it was a long read!

Sam - Chibi

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Probably to some extent, but I think mainly because of the increased popularity of the hobby the past while and how a lot of people consider certain cards as ‘personal’ grails as opposed to what some may consider ‘true’ grails. In other words, I have a few key cards in my collection that I would consider ‘grails’, but yet to others they may just be average, mediocre, good, etc. Then you have those types of very rare cards that have a reputation in the hobby for a long time as you highlighted throughout your post that the majority of collectors would consider grails objectively no matter what.

So to me it all depends how you look at it. But I think it’s safe to say one can at the very least distinguish what is a grail to them VS what is a grail to everyone else, maybe we need a new word for it or something, but overall I feel there’s some flexibility in the whole understanding of this term or what it means as long as it’s all in context and understood properly.

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Yeah great points! I guess sometimes you have to take it by a card by card basis, the line can be quite thin, Take Gold Stars in PSA 10 as long as iv’e been a collector the Torchic in a PSA 10 has been the lowest pop, rarest hardest to grade card and it could be classed as a Grail card universally, but a Regice Gold Star in a PSA 10 which probably has very similar production amounts and in the grand scheme of things is still relatively low pop is just one of them ‘other cards’

So yeah thin lines and the collectors opinion.

Maybe its cards which doesn’t matter the grade and shown in its raw form

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It feels like it’s overused to me. If everything is a grail, is anything? A grail is just something you want very much but is hard or challenging to acquire, right? Attaining a level of personal wealth to comfortably buy something you desire… maybe that’s a worthy quest? So I can understand why people feel that way.

But I imagine people going through their collections… “That’s my grail. And that one there, grail. Oh and this is my grail.”

I’m just waiting for them to bring out a small to mid-sized somewhat round bird Pokémon so I can make the ebay listings…

POKÉMON PSA 10 AMAZING LIT 1/1 QUAIL

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There is no universal Grail card.

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Today the term grail is interchangeable with a “somewhat difficult goal”. Buying a goldstar, buying a top chase of current sets, being able to spend a high dollar amount, etc are all considered grails to modern collectors.

A classical meaning is indeed a card or item with extreme rarity, out of normal reach, essentially mythical status. Cards that havent been seen for years, product that is unlikely to still exist, or cards with rarities in the double digits or less, are all what I would consider grails.

Money alone isnt what will get you a grail when you want it, only perseverance and being knowledgeable about it

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Yeah I mean I feel this way, ‘This is my Grail card’ then the next card event they have sold it and it’s just another number.

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I mean in Pokemon collecting there are definitely Grail cards a lot of us in this forum could agree on, and be happy to place these in that category.

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I think it’s overused, but I personally never really put that much behind the term in the first place. It’s inherently subjective, so I haven’t spent much head space on trying to establish parameters.

The extremes of use feel the easiest to get behind, like an illustrator is a grail, but an HP base set unlimited ponyta is not.

The middle just gets so grey. Is a PSA 10 GS Rayquaza a grail? Yes, it’s the most in demand gold star, in a low print era, with conditional rarity. No, it’s a set card where thousands and thousands were printed, and conditional rarity is dumb. Is an art academy card a grail? Yes, such limited numbers were produced and it has great history behind it. No, there are thousands of them total across designs, and the story behind them is too niche to be relatable to people.

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You’re right about how everyone uses the word grail card for a lot of expensive cards especially. 1st Ed Ed Charizard , Gold Star Rayquaza come to my mind and as personal grails as yes a lot want them and seek to get them, they can be hard to acquire depending on price / availability.

I also agree with the true grail term as those are to me the snap cards, the illustrator, the trophy Khangs / pikas . Super hard to get , super expensive, lucky to have someone wanting to let go of one ect.

Maybe you could put true grails for gold stars in psa 10 only for the torchics, the rays , the Latias and 1st Ed charizards ? Not sure :man_shrugging: I see those in particular as grade 10’s hard to come buy for sale and very pricey

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I just want to take the moment to thank you for NOT including popularity, because so many people think that for a card to be a grail, it must be popular.

Rayquaza Game Show promo is THE top grail, but its so niche not many people know about it. This argument does have flaws however.

Every pokemon has a grail card, and for most, its a tournament or exclusive promo, but for others its not so noticable. For example, there are common cards in languages that are hard to obtain. They come up for auction even less than the “universal grails” you mention, and while they arent expensive, the rarity and scarcity are definetly a factor.

Also that part where it has no sentimental significance to another: The Rayquaza Game Show Promo dosent appeal to a lot of people, does that mean its not a grail?

Im operating off a hour of sleep, sorry if this is confusing!

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I guess yeah the middle grey area is where its hard to absolutely pin down certain cards, just for reference I only classed 3 of my AA’s in that Grail type category, due to popularity and rarity. Kyogre, Mew and Ashley Pika

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Often times, “grail” status is conflated with monetary worth, which is why you see cards at the top of the hobby being touted as such. While I recognize the historical significance of many cards, along with their cost of acquisition, I would personally only use the term for a card that is both my favourite and the centerpiece of my collection.

For other people, grails can come in many shapes and form. Whether someone’s grail is the Pikachu Illustrator, a Base Set 1st Edition Charizard or…a Jungle Vileplume, it makes no difference to me so long as the genuine passion is there.

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Probably. But I have a ‘Grail’ and it’s kind of fun to have one, especially if it’s personal or unique! I would kind of compare a grail card to a hockey player winning the Stanley Cup or a football player winning the Super Bowl. It’s fun to have an end goal, and there’s a long lead up of effort towards getting it. Once it happens, you can retire happily, or keep playing if the love is still there! Everything else will just be gravy!

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Grails can be objective and subjective.

There are hobby “general” grails like original 90’s trophy cards/tournament promos/incredibly rare/expensive cards.

but from person to person, we each have our own “grails”. Hardest to find/grade cards of our favorite species, for instance. Or maybe your favorite artwork in the tcg. Or perhaps even a obscure hard to find postcard that was only released for 2 days in 1997 for a special Christmas event where a bomb threat got called in at the distributor that halted production but also a tsunami hit the warehouse holding all the copies, destroying all the stock, and only 3 have surfaced on eBay or mercari in the past 25 years.

Idk, stuff like that

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I get what you’re saying, but we are moving away from my meaning of this post. If everyone has a random card that’s there Grail then the phrase is being over used.

I’m trying to specify universal grails we can agree on and what cards fall within this category.

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Stuff with a solid well known history with a defined rarity.
I wouldn’t consider a grade-scarce card a grail.

Something that, if sitting in a storefront, would impress 80% of collectors on the forum.

I don’t think I have any big ones. I have a 99" tropical wind and an FPO charizard.
But those are more like sudo-grails :wink:

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If everyone has a random card that’s there Grail then the phrase is being over used.

I disagree with this point, I don’t think a universal “Grail” card exists. I think Grails are individual to each collector, their goals, and what motivates them.

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Its probably overused from a selling standpoint but what do you expect from sellers who have vested interest in hyping their cards?

I dont have an issue for those using the term saying x is their personal grail

For a lot of people grail cards could be $2k. For many of us this isnt a grail but think about those not heavy into collecting they would think thats an insane price to pay for cardboard

The term should be used for something you would consider the jewel of a collection and not say you have like 20 grail cards

The way its used today seems to be basically just a hot, top dollar, desirable card. It SHOULD be used less liberally as the term holy grail was typically reserved for something that is the defacto chase, top of the top. Like psa 10 base zard 1st edition, trophy cards, or pikachu illustrator. But if you have a personal grail thats fine
Just dont show me a full collection of “grail cards” and use the term for 15 different cards in your collection

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I think it’s a bit overused, especially when people call a set card that came out within the last year their “grail.” To me grail implies that the work to obtain the item is or was incredibly arduous or took a lot of time and patience. But then again in the year 2025, I’m not going to be up in arms about people using words differently than I do. Slang is all over the place these days.

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