Hello all!
First time posting in the forum and as the title suggests I’m a new collector (coming back from a 15 year hiatus) just looking to learn! The hobby has changed immensely since I stopped collecting but it’s exciting to be back in as a collector rather than a kid stuffing cards in his pocket to take to school. Long story short I have base, fossil, and jungle completed all in decent condition. Will get those graded eventually just to encapsulate and have my childhood collection.
Currently looking to start collecting other older WOTC sets and looking for advice on where to begin. I have purchased a few graded cards out of gym challenege and heroes, as well as some good looking loose cards off eBay. My questions are essentially, 1) should I focus on scooping up pre graded cards at good value or risk buying loose and grading myself? And 2) as of now I have about $70/week to work with (poor grad student) for the sake of getting started should I continue shooting for unlimited 9’s or better or should I save and look for more gem 10 cards/1st ed stuff? Obviously gem 10 1st ed is idea but for the sake of starting out and just wanting to see my collection grow again I wanted to know if unlimited 9’s/occasional time are worth it or a waste of time? Again just trying to learn. I enjoy the artwork of these cards and plan on collecting for at least the forseable future so patience isn’t too much of a problem.
Thanks!
I wrote this guide for returning collectors which you may find interesting! www.elitefourum.com/t/back-into-pokemon-a-guide-for-returning-collectors/13079/1
While I’m not an expert on WOTC cards I would honestly say that you should start picking up mint cards or graded 9s. Not everyone has to collect 10s, 9s are extremely high quality cards for a fraction of the price of 10s. If you want to upgrade to 10s later on that’s always an option! For the sake of starting out you will also get a lot more for your money. Its all about what’s valuable to you.
Awesome guide thank you! Your comments just reaffirmed my thoughts as far as starting with the much cheaper mint cards before making the jump to 10’s (if ever). I have no need for a 10, but I do like to have quality cards. I’m assuming 9 WOTC cards will retain their value or even marginally increase over time? While chances are I won’t be separating from my collection this time around, I do like to think that if I can be patient and smart it can still be an investment that I could liquidate if absolutely necessary. Then again… maybe that’s me justifying spending money on these cards for the nostalgia and artwork I miss so much 
One thing I will say which applies to WOTC cards a lot more so than newer cards is if you are buying raw cards always ask the seller for more pictures, with the few WOTC cards I have bought that have been listed as mint a fair few have print lines or holo scratches that simply aren’t picked up by scans making the card look better than it is. Also if a seller has both ungraded and graded cards from the same set for sale never expect a 9/10 worthy card if buying an ungraded card off them. Psa 9 or 10 in my opinion is the way to go unless you are fine with nm binder sets.
Woolsluk -
Thank you for the information! I’ve only purchased a few loose cards so far from the same seller (idk if it’s ok to name drop sellers on forums) but he was great about providing me with more pictures when I expressed I was getting back into the hobby. He said his cards almost always receive 9 or better when others grade them so we’ll see! With my limited knowledge I think they’ll do well, but if nothing else it will be good experience. The comment about a seller having a graded and then non graded of the same card is something I never thought about. If quality really was that high you’d question why they wouldn’t go ahead and grade. Good input thank you!
-cfpokemon
Yo! I used to love Pokemon and ever since Covid started ive started to get back into it. I am currently collecting 4 collections at the moment evolutions, team rocket, fossil and legendary (2002) I am nearly done on my evolutions Because I bought a booster box for £400 now they are around £700 to buy, mad right? Team rocket and fossil I think is easy. If you want something long term I would try legendary. The reverse foil design in that collection is a thing of beauty! If you collect all normal holos and reverse it’s around 220 cards in total! The legendary set is the by far the prettiest reverse cards created
@mccjakey, Posts in threads with a last post of over two months ago are against the rules.