Talking about money being the new mascot of Pokémon, let’s talk about the recently glorified YouTube videos of stacks of cash being snuggled up to pristine zards. Smh. Some of the sites finest are the most guilty of mentioning the money end of the hobby, but at the same time repeating no no no… it’s about genuine interest… $$$
9 Likes
Who would have known there was this much drama and immaturity on an adult card collector forum. Let’s have a new thread category for personal rants and arguments.
Only if you’re comfortable in your own skin.
No one is saying don’t be aware of the finance in a hobby. The point of emphasizing the money is to ultimately emphasize the value of collecting. You can’t easily explain the nuances of Pokemon to the average outsider. It’s easier to advertise value via monetary value, but that shouldn’t be the entire purpose. Like anything in life it’s about a balance. That balance is a constant process for everyone.
5 Likes
The greater fool theory states that the price of an object is determined not by its intrinsic value, but rather by irrational beliefs and expectations of market participants.[1] A price can be justified by a rational buyer under the belief that another party is willing to pay an even higher price.[2][3][4] In other words, one may pay a price that seems “foolishly” high because one may rationally have the expectation that the item can be resold to a “greater fool” later.
5 Likes
I’m just afraid you’re going to catch me soon;)
1 Like
That video proves the point. My friend wanted a small piece (15%) of that part of my collection and I didn’t have the heart to say no…again. So I tucked that cash away. BUT…it’s for buying more Pokémon which some of it has already done;)
You can say it was a little dramatic but that’s the nature of YouTube content and I was happy to participate. In fact, the feedback I’ve gotten from both new collectors and involved parents has been very positive. Another case of money being used the right way to promote the hobby.
1 Like
This was written to hypernova who always acts like a little girl. I’ve since heard she may not be a little girl and only acts like one. If that’s the case then I apologize to all the girls out there who surely wouldn’t want her to be compared to them.
She also said in that discussion on discord earlier on that I was the PresidentTrump of E4. Maybe that’s why all my sandwiches end up looking like the below:
2 Likes
Fantastic topic and very well said Gary. I believe @smpratte and I were talking a bit about this at Worlds, so many threads here and the trend of the community in general seems to be focusing way too much on investment value rather than collecting. It’s not about what you like and what speaks to you, it’s what to buy that will appreciate.
News flash: if you want to invest, don’t do it in Pokemon at all. Maybe you could justify a trophy card here or there, but talking about set cards as if they aren’t immune to market whims and hype and will all be 1st ed. Base Charizards, dream on. Yes you can make money on cards, cards will appreciate in value, but replicating that appreciation enough to make a business out of it is near impossible. The only people who are doing it have been in the game for years and I promise you if they had to buy their collection at market value today they couldn’t. There’s a reason why hedge fund managers aren’t pouring money into XY Evolutions sealed product.
I care about the value of my collection, I care about whether it’s appreciating or depreciating, but it’s more from a personal financial health perspective than an investment perspective. I need to be able to justify the purchase price of an item by knowing that if I need to sell it, I can get back a good portion of what I spent. With the money I spend I could have bought cards that would appreciate way more than what I have now, but the attachment and excitement I have for my cards wouldn’t be there.
11 Likes
Plz… no Our honorable president talk on e4… otherwise I will be persuaded to spend hours defending Hillary, who I worked for
Nothing screams “Pokemon is a legitimate hobby” to an outsider like a big fat stack of bands. Don’t confuse mentioning the money end with being solely devoted to it.
2 Likes
My condolences lol.
1 Like
Man is this well said. I wish I was as smart and articulate as you;)
3 Likes
I have to agree with what Gary said.
In my opinion the financial aspect is endemic to the hobby, if nothing else, as a gauge of your own success as a collector. If all cards were equally rare and all worth the same there would be no chase or sense of achievement. Growing a $100 collection into a $1.000 does give you that sense of achievement.
Now, doing so doesn’t necessarily require you to be a profiteer, you set your goals as a collector and either through outright purchases, a bit of hustling or both you achieve them, and I think that’s what Gary was getting at. The ugly head of the hobby is those people with zero interest in the hobby throwing blind money at it for speculative purposes and with no regard to the collecting community, which may end up priced out of it.
I collect Magic the Gathering alongside Pokemon, and the financially speculative aspect with MTG is even more noticeable, card rarity and market prices are no longer a gauge of the item’s intrinsic value as a collectible, but rather a result of price rigging by investors who scoop up hundreds of copies of the same card for the sole purpose of flipping them.
What’s the point of having a Degas painting if you can’t distinguish it from a sketch dribbled by a 5 year old? You keep it boxed waiting for it to appreciate while real art lovers miss out on the chance of owning it and truly enjoying it in all its glory.
8 Likes
Nailed it 
3 Likes
Good points:)
I might add that you probably get a higher sense of achievement when you get that 102nd card to complete the set rather than you do a value increase.
2 Likes
The money I make and spend last month doesnt drastically affect what happens next month. So if I buy a $350 card in June, and resell it for $350 in October then that is a profit to me! That is extra money I didn’t plan on receiving later even if it’s the same amount. If I make $200 that is okay. If Im able to sell based on market value $600-$1000 over 5 years, that’s great!
If the money is spent, it is gone. Trying to calculate money loss or profit from what you spent in the past is chasing ghosts. Any resell value is a bonus if I need extra money for whatever reason. That is how I see resell value in collections.
3 Likes
Thank you so much for this Gary, I feel the same way. This is just a reflection of what u said, these may not have substantial value if any later but I absolutely love these cards!!
2 Likes
I don’t have a binder 
I don’t collect raw only psa 
2 Likes
Dang those are pretty TROP
1 Like