My collection is extensive. I’ve been collecting since I was a child in 1999 and Pokemon started. All of my cards, many of them financially worthless are riceless to me for the memories and stories behind them. I still have the ponyta I traded a weedle for when it was new and we didn’t know anything about value. It was just a card I needed traded for one they needed. Simple and pure. Nothing can be worth trading for that.
Before I said I wouldn’t trade my entire collection for an Umbreon PLAY gold star. However, I would trade my entire collection for a Corvette C8. Car, Card, conservation of letters.
Any of the handful of single cards with a demonstrated history of consistently selling for $100k+. So, like, an Illustrator, a handful of trophy cards, or a PSA 10 1st Ed Zard.
Pieced out, I don’t think my collection even approaches $100k (probably mid-to-upper seven figures), but there’s nothing in the $50-$100k range that I think is a safe enough investment that it would be worth yeeting the financial flexibility and personal satisfaction that comes with having a varied, interesting collection of multi-tiered value.
The C8 will go down in value, and the Umbreon PLAY will keep doing its thing. I would never actually trade my collection, but a C8 would make me think about it a little bit, before saying no.
Venusaur 1st edition base psa 10 would be the only card I would consider. It would be a hard decision though given I would be essentially trading away my whole collection to upgrade a psa 9 to a 10.
I wouldn’t do it for any card. But I would seriously do it for the 1962 Nobel Prize gold medal for discovering DNA structure. This is the true holy grail for me.
Absolutely YES no questions asked but It would have to be a lower grade Illustrator or a Pika Trophy.
Realistically, I likely could replace whatever I have now, even the truly rare items. However the longer time passes the higher the chance these cards end in diamond hands.