Why did you choose Pokémon cards over traditional investments such as stocks, or alternatives like crypto?
It was a natural follow-on from collecting when Pokemon cards started proving to be lucrative financial vehicles (that phrasing will make a lot of people cringe but I’m too tired to think of an alternative). Pre-existing familiarity and love of the IP combined with an understanding of the consumerbase has allowed many on e4 to make informed long-term decisions which could potentially lead to financial gains surpassing those that could otherwise be achieved through more conventional means. Although, I have more overall conventional and BTC investments than Pokémon-related. There is more risk associated with Pokémon (physical storage, scams etc) but my interest and nostalgia for the Pokemon IP adds an entire dimension of fun and tangibility to the investment process. I feel more connected to what I’m putting my money into. It serves as a direct crossover with a casual love of collecting too; I could buy multiples of cards or products I perhaps only intended to resell at a later date, while reserving the right to decide that I actually want to keep a copy or two for personal reasons.
Would you still collect Pokémon cards if they had no resale value?
Yes, because this would mean they’d be extremely cheap or free to acquire.
Do you consider yourself a collector, investor, or both?
Both. I have only ever professed to being a casual collector, though take great interest in the cards/progression of the franchise even if I’m not actively buying to collect. At this stage in my life I’m predominantly buying to invest, though I enjoy having the freedom to scale how much I do of either whenever I want. Even though E4 was founded as a forum for serious collectors, it’s also an incredibly forgiving place for more casual collectors and even discussion of straight-up stonks.
Do you think investor culture is welcomed within the Pokémon community?
Depends on the subset of the “community”. You could argue that because attention and interest has grown exponentially since 2020, it’s more difficult to ascertain what proportions would consider themselves investors, collectors, or a crossover of the two. I think what gets on the nerves of some in this space is when flippers or resellers feign having a genuine interest in collecting when it’s a thinly veiled attempt at fishing for stonk ideas from knowledgable collectors. Just be honest about your intentions. It’s not wrong to be an investor, or a collector, or a crossover of the two, but it’s exhausting and cringey when this happens.
What misconceptions do collectors have about investors?
That they’re morally inferior because investing practices have contributed to significant inflation in card and product prices. Everyone should invest in a manner conducive to a strong financial future regardless of other people’s view of how they do it. Providing it’s legal of course. There has been somewhat frequent hypocrisy, contention and gate-keeping within Pokémon, particularly in regard to other people earning money via the TCG, how they spend their money on the TCG, and how their spending practices are ‘ruining it for true collectors’.
What risks do Pokémon investors tend to overlook?
The biggest risk for people who are relatively new to this is overestimating their own knowledge. Not just about Pokemon but finance in general. Otherwise; liquidity risks due to poor financial planning and capital allocation. Storage risks: theft, fire, flood, humidity warping, shipping risks: damage, theft, loss. Risk of scams when selling.
Are Pokémon cards investments that happen to be collectibles, or collectibles that happen to be investments?
Well by the nature of their manufacturing, branding and marketing they’re collectible trading cards, so the latter.
If Pokémon cards stopped increasing in value tomorrow, or even became worthless, what would still make them worth owning?
“Worth owning” depends on whether the individual concerned places value on owning pieces of the most successful media IP in history. When I spent peanuts on crystal Charizards in 2011 it certainly wasn’t because I thought I could make money on them. They were a unique representation of a popular character I enjoyed in a franchise I enjoyed as a child and built nostalgia for. The cards provide an opportunity to own a limited, tangible piece of that.
