Great collection! I’ve got 3 out of the 5 Masaki’s so far myself.
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Love Masaki art. Which one is your favorite, @taizokai?
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Thanks for your interest. I, too, enjoy digging through old posts.
Let’s see… They’re definitely an inseparable team, but I’ll go with Gengar right now. I love the crisp and clean, hand drawn full-bodied image. The colors and shading are superb. And that background! Always reminds me of this but in m3ga Night Shade mode:
How about you?
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LOL — you make a compelling case. I’m a newly minted Gengar collector, but I love the art style on the Machamp… that’d have to be my first choice, but Gengar is a close second.
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@taizokai, Excellent stuff you got going on so far! As @muk, also commented, we have very similar tastes for a starting page/collection items haha!
Also, couldn’t agree more with this statement where you said “I have to say, it was so incredibly fun collecting these in a piecemeal way” This is the essence of collecting in my mind. Buying a full set outright just feels boring as there is really nothing special about each acquisition. Can’t wait to see what else you’ve got to post! Especially finding those last few cards is such a thrill, even if the card is nothing special, it always holds a special spot in my mind. I gotta make another update to my collection thread as well, thanks for the inspiration as well haha!
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Thanks, @pigeonsyndicate! Right, there are quite a few us into this section of the TCG. It’s great having a group with overlapping interests like this.
Collecting things gradually certainly allows one to focus on individual experiences and connect everything through personal meaning. That said, I think I would gladly purchase a high-quality VS set like yours in one go if I had the opportunity!
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Glad to have you back. I’ve been meaning to share a few early classics. Specifically, these are releases that were regarded as somewhat novel.
The cards below were mostly acquired in recent years. While they don’t exactly showcase the breadth of my interests, they do indicate where my heart currently lies. As I have repeatedly expressed, my effort (and money!) has largely been spent excavating the lowest layers of the TCG, uncovering the cards I would’ve undoubtedly enjoyed in the first leg of my journey, if only I had known about them.
Japanese cards, for me, were initially a way to explore new and uncharted lands. I was never interested in the Base Set from Japan back then. (I’ve since changed my tune.) Instead, after soaking in just about every printed dot of ink of the very first English set, I was mostly concerned with catching glimpses of the “future.” (Will write more about this next time.) That’s not to say I wasn’t at least partially aware that there were other, earlier cards—they were just kind of respected from afar in a detached, childlike way.
And so, when I’ve had the motivation and the opportunity, I’ve tried to obtain some of these vintage treasures and, when applicable, their inseparable and most iconic paraphernalia.
Note – To set the tone, we encourage viewers to first enjoy this short presentation from one of our proud sponsors:
Pokémon Song Best Collection CD
Like the multi-media masterpiece above, the CD Set cards are timeless. For many years, however, I didn’t even know they originally came with a CD.
It was in the winter of ‘01/’02, my freshman year of high school, that I first tried my hand at dredging up the past. My pops let me use his eBay account to bid on a lot of Japanese promos. I think there were about 15 offered in total, and I snagged ‘em for no more than 20 bucks. Among those received were the Starting Three, Mew, Mewtwo, Cool Porygon, and the Computer Error. Again, I had no idea what they were from, but I was damn excited to have them. So were my friends. It felt like suddenly having the ability to reach into someone’s drawer on the other side of the world. These days I often take it for granted.
This particular story picks back up about eighteen years later when I made my way over to Japan (which technically wasn’t a trip planned to raid drawers, closets, and shops!). While there, I finally came across the Hungry Snorlax. I wasn’t yet on E4, but I knew of Bulbapedia (even if I wasn’t inclined to do any especially deep digging). That’s how I knew to add Snorlax to my list. It has such a nice, soft feel, and the unique colors are terrific. This card’s particularly memorable because a local vintage collector I met helped me find it in town. He also took me to see a pro baseball game and get dinner at a cool place on another day. A real bro, if you ask me. 悠太、ほんとにありがとう！
The remainder of the set was picked up on eBay just a few months back several months ago. The prices kept steadily rising, and I decided to just finish it up. First, I got the Arcanine. It was immaculate. Then, from the same person, I bought the Super Energy Retrieval. He also tossed in a few other sealed promos and dollar store packs. The seller, it turned out, was exceedingly friendly and trustworthy. Always a good discovery when navigating the high seas of the internet. After, I went for the sealed English Pikachu he had available as well as the CD (cellophane wrapper and all).
Although these are “standard” collection additions, they’re also serious classics. What’s more, it brings me so much joy knowing my special sets like this are comprised of cards acquired in several different eras (of my collecting “career”), each with their own stories. I know many others here feel the same way.
Have a look at everything here:
VHS Intro PackThis is such a great little set. The box is lovely as are the unique cards. I first saw the VHS tape in the antique shop where I came across the Vending sheets mentioned in the first post. It was actually the same day. I regrettably passed on the tape as well as a foam mat that day. That said, finding and purchasing the Vending sheets and several sealed Japanese Southern Island packs was more than enough to get the adrenaline going. Well, speaking of adrenal glands, the next encounter is a fun, slightly embarrassing story.
When browsing a binder at a shop in Ikebukuro (the very store where that “Spider-Man” robbery occurred), I first encountered the Squirtle card. The little symbol caught my attention after I took the playful, hand illustrated art in for the very first time. And then… … …What? A little Squirtle icon?! My heart started thumping. Did I come across an absurdly rare specimen?! Was it just carelessly chucked into this random binder for only 100 yen?!? Did I really stumble upon a discarded Rare Candy up in a high rise in a Japanese metropolis?!?!? D-did I? As you already know, the answer was no. I, of course, learned that evening that it wasn’t the Snap-tier prize I originally suspected it to be. Guess I got a little carried away there. Haha. Oh well. This card is still the shit, and it eventually led to me getting these amazingly fantastic half decks and the rest of the intro set late last year.
Quick Starter Gift SetI distinctly remember this box catching my eye once while on my travels, but I didn’t know what it contained at the time. (That’s always a fun situation, no?) As it turns out, there’s quite a bit inside. My appreciation for the holos was previously described in the last post. Here I want to put the spot light on the rest.
There’s so much good stuff within that the set makes for an incredibly enjoyable part of my collection. In addition to the decks (which would’ve been great to play with back in the day), there’s the little deck boxes, rule book, mat, counters, coins, the Asobikata Diglett and Dugtrio promos by Miki Tanaka, and a fresh Vending sheet. Definitely wasn’t aware of the inclusion of the promos and sheet when I purchased the box. They were nice surprises. (Since then, I’ve seen several opened boxes for sale on eBay.) And I actually just took the two promos out of the package for this very occasion! Sweet dreams you can’t resist, indeed.
It’s been a lot of fun, but I’m afraid there won’t be a party this time—I still have some more work to do. Hm. These guys look kinda bored, though. Huh. Must’ve been my incessant “blogging.” Well, would you mind taking them out for a bit? Krang mentioned something about wanting to get pizza and beers earlier.
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I can’t resist!
The reminiscing of the Hungry Snorlax is divine. So glad muk took the time to reveal to us the zoomed in produce selection upon which he lies. Brings me back to something like Mario Party on the Peach’s birthday cake. Wonderful flashbacks.
The Imakuni drawing in the CD book is spectacular, and I enjoyed seeing it, as I do not have the book! In fact, thank you so much for sharing all the inserts and specials, they are such a treat! How 'bout that Mime in the comic strip!
What a wonderful update, Patrick! I always love reading your reflections and ruminations. Just how I love the hobby, as you already know–and your prose makes me giddy with excitement. Really just a perfect collection update, truly. You sir, are a master of them. I see, I like immediately. The adventure of your collecting epic is such a rewarding quencher to drink in!
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Dear god, what a wonderful update!(!!!) Doesn’t get much better than this, really. You have the compelling storyline, the dramatic composition, the emotions - and most of all, the pics we all love to see 
Gotta say, the more beautiful posts like yours I see, the more happy I am to be part of our small sub-niche of Vending aficionados 
You like these items for all the right reasons. It’s simply lovely to see you finding joy in all those small details I love aswell.
I wouldn’t mind seeing updates to your thread more frequently. But if they continue to be of this quality, I can certainly accept a few months of waiting in between
By the way, this is my favorite pic:
Soo overwhelmingly 90s, it’s almost too much to handle. Haven’t seen this before because I got my CD promos without the actual CD (sadly). So thanks a ton for sharing!!!
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Hahaha. Thank you, @brendantheclayboy ! I really appreciate your very kind words.
Right, it’s good fun musing over the different experiences and little bits and pieces. In truth, it wouldn’t even be half as fun without it all.
Yes! muk has so many excellent insights and discoveries! I just noticed the other day that he had previously posted the “Pokemon Ieru Ka Neo?” video. All the more reason to revisit nice collections like his and rummage through old threads.Speaking of you, @muk , many thanks for your fine compliments! It means a great deal. 
Vending is second to none, and I’m also proud to be a part of the crew! I was actually going to add the cards I peeled from the WHF sheet to my first post the other day, but I couldn’t figure out how to get them into the original spoilers thing…
I had ya both in mind, in addition to the other Imakuni fans here, when I put that one up! I knew Brendan would dig the Mr. Mime in the comic, too. Give a shout if you ever want a look at anything else in the booklets.
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