Hello, I am about to invest in one of the above categories for NM raw cards. Which do you think is safer against future stagnation. Its a tough call for me since they both seem scarce and fun to collect
Hereâs the short answer:
Donât invest in set cards. No one knows the answer. Buy what you like more
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Both are high demand items. Neither one is going to put you in a significantly more risky position. Buy what you prefer.
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my 2 cents on this one are:
While aquapolis had a ââboomââ a couple months ago it started decaying once again and most of the holos go for less than U$S150; with a few exceptions (Umbreon, Espeon; Ampharos due to low pop, and ninetales).
Iâd go with Aquapolis because i see a ton of potential in this set; considering how expensive the boxes are getting.
Why i wouldnt go for gold stars? Most of them are already pricey; Regi-rock-steel-ice and Entei-Suicune-Raikou are the most affordable; but the last 3 wont see any kind of growth /probably never, due to a guy in the Netherlands that graded over a couple hundred copies of each card.
Aquapolis it is!
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None of them are safe against future stagnation.
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base set 1st ed holos or trophy cards
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âSafer optionâ
Fucksthatmeandawg?!
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I hear Prototoiseâs are low in supply.
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As @pkmnflyingmaster stated, always always always go for what you like first. Given the two choices, both are great picks for any collector, so now its just up to you to decide which is best for you because at the end of the day, you want to enjoy and love what you pay for.
That being said, if it were me who had to pick it would be Aquapolis, but thats because how can you resist that adorable Azumarill in his little boat?! 
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Set cards can be a great investment. Not sure why the blank statement? 1st edition Charizard 10 went from 5k to 40k in 5 years. Some EX 10s are up 5x since 5 years ago.
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Argument from exception.
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I would choose whichever you like more. For aquapolis are you talking about holos or crystals?
The eras are so close that if one absolutely tanks then the other one is likely to as well. I canât imagine a universe where gold stars fall to $50 while aquapolis holos raise to $200 and vice versa. They will both trend together.
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Aquapolis is more likely to be predisposition with schizophrenia while Gold Stars are more likely to be bipolar.
Bipolar disorder is an illness that involves mood swings with at least one episode of mania and may also involve repeated episodes of depression.
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, debilitating mental illness characterized by psychotic symptoms, meaning that one is out of touch with reality.
As far as which is safer, I guess schizophrenia? Really both are more a danger to themselves rather than the people around them. Bipolar people are more likely to have an episode that might put you at risk, but still this shouldnât effect your decision.
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If I was a magic genie and gave you $100k and was willing to sell you anything at prices from 5 years ago, what would you buy? Assume the goal is to get the best return possible.
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Just because other items are better investments does not mean set cards canât be good ones. Pretty much every single WOTC set card has increased in value over the last five years, many of them exponentially. Are they trophy cards? No. Will they ever be trophy cards? No. Will there always be another copy? Yes, but none of this changes the fact that they have gone up.
Saying that other items can give you a better return than set cards (which is obviously true and no one can deny that) is different than saying you shouldnât invest in set cards at all, especially given the ease of entry when it comes to set cards.
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Read my first post. All I said was donât invest in set cards. Meaning if youâre just here to make a return there are better choices as you have admitted.
Sure you can make money with set cards. But these are mass produced, illiquid units and usually the returns are pretty small (hundreds) per card even with PSA 10. They are also probably the most susceptible to a recession when and should one hit.
Thereâs nothing wrong with buying what you like. Making a suboptimal investment move is what basically every collector does. And that was my main point. If youâre here to collect donât worry about investing because youâve already chosen a suboptimal route. If youâre here to invest, donât invest in set cards.
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But what if you want both? What if you want to invest but you want to invest in what you like? I donât understand why people act like these things are mutually exclusive.
You are the PSA 9 guy. If you bought a whole bunch of PSA 9 1st Edition WOTC holos five years ago (and I am assuming you did), you are sitting pretty right now. Will it make you millions? No. But itâs a pretty damn good return (we are literally talking 200-300 percent for some of these cards, if not more).
You are right in that set cards are far from the most optimal investments vehicles in the hobby. Trophies, promos and sealed product take the cake there. But saying âdonât invest in set cardsâ is just wrong, in my opinion. They have investment potential (and have already proven so), and if you love them, why not?
Itâs also entirely possible that we are essentially agreeing with minor distinctions.
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I think pfm is trying to make the point that there better investments than set cards. I think he meant buy set cards if you like them. So, if you only want to make money stay away from them because their other opportunities that provide a better roi.
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Trigger warning: you can invest in set cards. There are always better and worse investments. Charlie has hinted at this is the past. Donât shoot down an idea because itâs not the best investment. If set cards provide you a means to invest in an item you love, then go for it.
Iâd take 1st edition base over both Aquapolis and gold stars.
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