Ah! That is indeed my mistake. Poorly worded. I would estimate the value at probably around 180k ish. Sorry for any confusion as i was mid rant haha.
I appreciate your point and agree about understanding similar things like other TCGs, but I also think that when someone is showing you a piece of something that they enjoy my first instinct wouldnt be to ask them what its worth and suggest that they would be better off selling it. I think that is where most of my frustration lies.
Ah, that makes sense. I can understand your frustration.
Maybe your friends didnât know what to say or felt as though that it was absurd to have so much money in a âchildishâ collectible. Maybe they are not doing as well financially and imagined all of their debt getting washed away by selling some trading cards.
I suppose there are numerous reasons why people outside of the TCG hobby react to the value of collections rather than asking more deeply about why we collect or what makes the collection interesting or intrinsically valuable to us.
I feel you brother. I pulled out my neo destiny binder yesterday, looked at what they are going for recently and debated selling for a bitâŚafter a few minutes, I put the binder right back where I found it. I donât think folks outside the hobby can understand our passion easily.
Might be collector empathy. I used to be buddha minimalist, and thought stamp collectors were an egregious affront to heaven. Many pieces of shiny cardstock later and Iâve come to respect all kinds of collectors.
I think if youâve got any collecting hobby not just TCG specifically, you wouldnât default to asking about money and value.
Sometimes I want to know what is the market value, even when I donât want to sell a card.
Collectors often have a collection that they never intend to sell and cards or duplicates that they would sell if the price is right. The majority however mix the two and call cards they intend sell as their collection. Itâs good that you can clearly identify that the cards you have are your collection and would never sell. However, people outside the hobby will always link physical items to dollar value, its just easier to talk about.
I mean, if you come across your sibling or close friend showing off his new Rolex or sports car or bottle of 60 year old wine or just anything that seems to have tangible value, one of the first questions that would come to mind is âhow much is this worth?â
Upon hearing someone say one of their watches in their collection is now worth $30,000 when they bought it at $5000 would be a âSELL IT NOWâ without knowing what the watch mean to this person or if they are in it for the money.
When market conditions are such that selling would be a no brainer because things are extremely overvalued (ie $30k 1ED bulbasaur or $60k 1ED Base Zard 9), selling is never a bad choice. Similar to if cards are so cheap that buying would be a no brainer (ie $1.5k PSA 10 Ponchos)
People donât take TCG seriously which to a certain extent itâs hard to blame them but trucollectors have always had to pay the price for that.
In my experience, people often pivot to money in a poor attempt to be respectful, to prevent the sense of incredulity or the complete and utter disinterest from leaking through. Or, if theyâre not particularly good friends, itâs the only way they can engage in the subject whilst successfully resisting the urge to cringe.
I can count on less than one hand the amount of times anyone has shown any actual interest in my card collection over the last 20+ years.
When taking to a normie, itâs like youâre speaking in different languages. They donât know what makes a card interesting or rare or desirable. The benefit of the monetary value is that itâs a common language that everyone understands. It communicates how important an item is in a hobby in a way thatâs unambiguous. So I donât fault people for going straight to the dollar value.
Often you get the âyou should sell itâ but I hit back with a response similar to the following:
Them: â$15,000?? Why donât you sell it??â
Me: âif I sold it then I wouldnât own itâ
Them: âbut youâd have $15,000!â
Me: âBut I only paid $500 for it. If you owned it you probably would have cashed out when it was $1000. But because I just enjoy it I still have it todayâ
Usually that gives them a hard think about the money aspect
This 1000%. I have encountered the same thing.
Unfortunately some people I talked to also have price memory. They remember the big numbers I told them (when they asked) during the 2020/21 boom.
Them: âYou should have sold that box when it was 35k!â
Me: âBut I only paid $1500, so itâs all a win, and if I sold it I wouldnât have it anymoreâŚâ
They are surely thinking âSo? Itâs cardboardâ, but they are too polite to say it.
Reading through the last couple of posts I wonder if people would understand if you used their dog, or something as an example that means alot to them, and why theyd never sell it. Most people wont ever go to those extremities, but Im sure it would be effective XD
A couple of people mentioned the ease of talking monetary values and I certainly agree with that point, but that is why this is offensive. People are only engaging at the lowest level of effort they can get away with and not trying to do any more. It should be a stepping stone to a deeper conversation if it comes up.
âWhat about that card makes it so appreciated?â, âHow many were made?â, even simply âWhy is it worth so much?â- there are a lot of easy follow-up questions that someone who is trying to relate a bit could ask.
To reiterate a lot of points already brought up Iâll share a similar typical way this goes and what I find myself doing now before engaging.
Iâve noticed something over time whenever I talk about my collection with people who arenât into the hobby like my family, staff or friends their first and only question is almost always âHow much is it worth?â And if they hear what they deem a high number their automatic response is âYou should sell it.â I kind of get it however, I also find it rather rude. Iâm the kind of person though, if someone asks what you get paid, thatâs rude so I donât bring up money as I find that area private.
What they donât understand is that for me and all of us as collectors the value isnât just in the price tag. Itâs in the rarity, the history, the artwork, the story behind each card and the joy of collecting itself. But they never ask about that. Theyâre not interested in why itâs special, they only want to know whether it can be turned into money.
That easily becomes frustrating so I totally empathise with OP and others on this one. So now before I share anything about my collection with people outside the hobby, I ask myself, is this someone whoâll understand or will they just reduce it to value? If it feels like the latter, I either downplay the value, completely lie or avoid bringing up prices entirely just to spare myself the bother of another âyou should sell itâ conversation or even to not make them jealous. As people can get nasty if they know you have something they canât afford.
On the flip side, which I find quite peculiar is sharing with other collectors online is a completely different experience. No oneâs asking me what itâs worth, theyâre congratulating you on finding a card or completing a goal. Maybe asking what the condition is like or how rare it is or where I found it. Itâs a shared passion and those are the people who truly get it and are the ones worthwhile having a conversation with.
Another example of this I find in my day to day life is when Iâm with my dog since @eievui brought up that topic. Iâll typically get the same questions from a passerby. And in this exact order we have.
I can bet many others will share this exact experience too and itâs just one of those things that bothers you after the 100th time. I think part of it is because you know itâs the same questions coming and it just seems the typical awkward small talk questions to ask any owner but also itâs like, why do you need to know? Iâm happy to tell anyone who does ask the first 3 out of 4 questions as the last is too personal for me. Although, I can guarantee whatever comment I say for question 4 they get either annoyed that I wonât say or defensive that they asked. Itâs weird.
At the end of the day, Iâve learned to be more selective about who I share certain things with. Whether itâs my collection or my dog, Iâve realised not everyone asks out of genuine curiosity. Sometimes itâs just surface level small talk or itâs judgment disguised as interest.
Iâve come to really value conversations with people who actually care about the why behind things, not just the what itâs worth. And thatâs why spaces like E4 are so refreshing. We speak the same language and the passion comes first. Thatâs what makes sharing it worthwhile, as you may have seen me spamming my collection thread recently
My collection is worth more than its financial value!
Iâm sure this is true from your perspective, but itâs not true to people who have no particular interest in the hobby, much less an understanding of what makes certain cards collectible or unique.
Iâm assuming your friends/family are only aware of Pokemon to the extent itâs been covered in recent news cycles. Of course that coverage has been focussed on the recent boom in card values - thatâs the only context theyâre going to have. TBH itâs not practical to expect them to care much beyond that. Theyâre not actually interested in Pokemon after all.
1000%
If I were to ensure my MtG Lands or Arita collection, Iâd NEVER get the value in time and effort that I put into building it. (Though my arita collection was a lot cheaper when I started building it⌠IDK. But certainly my âworthless landsâ collection.
This was my motivation for posting something similar on the Unpop Op thread recently. A great many collectors in thsi hobby would rage quit if prices dropped to zero.
IMO, True collectors do so for the accomplishment, the satisfaction, and the emotion, and not for the monetary value. Insurance is there simply to help recover losses if damaged. 
Excellent point.
While itâs true, we also have to remember that expertise and greater knowledge about a subject validates oneâs evaluation of it. If we look at risk in business, or information security, those who know, KNOW itâs more valuable to insure and secure your business stuff, than those who are blissfully unaware. Itâs not exactly the same, but there IS a market for many things, like PkMn or cryptography or even food, that many are simply ill-equipped to evaluate.
@tfgh Nothing to be sorry for! We shouldnât be upset with them for not knowing, but we SHOULD be confident in ourselves to know. Itâs an interesting phenomenon that happens when people who are informed meet people who are not. (Some level of Dunning-Kruger?) Like teaching calculus to babies, itâs information that many simply do not want or arenât ready for, and they start to glaze-over.
The emotional âsexyâ part of the hobby - 
- is really all theyâre interested in. When I show off my collection, I just show the cool looking parts, and save the majority for true enthusiasts. My MtG Land Collection is a hit at magic pre-release, but otherwise, most donât care. 