Forgive the tongue in cheek title…
Which camp do you fall under? Is anyone’s significant other / spouse unaware of the value that might be in your pokemon collection?
Don’t lie to your significant other
37 Likes
I literally haven’t been asked about the value of my collection even once by anyone inside my social circle. They simply don’t care and that’s fine. I won’t rub it in to anyone unaskedly.
20 Likes
My last ex who I was in a relationship with for 4 years had no idea what my cards were worth as she had very little understanding of money - to her it was just something you should spend if you have it, so naturally I didn’t want to promote the idea of having something in the house that could be converted into money.
My fiancée on the other hand has full knowledge of what my collection is worth and has even started collecting Charmander and Togepi cards herself. If I’m looking to buy anything worth a large sum of money I’ll always put it past her first to make sure she also thinks it’s something we can justify. So far the answer has always been yes, but I’d be content if she said no.
I think ultimately it’s going to be situational. I didn’t trust my ex with money whereas I fully trust my fiancée - it probably helps as well that she earns almost as much as I do each year and Pokémon isn’t a large percentage of our collective wealth.
14 Likes
If it’s someone you’re engaged to or married to, they should probably know or be made aware. If in any other kind of relationship - as in the example above - it’s probably better to keep it to yourself. But its a case by case kind of thing, in my mind. How good is this person at keeping secrets? At managing money? Are they trustworthy (i.e, will they keep it to themselves, or tell other friends and family, or unscrupulous people, etc)? Those are the factors that would immediately come into my mind when considering who to tell
People are weird about money and it can change relationships - especially if the value of the cards is worth in the 10k+ range.
4 Likes
My girlfriend knows the relative values of most of my cards, mostly motivated by the case of fire so she’d know what to grab in an emergency. She collects (and plays) too so she has a good idea of what is/isn’t the most valuable.
Echoing @muk, the value of my collection has really never been asked by anyone, and it’s not even a number I’ve looked into much myself. My girlfriend doesn’t know all the cards or merch I own, nor the overall value, but it’s not something I’d hide from her for any reason.
3 Likes
My girlfriend is really supportive and invested in my collecting 
I’m really lucky. We keep our finances separate, but she is aware of how much I spend on cards; knowing that when I purchase something, there is a price paid (always disposable money), but the value is something else non-numerical. In fact, she even helps me find products I really care about which is really touching. She understands that the value is something profound but is aware of the “price” of my collection.
4 Likes
Significant other? Why have one of those when you have Pokemon cards
33 Likes
^I think this is a good example of when to tell someone - you have a shared interest, and its also to ensure that possessions you regard as valuable get saved if the worst happens.
Re: your second para about judging value above, i’m with you there. It’s hard to judge the value of a collection entirely and keep track of it over time, especially if the cards are ungraded, or you have bulk, or non-card items, like old opened packs, or decks. It’s extremely time intensive and the value can change quickly (see the value of WOTC cards in the past 2 years. So unless you’re constantly re-valuing them (very time intensive and boring) the best most people can do is ballpark the value of their collection.
1 Like
My wife is a CPA so she has a tight eye on our accounts. Makes buying cards less fun haha
5 Likes
My girlfriend said to me once “if you dont buy that (trophy card I wanted) youll never have the opportunity to grab it ever again. Buy it.”
And by golly, she was right. Glad I listened to her, and nothing beats open communication and honesty.
28 Likes
She sounds like a keeper 
5 Likes
That’s interesting, I always get the opposite. And that’s usually followed up with, “why don’t you sell it?”
5 Likes
My wife knows of the general value of my collection, as well as the potential risks/rewards of buying more cards. She knows I love it, whether the price goes up or down - so she leaves me be about it.
1 Like
I’ll bet you’re not married lol.
2 Likes
She knows it’s valuable but has not asked for an exact dollar amount lol
2 Likes
Very true. Then again, I don’t ask my GF what she spends on clothes and stuff either, so it’s kind of an unspoken mutual agreement. Maybe that’d change if we were to marry, but I don’t see it as huge obstacle between us.
3 Likes
She just thinks it is cute I like pikachu cards…
6 Likes
Yeah hopefully my future partner will have a collection which outclasses mine
5 Likes
how do people even afford significant others? where does the budget for the PSA 10 WotC go?
7 Likes