I don’t disagree. But whether it was option 2) or 3) in my post doesn’t change the historical context of what’s actually on the cards.
Also re: Alt listings. Let’s again be a bit reasonable. The cards were not moving BIN so my guess is we will see them all go to auction soon.
Just to make clear what I mean by this. When I see the CGC ‘mounted on card’ qualification, the legalistic impression I get is that the thing being described and authenticated is the piece of paper only (not the card it is mounted on). This would leave me to believe the piece of card is modern, the paper old.
Having said this, perhaps they have the description ‘mounted on card’ only to make it clear that the characteristics of this item is a piece of paper mounted on card rather than a usual card.
Due to the wording and lack of statement on the matter, the reality remains ambiguous to me as to when it was mounted on card. I would like a statement on this, it is likely it was mounted on card originally.
I can’t tell you how TPC did it back in the day, but WoTC used leftover cardstock when they developed and playtested MTG in the 1990s.
From a practicality standpoint, playtesters needed to shuffle the decks. I would imagine that this would require some thickness greater than paper (i.e., pasting paper/sticker to mock/blank cardstock).
WoTC describes the updated process in 2016:
If the prototype cards listed were actually used in playtesting, I would imagine that they would show wear. Perhaps Akabane had some extra prototypes lying around and the buyer mounted them for grading purposes. 
I suspect that @genchiro knows.
It feels like there are some NDAs involved but glad genchiro could share what they did prior.
Here is a video on some of these prototypes in a binder:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DAByl_EPCfq/?hl=en
Thanks for posting, hadn’t seen this. Looks like the binder is filled with them all the way down (loose therefore not included within the CGC pop report ofc).
They also have a copy of the Pika Sotheby’s is selling.
Not only cropping up through several auction platforms they also seem to be getting traction on instagram and middleman services.
Yeah who knows if these were the ones already graded, if these are from the akabane source, or if these are from someone else. I don’t think the person who posted it is being transparent with the info…
That is certainly a THICK binder. Unless someone is able to find a unique feature on one of those cards and then compare it to the same card on an auction site, we won’t know if these are the pre-graded cards of if someone else has their own binder of these things.
While I believe there must be multiple copies of these cards out there in collectors hands (I wouldn’t be surprised to see 20+ copies per card), I am still struggling to understand how these stayed under wraps for almost 30 years. Yes, the market is seemingly being flooded right now, but if this is really just 1 individual selling due to health reasons, what are the odds that others with these cards decide to enter the market too?
Do we think this will open the flood gates for those who held these in secret for years or will this be be a single wave that then dies up for another 10+ years? That’s what’s been driving me mad lately.
I might just print out the Voltorbs and Electrodes as a sort of history to add to my binder. I don’t consider these official for my purposes, but they are cool nonetheless. If some pop up in the low hundreds, I might take a crack at them, but not worth it to me otherwise.
If these were printed the other day or anytime except the 90’s, they should be worth $0. Unless Akabane printed with some WOTC/Pocket Monsters material and printer with Pokemon’s permission with the exact document used in 1995, then shame on him. This is what gets me. This has the potential to be a disaster. If it gets out that that is what happened, a ton of money is going to be lost to a lot of good intentioned people. The history is great. If all I want is my own copy of the history, I’ll print it off right now from my computer, go to staples, slab it in my own case and 1 dollar later later, I have the same thing that are being sold for tens of thousands of dollars. “They came from Akabane” means nothing unless they’re a real prototype from back then. Might as well take Akabane’s left over lunch he had yesterday and say that’s special too.
Ummm… I want this. I would double the value and pay $2/card for this to be done and will happily have a binder of “mounted prototype” cards. In fact I would also commission someone to take all the scans and create a bound book about the prototype history and variations so that I could look through it any time I wanted and see them all. Who has connections and wants to make a kickstarter 
?!
That would be a brilliant book. I’d certainly buy it!
“you going to eat the rest of that sandwich Mr Akabane?” = 2027 (some sports card guy)
I know it’s kind of a meme how many of these are for sale, but I was browsing the various auction sites a couple of days ago and there were dozens still being listed on each.
I haven’t seen that card appear on any of the auction sites yet. There were two similar cards, but not this combo.
With the sold price of some of these playtests staying under $3k, are any members here planning to buy one of these? I’m bidding for two as long as the price stays in this range. Anything more and I think the risk is too great for how little information we have.
I don’t think the sentiment has been popular among members here, nor do I think people would share prior to the auction whether or not they were
Amazing too! The other ones listed (Blastoise and Venusaur) both had the missing opaque layer card at the front, wonder why they slabbed this one diff. Saw this too now playing with the cert numbers
I like the cards a lot personally. The sentiment hasn’t been great here though.
Really wish they’d take that into account when grading my DP era reverse holos :copium:
