It wasn’t labelled correctly was it? But yeah you’re right. It’s only a matter of time until a number of these cards come out of the woodwork.
totally random, but I just wanted to thank PokemonTrader for helping me quite a bit in the past with these. I have the raincoat from noodles (who really is an absolutely great person) and the hula pikachu as well, and even though I’m out of the game for collecting more of them atm every time I’m reminded of them I’m so happy I have them
Once you complete this set, you should 100% try to get yourself featured as an artist if they ever do this promotion again. That would really complete the set.
It took a few months, but I’m happy to announce that I am now one of the proud owners of Sayaka’s Pikachu! Thought it was fitting to take a photo with my Monthly Pikachu plushie ^^
Information About Illustration Contest
Japanese Cards → 5/10
North America → 3/6
Oceania & Europe → 5/6
Total → 13/22
I’m so excited to add this pikachu into my collection! Unfortunately I don’t have their contact information and went through a few middleman to get this, so please keep your eyes peeled if you are interested in this one! That’s the best advice I can give 
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Nice addition Michael! The matching plush is bonus points!
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Thank you Scott! 
Yes! I got the plush last year during the monthly pikachu promo, and it just so happened to match!!
Wicked, glad it finally came 
As am I!
Now it is down to the few that we don’t know the whereabouts of, and then the few Japanese ones that aren’t selling or trading…
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Howdy!
It’s been a long while since I updated this post. I had slowed down my collecting a bit due to school and then exams, but this summer I decided to stop procrastinating and get a few cards of my collection graded. I always have striven to have a collection that is carefully curated to fit my own personal style. Unique promos, holos, and other cards that have some significance or intrinsic happiness associated with them.
This June I sent Charlie @funmonkey54 a pile, and I mean PILE of cards to get graded through the Ludkins USA PSA submissions. I picked cards that I knew would not only grade well, but stay in my collection, locked up for good 
Funny enough, out of the 34 cards graded, only 3 received sub-10 grades. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a perfectionist.
Without further ado, let’s talk cardboard (kidding, I know @mkpokecc has that trademarked).
First we have Audrey’s Masquerain and Kathryn’s Surskit, both PSA 10. Of the cards graded, I was glad to see that both of these graded so fine. The Pokemon: Destiny Deoxys movie was definitely one of my favourites growing up. It had it’s “alien invasion”-esque appeal, with the trainers clamoring for safety in LaRousse City. Coupled with some of my favourite pokemon and nostalgia, this film still rests as a classic in my heart to-date.
Surskit and Masquerain are some of the few Hoenn pokemon that I would consider “favourite”. Like most collectors, I dropped off of the scene for a bit during Gen 3 just because I was so used to the original 2 seasons, that I decided to skip this generation from TCG and video games. That being said, my one childhood friend had Ruby, so on occasion he would talk about all these pokemon. Then when Gen 4 came out, I got back into the groove of things playing both the video games and collecting the TCG. The only issue was Canadian television. It was lagging behind. So I played a game of catch-up watching the Hoenn television shows, and learning about all the different gym leaders, pokemon etc. From the moment I set eyes upon Surskit, I knew that it would be a contender for one of my favourite pokemon. (Please note: When I say favourite pokemon, I typically choose around 2-6 per gen for team-making purposes and for easy categorization).
Next, I have the Uniqlo Pikachu set, incomplete. (Please see my wants post here) I think it was around this time last year when I was browsing on Virbank for some different pieces to add into my collection. I stumbled across a post wherein someone had the 4 promos in a screw-down case. The only issue – They shipped solely to brethren in the United Kingdom, and not to any other countries. [Will make a discussion post tonight about this issue!].
Luckily, throughout the years of pokemon, I’ve made some remarkable friends around the globe and one of them was willing to middleman it for me. When it arrived, she was excited to let me know that the cards were in near perfect condition. The only exception, if you could guess was the 96/XY-P. I took my chances getting it graded with Ludkins anyways, hoping that PSA would overlook the one bleep on the edge, but alas I am now with an incomplete set.
It’s funny though… I now find myself at a point in this collection where I am ecstatic because now I have a purpose to keep my eyes peeled on ebay, forums, etc. to find this one card. It won’t be a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ in locating this card.
For those people who are unaware, back in 2014, Uniqlo had a promotion wherein customers at Uniqlo stores would receive one of the four cards when purchasing a t-shirt, making their population finite.
This set I was EXTREMELY satisfied to get great grades for. This is the Easter Promo set that came out earlier this year. When customers purchased any 5 booster packs from the Pokemon Center, they were given an egg with a silver booster pack attached. Inside that packet was one of four promo cards.
SMy friend who runs Sunyshore thankfully agreed to picking me up some packs with commission so that way I had my chance at opening some of the promos up myself. I ended up getting 2 booster boxes of SM2, I believe, so all in all I had a fair shot at getting every promo. Yes I know, I could easily go onto Y!J and get the promos there at the time, but I still like the fun in collecting cards and opening them up when I get the chance.
When sending these to Ludkins, I was fearful because I only chose the best of each of the nonholos, due to the fact that I wasn’t willing on dumping a ton of money into grading these “lesser” promos to the obvious Pikachu. If I recall correctly, it was the Mareanie that I was most worried about due to how it was cut, but they all got great grades and are stuck in my collection.
Finally, I am proud to say that I have a complete 2010 Illustration Zorua/Zoroark Set! I finally got off my butt and had them graded from that collection addition way back when. As I stated above, only 3 of the 34 cards in my submission received sub-10 grades. From the set, I got 1x PSA 9 and the rest 10s. You can imagine my face when I found out the results.
Thankfully @garyis2000 came in clutch, with a deal for a certain efour member I saw he had the Zorua I needed in a 10, and he was more than willing to help a fellow collector out.
I think from writing this collection addition out, I’ve realized something really important. It isn’t necessarily about the cards, but moreso about the people who you collect with. If it weren’t for all the friends I’ve made throughout the years, some of these cards would not have been obtained by me alone, nor brought into my collection. People make this hobby what it is. If we all stuck to our silos and didn’t interact with one another it would be a boring time. Thanks all for sticking it out through this wall of text, and I look forward to reading the responses!
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Those are some fine pieces of cardboard to add to your collection! Nice additions
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My pleasure brother and super congrats:)
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Thanks Mike and Gary! Appreciate it!
WARNING THIS IS A LONG READ, FEEL FREE TO SKIM. I’M ALWAYS ABOUT THE STORIES OF COLLECTING, NOT NECESSARILY JUST THE CARDS THEMSELVES )
Hey everyone!
It’s been a long while since I’ve made a collection update. Last update was in August, just a week or so before I left to go on my vacation. Many of you were curious from my thread on where I was going and what I was doing. I spent 6 weeks abroad, travelling around Japan, New Zealand and Australia. While on my trip, I made many memories, met up with many people (sadly no one from this forum!), and bought many many things. Those “things” include some new additions to my collection.
When I went to Japan, I was EXCITED to explore the land of the rising sun. I thought every street corner would be plastered with anime, Pokemon card shops as far as the eyes could see and hundreds of rare cards to purchase. Almost every one of my thoughts were burst (but hey, that’s life!). I did see a lot of anime while in Japan, mostly around the certain districts that most people know about (Akihabara, Den Den Town) but there were characters in other odd places along the way. Pokemon card shops are practically nonexistent in Japan, as MTG and Yu-Gi-Oh seem to be the card games of choice. That being said, a few shops I went to had small sections dedicated to Pokemon. One of the major chains that carried Pokemon would be the Mandarake shops. Being a used anime and manga retailer, Mandarake purchases collections, spares, etc. from people ready to move on in their lives or sell their wares. The one in Tokyo is where I found those trophy cards mentioned on the thread I posted, but by the time I went back they were already picked over. I spoke with @kkthxbai about it, and he told me that due to the high number of foreigners in Tokyo, those shops are frequented daily for deals. More than likely, someone here on the forum went in and swooped up those trophies once I posted. Congratulations on the deals! You saved me money in the long run . Finally, hundreds of rare cards to purchase was narrowed down to a select few at each shop. The Pokemon Center obviously had no trophies, rare singles etc. but I did pick up some packs. Nothing good pulled of course. The Mandarake in Tokyo had some oddities (jumbos, promos etc), a few no-raritans in beat up conditions and those trophies I missed out on. I did manage to grab one card though – A Mysterious Pearl! This is where my collection update begins.
Following Tokyo, we headed to Kyoto. Kyoto definitely is not somewhere you want to be if you are scouring the globe for rare cards. Being a tourist city that’s relatively small, there isn’t much commercial shopping to be had for otaku culture. Here you have your shrines, scenic views and rich history. We took the bullet train to Osaka, where being a mega city, has over 10 million people meaning there are tons of more “niche” stores. In Den Den Town, I split up from my brother and his girlfriend because they had no interest in exploring card shops. They went to an arcade and I spent literally hours checking out hundreds of shops. (Well more like 15-20). As stated above, most card stores had a vast assortment of YGO or MTG but no Pokemon. Some of the notable cards I saw included the Daisuki Umbreon, The Royal Mask Promo (For a whopping $1700), and various Crystal cards (Charizard, Celebi, Lugia, Kingdra and a Ho-Oh). As I ventured into a Mandarake there, I saw my prize for visiting Japan… The glorious and magnificent…
Spoiler
Master’s Scroll
This card is such a nice memento to the trip I had. A trophy card I acquired and picked out in person for a reasonable price.
I also found this 5th Movie Deck. Unfortunately it is in a bit of beat up condition, so I might end up cracking it open to grade the cards inside. Not sure what I’m going to do yet but… Suggestions?
From Osaka, I headed to Okinawa where I did more touristy things than anything else. Keep in mind, my trip didn’t revolve around cards despite popular belief. Here I had fun enjoying the sun on the beaches, having ice-cream and going to the famous Churaumi Aquarium. Thank goodness I speak Japanese or transiting 2 hours to the aquarium from where I was staying would’ve scared me. I was stressed, just not scared.
The cutest things I purchased in Okinawa for my collection came from the Okinawan Pokemon Store. Different than a Pokemon Center, Pokemon Stores have smaller selections and more specialized goods. These Eevee plushies (as seen below) are based off of a cultural significant beast in Okinawan culture, the Shisa. Part dog and part tiger, these Shisa were seen at almost any tourist shop for souvenirs, as well as in or around almost every building. The Shisa with its mouth closed is supposed to keep in good spirits, whereas the Shisa with an open mouth scares off the bad ones.
Here’s a few other exclusive plushies I got from the Okinawan Pokemon Store. I did pick up extras, but surprisingly both the Eevees and these Pikachus aren’t moving. Oh well!
As I was leaving Japan and heading to New Zealand, I wanted something super fun to commemorate my trip. I already had my prized trophy and some plush, but us collectors like our little knick knacks. So of course, with Halloween merchandise being JUST released in Japan, I had my go at a Gachapon machine. About $40 later, I actually knocked out a complete set of these charms. The hardest one to get surprisingly was Mimikyu. I mean Mimikyu is a popular Pokemon, so it makes sense but still. I got like 6 of those stupid Pikachus with a pumpkin on its head.
----------------- FLASH FORWARD ------------------
In New Zealand, I vacationed with a coworker actually. We had an amazing time there. In most of Australia, I was visiting relatives, but I did make one stop to an old friend who has been liquidating their collection. After all the stress of trying to complete and catalogue every single set and promo, they finally decided to thrown in the towel and only collection the things that they hold close to them and gives them intrinsic value. Which is totally understandable, I do the same thing with my collection. I can’t imagine going on for years trying to complete every set. The stress would be unbearable and at the rate in which new sets are being pumped out in combination with a lot of difficult to obtain promos (such as The Masked Royal FA) it just makes it not so fun. So I understand completely.
We hung out for most of the day. After having a nice lunch, we went and just talked cards for a good… 5 or 6 hours. Such a relaxing part of my vacation tbh. Not many “irl friends” know cards to the details that us collectors can go to. So because of it, it was a nice relief to chat with someone face-to-face who understands the stress, struggle and the always on the hunt mentality. Even in Japan, meeting up with a bunch of Pokemon collecting buddies from the collecting site I moderate on, they don’t collect TCG so for them they thought I was insane buying like… 20 booster packs lol!
Anyways, what I bought is going into my personal collection from this friend. They are taking their time selling because they want to ensure it goes to a forever home as it took them years to obtain some of these cards and they just don’t want someone coming in to flip off of all the hard work. Which, kind of aligns myself in the viewpoint and stances I’ve always taken with collecting. Collecting is about people and the relationships you build. Sure it is nice and fun to get a large return on something, but if all you do is buy and sell, your collecting is actually just a job. Call it what you want, it is a job. I enjoy meeting new people, sharing a similar interest, talking (or fighting) about cards and of course having those awesome SNAG moments when you get an amazing deal.
Here’s what I got in Australia:
Spoiler
A Complete VS Series 2001 Set - NM/M, including Rocket’s Tyranitar
Victory Ring - Both kinds!
My friend showed me (as I never knew looking at photos online) that the original Victory Ring was actually nonholo
Battle Roads Stadium - Both kinds!
I must admit, the artwork on these trophies is stunning.
[img src=“https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/pokemontrader/34847528/416088/416088_800.jpg” alt="
I hope you all enjoyed my collection update. I am sorry it is such a lengthy write-up. It’s hard to give context to cards you buy, especially after being away for 6 weeks and accumulating so much! Haha. I actually have more of an update I want to give, but I fear that this post is already dragging on… So I’ll save it for a few days from now!
Here’s a bonus picture of the 6 trophies I acquired for my collection.
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It was like we were on the trip with you. That was fun:)
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Thanks Gary
It was a long winded trip, so whenever people ask about it… It’s always… It was AMAZING, long and there’s so much to say!
I feel like I could write a book about it haha
Really awesome read, im still amazed your able to achieve so much so young, and Travel all these amazing places.
Really nice pickups as well.
I think it pays to know the right people, and you seem like a very friendly and down to earth guy who definitely knows The right hookups
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I’m sorry again we couldn’t meet up! I plan to be back one day ! ;___;
First things first is going to UK but Japan trip 2.0 is coming I feel it.
It’s all good. Partly my fault, I remember when you were here in Tokyo I was super busy. So it was unlucky. Next time, all sweet. ^^
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Glad you were able to pick up some awesome pokemon merch and sweet trophy cards!
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@pokemontrader awesome update and awesome story!! Hope I get to have a similar adventure next summer!
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