My Colletion in Review: A Decade

I am not sure where to put this so mods feel free to move it!

(WARNING: LOTS OF RAMBLING NOSTALGIA)

A couple weeks ago I was going through some of my old stuff in my parent’s basement and found a few CDs that I burned back in 2007. As I made my way through them I found few things that caught my eye. There were photos of homemade cards I created for fun and some other random files 15-16 year old me found important. Among the files were photos of the Illustrator, No.2 Trainer and Trophy Kangaskhan. What struck me most about this discovery is that these files came from a time when I hadn’t a single expensive card to my name (well maybe a 1st edition Charizard, but I will get to that later). So, in a wave of nostalgia I decided to briefly showcase how far a collection can advance within a decade.

Now, I started collecting when the Pokemon TCG hit the United States in 1999. I got in around the release of base set unlimited with my first Theme deck, Zap! For reasons unbeknownst to me, Pikachu and Mewtwo really appealed to me. From that point until around 2003, with the help of my parents (keep in mind I was 8-10 at the time) I was able to assemble the complete Base Set Unlimited, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket sets (Not sure if the Team Rocket set was truly complete at that time). The cards were obtained from various local card shops and packs which made the hunt that much more satisfying, something that sadly (thanks to the internet today) doesn’t really exist anymore.

From 2003 to 2007, I didn’t collect. Pokemon hit a major slump in the U.S., Nintendo took over printing and the new e-border cards in my eyes were uninteresting at best. I have since changed my tune. But aside from those few core sets, a Birthday Pikachu I got when on a family trip to Gettysburg, and a 1st edition Charizard I got for Christmas (when they were still $250-300 bucks), that was the extent of my collection. Sure, a respectable collection but nothing unobtainable.

Things changed for me in late 2006-2007. Remembering I had seen some extremely rare cards known as the Illustrator and Trophy Pikachu cards in the back of the Beckett Price guide a few years prior, I regained interest. For some reason, I was enamored with the fact that cards were listed at $4000-$8000! I mean come on! You had to be rich to afford those! Sadly, aside from some low-resolution scans in difficult to find magazines and a couple terrible photos from Greylight.co.uk (no longer around), I never truly got to see the cards. They were mysterious, borderline rumors. All of that changed when I found the Poke’gym forums. Particularly this post which featured the image below. I was blown away by this person’s collection! From that photo and scrolling the images in the gallery section a new fire was lit. I was going to collect trophy cards, I was going to own at least one. Period.


This one image motivated me to one day attempt to acquire the cards on this page.

With my new goal in mind, in December 2007, I obtained a Top Sixteen Tropical Tidal Wave from cardhaus.com (are they even still around?). This was my first limited print run card. I took a break from my goal as I for some reason focused on playing in leagues and saving money. Fast forward to 2009. After seeing a few trophy cards come and go but not being able to do anything because let’s face it…. washing dishes isn’t exactly a lucrative career, I finally got my chance. A seller by the name of BrianJapan, aka HardrockPokemon (Now PokeVault) listed all the SSB trainer cards. After convincing my parents (who are also avid collectors in their respective interests) that it was a good idea to blow my entire savings on a card, I reached out to Brian. We agreed on a price of $1300. That was it…I had my first No.3 SSB trainer! A few months later I obtained a Victory Ring ($90) and a 1999 Tropical Wind ($500). Not bad for a dishwasher. Fun fact, you can see my first post in this thread from 2009… this would eventually become the elitefourum :grin:


I miss you old friend. (Circa 2011)

From that moment forward I hit my stride, saving, creatively financing and trading my way to the collection I have today. Sure, I had my ups and downs and a couple regrets but always kept moving forward. I traded many high-profile cards in a deal which would net me the Illustrator, but also set me back as prices continued to rise. Many cards I reacquired in lesser condition to save money (always bought the card, not the grade) and by doing my due diligence to find the best deal.

I guess the takeaway from this is that its funny to see how you can advance in around 10 years or so. It’s awesome to look back and see where you started and how long it took to get there. My best advice to the budding collector is to set yourself an unwavering goal. Eventually, you will achieve it. Sometimes, I think collectors assume you need to be ridiculously wealthy, or be entitled or scam your way to the top. You don’t. You need a goal, time, and luck. I was fortunate enough to get in at the right time, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be other opportunities. Lastly, I want to thank all of the collectors who helped me along the way and this forum. I couldn’t have done it without either.

-Mike

29 Likes

@mkpokecc I really enjoyed reading your post! I can feel the nostalgia and passion in your words! Amazing collection! Keep it up! :grin:

2 Likes

Man, the “where are the collectors at?” thread really take me back! Simple times, but glad the hobby has grown so much in a decade!

1 Like

I miss both miss those days and am glad they are over! It was a nightmare trying to track down cards because there was no instagram, Twitter etc and the market was much more closed off. While prices are higher today, the cards imo are easier to find.

3 Likes

*changing his username on e4 out of embarrassment*
But funny how I was the first to reply to that post in 2006 :grin:
I bought my first trophy card one year later in 2007 :blush:

Nice to read Mike, pure nostalgia :blush:

1 Like

Hahaha my name has never changed! That first thread was the Silvestros collection at the time, a few years before they sold it off. Despite the drama that sourrounded them and their cards, I have to give credit where it is due…their collection inspired me to reach higher…and some of their cards would make into my collection :blush:

Haha you beat me by a couple years before I eventually got my first in ‘09

1 Like