SeasidePokemon's Collection

This thread is so beautiful and just keeps giving and giving as you scroll. The banners to divide the section are amazing! :star_struck:

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Thank you so much! I’m really glad you enjoy it :blush:

February 2023
At the beginning of February I was fortunate enough to attend the Orlando regional event where I got to meet Midori Harada, other E4 members and even play in the official VGC tournament. This was my first time playing in an official VGC tournament so my expectations were low going in. The event was the largest regionals to date bringing in over 800 players in the Masters division. After an extremely long day of battles I finished with 6 wins and 4 losses. Overall I placed 208th out of approximately 800 players! I didn’t earn any championship points but I was very proud of myself as well as the team that I built. Here’s my team incase anyone is curious. :slightly_smiling_face:

As fun as the VGC tournament was, meeting Midori Harada and getting to see her work in person was the highlight of the event for me. Sunday morning during her final demonstration she illustrated a full body Suicune with watercolor pens that came to life before my eyes :heart_eyes:
I was also able to ask her a few questions about her inspirations and what areas of Japan to visit for first timers this summer. She recommended visiting Manazuru, a sleepy coastal town in the Kanagawa prefecture. She said she lived there during the short time between her apartment lease expiring and moving to Germany. She said it was beautiful and that I should visit while I’m there.
Here are all the cards she signed/sketched for me.

That’s all for this month, till next time!

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Awesome updates, and congrats again on how well you did in the tournament!

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Thanks, @Will! It was nice meeting you there!

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March2023 Banner

Where do I even begin… As I’m sure you are all aware, this month Kagemaru Himeno was the guest of honor at the Charlotte regional championships. I won’t bore you with my own personal diatribe of what it was like to sit in line for 17 hours but I will tell you it was worth every second. When it was my turn on Saturday to meet her she was so kind and seemed extremely positive and happy to be there which just made me smile. I could tell she really cared about meeting her fans because when I spoke to her instead of keeping her head down while sketching my cards she would pause, look up at me and smile while listening to her translator (shoutout to Ken!), and then continue sketching when we were finished talking, it really was nice. I was so honored and humbled to have the privilege of meeting such a legendary figure within the world of Pokémon and getting a few cards signed was the cherry on top. I decided to go with two classics in Birthday Pikachu and Jungle Eevee. I absolutely adore the sketches she gave me on them, especially the little butterfly next to Eevee!

The event was such a great experience and I’m so happy I got to spend some time with some old friends and make some new ones as well. Special shoutout to @HumanForScale and @lookaclara for these treasures!

Lastly, I’m so happy to finally add the 2010 Tropical Tidal Wave to my collection as I’ve been eyeing this card for a while now! :ocean: :call_me_hand:t3:

That’s all for this month! Till next time!

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Awesome updates, Great to see artists who care and listen to their fans. Thanks for sharing :pray:

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Hello everyone and welcome back to another collection update! I had a very busy past couple months so this update is a 2-for-1 covering April and May!

First and foremost a card and goal I genuinely thought I may never reach has been achieved, the 1999 Tropical Wind! This was certainly no easy task for me to accomplish and required lots of patience, tough decisions and a little help. You may notice some cards from the main collection thread are missing and that is because they were sold to make room for this special item. It was truly a surreal experience for me when the card arrived in the mail as it was the first time I had held, let alone seen this card in person. What was once a grail a few months ago is now safely in the collection.

After doing so much research on the Tropical Wind my obsession with the Tropical Mega Battle really set in and I had to continue to chase the feeling. So naturally I purchased a sealed Trainers Magazine Vol 3. which of course still had the glossy Bilingual Exeggutor sealed inside. I’ll be sending that off to PSA for grading shortly so hopefully I will share that card soon enough. I also purchased the Exeggutor flip coin from the TMB, which was essential to the Tropical Wind’s card text.

Next, I purchased this Trainer Certification card, more commonly known as the 1999 Grand Party. Not only is this an iconic card I have wanted for some time, but it also pairs nicely with the Tropical Wind since this was the tournament circuit in which the card was awarded in.

I was also able to complete my Natta Wake PSA 9 set with the addition of Hoppip and Sunkern! Now I’ll just be on the hunt for the last 2 manga books to pair with the cards.

Lastly, after sinking my teeth into the golden era of Japanese promos and trophy cards, I have discovered an incurable itch that must now be scratched. I now dream of owning a University Magikarp, and while that dream may be far off in the distance, I did purchase what I consider some of the coolest Pokémon memorabilia in existence. The Tamamushi University handbook, handbook sleeve, ID card, and the gold commemorative pin. I hope to find the pennant one day, although I haven’t been searching for very long I have yet to see one surface on ebay. One day I will reel in that illusive karp, but until then I will sit back and enjoy what I have today :smile:

Well, that’s all for now, till next time!

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Incredible!

Congratulations @SeasidePokemon! So happy for you. :partying_face: :champagne: :beers:

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Thank you Dyl! So happy to finally have one :face_holding_back_tears::palm_tree::hibiscus:

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This card is so perfect for you my dude :surfing_man:

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Thank you, Brendan!! I would have to agree :ocean: :call_me_hand:t3:

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Well said. It’s an incredible feeling the first time you hold a card you never thought possible to own.

Congrats too!!!

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Thanks, Zubat!

Many congratulations @SeasidePokemon. So very happy for you. These are such awesome cards to have in ones collection. Truly, once in a lifetime cards. Thanks for sharing.

Also, I absolutely love your DP :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Cheers!

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Thank you so much, @mrbubbles! I went full dork and updated my profile picture and even the threads main header to match the Tropical Wind theme. I’m really glad you enjoyed it :blush:

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Wow. Big accomplishment all round. Congrats time to celebrate!

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Thank you, @Rattlesnake! Pina coladas on me!

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I’ve never seen that University Magikarp pin before. Honestly, it’s cooler than the card!

Incredible update!

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Thank you!

If you’re interested in learning more about the University Magikarp event and all the little goodies that go along with it, I’d highly recommend checking out @HumanForScale’s article on it here: University Magikarp Campaign Complete History

His articles and research on various Japanese promos and events are must reads in my opinion.

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