I’ve recently started exploring Pokemon collecting for the first time since I was very young. I’m a fan of vintage sets, most notably base set, jungle, fossil, etc. since these cards were out when I was getting packs as a kid.
I’m honestly a little overwhelmed on where to begin. I am a collector and want to collect due to the joy I experienced all those years ago as I’m sure many of us do but I’m hoping the cards I choose will maintain some value since I’d feel better spending larger amounts if I know there is some value retention in having a collection and putting effort into finding all the cards.
Here are my main questions after a week or so of research and thank you very much to anyone who has some experience or advice for me.
I’ve learned base set has 1st edition, shadowless and unlimited cards. Upon review, 1st edition is probably out of my price range unless I settle for cards in poorer condition and I’m not sure that’s ideal. Is shadowless a nice middle ground to collect or would higher quality unlimited be a better choice?
Graded cards seem very popular and I’m struggling to find raw copies that aren’t almost if not as expensive as graded cards. Is this normal?
Jungle and Fossil 1st edition cards seem much cheaper. I’m guessing this is due to a larger print run and available supply. Is it worth collecting these two sets in first edition or is it best to avoid them? I’ve been able to find PSA 7 copies of many of these foils in the $60-75 range.
Am I looking at this the wrong way? Is it better to just buy Charizard because it’s Charizard and avoid sets? I’ll admit I prefer some cards over others but once I have enough of the set I feel pushed to complete it.
What do you think? Thank you for bearing with me and my lack of experience.
The best advice I’ve heard for really any stage of collector (new, returning, old, etc) is “buy what you like”. You can’t really go too wrong there. Id also add “learn to like a lot of things” to that as pokemon card hobby has soo much to offer. Collecting whats nostalgic is a great place to start and is what nearly all collectors are doing, chasing those good vibes from when we were younger and times were simpler.
1st ed base is the top of the top imo. Shadowless is a nice middle ground between unlimited and 1st ed. Personally, id rather buy 1st ed, but both are outside my price range and overall goals.
Psa 7-9 is a nice place to be where you avoid the dreaded psa 10 tax and still have good conditioned cards. Many psa 10s arent exactly as clean as youd hope, especially for wotc. Mint raw copies are hard to come by and if thats what you want, id just crack slabs frankly.
In general, wotc 1st ed are the “better” sets to go in terms of value and longterm potential. That being said, value and longterm potential are just two aspects of many that influence our buying decisions. Id try to set some general goals first and then work towards that versus going the most optimal route. Whats “best” can be a hot debate and it really depends on personal preference.
Some starting points that could help:
Collect your favorite pokemon
Collect cards from a favorite set(s)
Collect cards from an artist you like
Try out modern cards (arguably better arts)
Explore whats out there and buy what looks cool to you
I’ll start you off with a few brief perspectives on each of your points:
Shadowless is a brilliant value purchase, particularly in lower grades. Although it’s not 1st edition, the cards share the same deeper, richer colour and shading aesthetic as the 1st edition variants. They are also a lot cheaper than 1st edition while being scarcer than unlimited.
This is a common problem with the current state of market optimization, but not insurmountable! Take your time while looking through listings, and especially keep an eye out for cards going through auctions, because you’ll more likely than not get a better deal winning a card via auction versus BIN.
Whether it’s ‘worth it’ is entirely personal preference. If you just want to own the art and the cards, it doesn’t hurt to save a little cash and buy unlimited. To throw you a curveball in the meantime - also check out the ‘no symbol’ Jungle error variants! They’re rarer than both 1st edition and limited variations and, like Shadowless Base, still command a pretty affordable price tag for most of the cards. Not to confuse matters too much…
It doesn’t hurt to write down the top 5 things you want to collect and go from there. Would you prefer to focus collecting just specific single cards you enjoy to begin with, or are you more of a completionist who would prefer to start completing binder sets? Whichever it is, one tip many on here will share is to try to start by getting the most expensive card/set out of the way first - that way it’ll all feel like a downhill battle from there.
Just as thsigma said above, I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to buy what you like. Try to separate yourself from the noise and hype and $t0nkz of social media. Take yourself back to your roots and find out what you genuinely want to collect. If you start worrying about price trajectories, how much others like your cards, ‘cool factor’, and these other what-ifs, your collection will stall before it’s even started.
How did I not recognize that opportunity when I typed the title? Thanks for the laugh and advice.
Yeah 1st edition base would be a dream come true but I feel like I’d be doing way more saving for months on end as opposed to collecting. Looks like the market exploded during COVID so I’m a few years late for deals on these cards I think.
Thank you again for your advice. I’ll start looking through some of my favorite sets and pick my favorites and see where it takes me.
I’ll take a look at shadowless for sure. I wasn’t aware that shadowless had deeper and richer colors. That’s a cool feature and I look forward to comparing the two types of cards.
You’re absolutely right though that I should focus on what I like and not worry about what other’s think I should collect. Thank you for your time and the great advice.
I collect in binders and I find that to be very satisfying.
I own 1st edition but have a very exceptionally rare case where I had a shadowless Charizard with a fake stamp graded by PSA, so since then I’ve preferred shadowless as you cant “fake” removing a stamp haha
In terms of methods to collect, in times like this prices are already inflated. To put it bluntly most things you buy right now will go down at least some amount. For this reason I recommend buying items you love for their own inherent place in history and the hobby, and not as a vehicle for value.
I think a “cheap” and fun way to start off would be to get a binder and put together an unlimited base through rocket set. Those are so common that just watching auctions will get you great deals and you will feel accomplishment the whole way.
After that you can either sell the sets to fund other goals or keep them like I do, as the journey is most of the fun.
For condition: I have always focused more on the card and the eye appeal. I would rather a psa 6-7 at half the price than a 9-10 and just be able to enjoy more cards. Funny enough in my personal experience these prices have been more stable, as in the current market there are always people who want something but can’t afford the best.
That’s my own personal experience, and I hope you have a great time
Welcome to E4! A lot of great advice was already given to you (especially the most important one which is “buy what you like”).
Regarding your question about whether lower grades should be avoided: Basically that’s also just up to you. I am a binder collector and I have plenty of cards (especially vintage) that would grade somewhere between 5 to 7. Most of them are really clean on the front and just have some scratches or small dents on the back. I am perfectly fine with those in my binders while paying way less than for a Mint copy. It all comes down to personal preference.
Thank you all for the terrific advice so far. Tons to think about and lots of searching to do. Something tells me eBay and tcgplayer will be my best friends for the next few weeks.
Another tip if you’re putting a binder together is something I’m doing myself at the moment - looking for good value graded cards to crack open. You can commonly find cards in lower grades (e.g. PSA 5-7 range) that still look pretty great but are often cheaper than similar condition ungraded listings.
Ima start off by saying don’t dive in straight to modern. Invest your money in oldschool, cards you’ve always wanted. Nothing beats nostalgia. You’ll find more satisfaction that way from what I’ve experienced. Don’t focus so much on grades or cards of the highest value focus more on the artworks that you love.
I know this is a little off of exactly what your asking but if you want to enjoy the cards a little more I would do research into them. For me researching cards gives me something to be happy about when I receive the card. It is really enjoyable to learn about the history of specific cards, it just makes me appreciate them that much more. Also you probably have already heard this a thousand times but avoid negative social media it causes to much stress it’s a lot easier to be happy in this hobby if you are positive and avoid people that bring you discomfort, that’s just my simpleton opinion though
Getting back into collecting these days is like trying to drink water out of a fire hose and can be a bit overwhelming but you’ve come to the right place. Much of what I would suggest has already been mentioned but here are some of my thoughts.
I personally think shadowless is a great middle ground between unlimited and first edition. They have the same aesthetic as 1st edition and are much more rare than unlimited. The PSA population report is a great resource when comparing first edition to shadowless to unlimited (or any set for that matter). With that being said there is nothing wrong with unlimited. It’s just much more abundant
Unfortunately this is normal in todays market. When buying vintage, more often than not, you will get the best value if you buy them already graded. There are exceptions but in the current market, if it’s not graded already it’s most likely not worth grading (especially if it’s an expensive card). As you gain more experience you will be able to spot those exceptions. If you aren’t interested in graded cards, purchasing mid-grade cards and cracking them out for your binder is a great option because they are usually less expensive and in better condition than the raw copies on the market.
Jungle and Fossil are less popular than Base Set which is why they aren’t as expensive. If you like the art there’s no reason to avoid them! I personally think PSA7’s are the best value to condition grade on the market and a great place to start. You’ll notice prices rise exponentially the higher you go up on the scale.
Buy what you enjoy! Many people enjoy collecting an entire set. I personally pick and chose my favorite cards from each set and pursue those. There’s no right or wrong way to go about it!
The valley between 1st and shadowless is huge, but between unlimited it isn’t so bad!
And don’t be afraid to explore beyond the psa7-10 realm. I’ve had a PSA 6 that I preferred over a PSA 7 because print lines bug me more the corner wear, etc.
