That copy is a great contender for the god tier orb thread. Good luck @Vertemes
I don’t know if I’d even consider that a card at this point. Big difference than buying your typical HP or PSA 1 or whatever. It’s basically just remnants of a card. But hey, you do you man.
I think it’s easy to get excited for an opportunity to get a copy for a lower price!
I would go with what @Quuador mentioned about considering a non English copy, that french copy looks so much better and that’s still a 1 grade.
You may possibly get that fanatics one for under $1000, but it is missing 1/4 of the actual front. I’m all for played cards but this copy is a bit beyond that.
But ultimately if you love it, go for it. If it’s cheap then your kinda getting what you pay for, but I do think you can get a much better non English copy, that hopefully should be more budget friendly too.
The folks here are also invested in your story and are rooting for you. So most of the advices you see are always from a place of concern and largely also from experience of been there and done that. Card condition is one of the hardest things to overcome for a collector. It may look decent now but once you hold it in hand you realize how much of a dumpster fire the card is.
I say this with all the love Vert, don’t be an idiot. If this was the Gameshow Rayquaza promo, by all means go for it. That card is so rare it is probably worthwhile in this condition. But GS Rayquaza is not at the same rarity levels.
Just because you are passionate about something does not mean you need to settle for whatever you think you can afford now and be done with it. Also, isn’t this supposed to be the card that defines you as a Rayquaza collector, your grail? Why treat it like just another card in your checklist that you mark as complete?
Don’t hinge your happiness on the cards you think might make you happy. Sincerely work towards a copy which is nice and which tells a story of your perseverance and also your journey and growth as a collector.
Both this hobby and life are unpredictable and just because you think good conditioned cards are now out of reach that does not have to be the case in the future. Good luck.
Cheers!
I think we have likely seen the big run on prices this stint I think things will likely start to stabilizes over the year maybe slight retraces I think you have time to be patient and save for a cleaner/presentable copy, I really dont think prices will continue to climb like they have been on this specific cycle
Oh yeah im definetly not buying this card now and totally not because my mom didnt step in and said no.
You’re more mature than I was then. That would have been the catalyst for me to 100% do the thing.
For what it’s worth, it’s the right call.
Your card will come dude, make it one you’re truly happy with.
Last thing to add. If you are getting a PSA 0.5 to just check a box with plans to upgrade later, you need to make sure that card is sellable in the future. Chances are if you can afford to upgrade condition later on, the market traced back overall, and the hardest ones to sell in a downturn are the beat up copies - because then good condition cards are affordable, so why pay anything for garbage condition
Momma Vert saving the day once again. 
It might not be today, tomorrow, or one year from now, but eventually you will see that this was the right choice. You deserve a copy that reflects your hard work.
If you find a graded copy for a reasonable price and want to “lock in” that price, I will buy the card for you and sell it to you for that exact purchase price via PSA Vault or Fanatics Collect when you have the funds ready. The card should be reasonable in the sense that it matches market value and that it is attainable for you to accrue the funds. Let me know if this is something that you’re interested in.
Best of luck, Vert!
Title checks out!
Dyl playing with monopoly money from poke sales 
@Vertemes Honestly this is an awesome offer, especially given how much popular cards and species keep going up. I have no skin in the game but this is seriously worth considering!
@Vertemes
At this point you’re probably sick of people here telling you what you should and shouldn’t do, but something I noticed you said earlier that I wanted to comment on… you should never publicly say what number you’re willing to go to on an auction whilst it’s in progress. Makes it very easy for the seller or someone else with a vested interest in the final sale value to put bids in right up to just below your max to make you pay as much as you can!
Very nice offer! Just in case, be sure you are ok with paying Dyl back in full even if the card loses value by the time you can afford to.
Damn it. It would have been such a funny story if the Vertemes lifelong quest would have ended with the washing machine gold star…
Now the legend continues…what will the future bring forth ? Can’t wait
Maybe he was right all along and this would prove to be his only chance at getting one.
I have reported Vert to Fanatics as too desperate to bid and decline any bid he makes, sorry Vert had to do it.
Now lets refocus.