PSA 10 base set 1st editions commons or PSA 8 / 9 Holos?

[jj1]

@kpod , Except gold is a commodity, not a collectible. People don’t buy gold because they played with gold bars and traded solid gold coins when they were kids. Most importantly, gold collecting is not a hobby. You buy and store gold because of its agreed upon value. That’s its purpose.

The issue with treating Pokemon cards like a short or even medium/long term vehicle for profit are numerous.

Technically we’re all long term ‘investors’ because we all bought cards and we all want their value to rise. The issue isn’t investing per se, it’s the mindset.

I just think that if you’re going to spend thousands of dollars, it bears considering whether or not you’re doing it for the right reasons. And if your first question is about whether or not other people will find your cards desirable in the future, it’s probably best to step back and ask yourself a) if you really like Pokemon cards in the first place and b) whether or not collecting is really a wise decision.

Just an opinion.

[baccene]

@jj1

@baccene

What will be more desirable in the future?

The fact that you’re trying to collect cards that you think other people will want in the future is a major problem. You’re not really collecting Pokemon cards because you like them, you’re collecting cards because you think other people will like them i.e. you want them to have high value in the future i.e. you want to “profit”.

Cards are worth money because people want to collectthem, not invest in them. Flippers, investors and other “money” collectors ruin the hobby for themselves and everyone else. They experience neither the joy of true investing/ROI (there are far better investment options out there), nor do they experience the personal satisfaction of collecting because they’re always worried about the dollars and cents behind what they own.

Before you buy a Pokemon card (or any collectible) you should ask yourself the following question: “If this card is worth $0 tomorrow, would I still be happy with my purchase?”

If the answer is ‘no’ then you’re in this for all the wrong reasons.

• I appreciate your passion. It’s not about the money. I had a gold business for a while back in the gold boom days… I own stock… I own things that are not sentimental for me. Pokémon is… it was huge for my dad and I back in 99 - 2000. It is again today. I’m just not filthy rich and I do care about my money. So if I ever need to sale them, I’d like to get what I payed and hopefully more. I don’t plan on selling them… I want to be the very best like no one ever was. So, I’d like to get the whole base set… but also do it systematically. I’ve heard the whole “if it goes to 0 will you still be happy with owning it” … it’s a nice line… but unless I’m at a place in my life where money means nothing, then I’ll be very sad if my collection goes to $0. I collect them for sentimental reasons… I mean I could make money doing other things at a quicker rate… obviously most of us could if we turned our passions somewhere else. That’s not the point though.