I started collecting Pokemon cards in 1999 when the craze hit America. I continued up until 2003, then gradually lost interest and quit. In 2010 HeartGold SoulSilver came out and rekindled that desire. I bought a HGSS booster box and started collecting again, attempting to complete all the old sets I had started as a kid. For whatever reason, I noticed Pinsir 9/64 made me feel really nostalgic. I remembered the first time I got one in a trade with a friend in 1999. Back then I didn’t think it was anything special, but that nostalgic feeling made it become my new favorite card, and my favorite Pokemon, and I decided I’d start a Pinsir 9/64 collection.
My main goal was to get this card in every language it was printed in, both 1st edition and unlimited. I finally completed that goal after years of watching eBay, trading, and buying from foreign card sites.
I also discovered an error that just happened to be unique to Pinsir 9/64; an ink smear over the 1st edition symbol that somehow occurred during the printing process. This error has kept me searching for Pinsirs ever since, which is nice because my collection never has to be truly complete. So far I’ve obtained 25 of them! One of them is even graded, surprisingly getting a PSA 9. Apparently PSA could tell that it was a printing error and not damage to the card.
And finally
