Birthday update!
on a undisclosed date, my mom’s birthday is coming! To celebrate, I’ve gotten a list of items for her that are Pokemon related and will be showing the cards as they come in!
Be prepared for constant updates, and wish her happy birthday! (it’s @Vertskangaskhan btw, or you can comment here!)
UPDATE!:
My mom got her first gifts and her first graded card for her collection! Thank you @PkmnTrnAnt! (image by him)
Hello! So a lot of things has happened since the last time I posted stuff, so lets dive in!
First, all of the new cards I got:
Now for the big issue:
A Rayquaza GS in NM condition is now 11,000 bucks. Its becoming very clear that I might not ever be able to get this card. I currently have a part time job (not per hour however, its about 30-40 bucks a day), working a bunch of odd jobs, and selling stuff on ebay. Even then, I wont even make a dent in the journey to get one, much less a NM one. I’m struggling with the idea of this and I dont know what to do.
Maybe I might have to move on from it.
Hey buddy. Dont worry about what you cant afford right now. If you lose hope youll never be able to afford it unless you get lucky. If you keep hope you will be happy applying action to your goal. $40 a day turns into 11k in less than a year. Make some smart moves along the way and you could have two of em. Keep making smart moves and theres no reason in a few years you wont have several. Theres always going to be fear, but dont let it crowd out the effort it takes to accomplish hard tasks.
These cards aren’t going anywhere, and even if prices do continue to go up just know that saving and hard work can do wonders.
I have a couple Rayquaza cards (namely the PSA 10 lottery ray & PSA 10 M Rayquaza EX #105) that cost thousands, but I’ve set a plan to save up and work towards these goals while anticipating price growth.
Don’t give up! Collecting is a journey, with your grail cards it can take years but you’ll get there. Even if it seems impossible now 
it will feel so much more special when you finally achieve your goals!
Great new cards buddy! The Rayquaza EX looks great. Super update.
Congratulations on getting a part time job. Whatever you are doing and will do, does not only give you income but also teaches you a lot of skills, working with people and a lot of experience which is great.
Also, given your age and the environment, I completely understand you feeling the fomo, but 11k is a lot of money. You need to search deep down that if somehow you had that kind of money today, would you spend it all on a card. Your age is on your side and the best thing you can do is invest it in yourself! Gain skills, knowledge, learn new things (working part time is already a great step). These things will compound to much much more in the future and the best part is you cannot easily lose these skills and knowledge you gain.
To summarize, don’t worry about the card and focus on improving yourself. You are tenacious enough that you will eventually find a way to get any card you desire.
Cheers!
I know it sounds rich coming from a Pokemon card forum, but spending $11k at your age on a Pokemon card is close to insanity. Once you finish high school, you are going to have more pressing life events to attend to (e.g., higher education if desired, transportation, housing, food, saving for retirement, etc.). I would never recommend spending thousands of dollars on Pokemon cards until you have stability in other areas of your life.
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This card will be around for you when you have achieved independence and are financially able to commit to such a large purchase. There is nothing wrong with waiting - in fact, it will make the eventual purchase that much more meaningful.
When I began my Torchic collecting journey, if I let the feeling of defeat control my goals and happiness while collecting, I would never have achieved as much as I have. My dream of a PSA 10 Torchic Gold Star wasn’t that far off financially from the $10k+ price tag of one of your major goals as well, and it’s gotten worse over time. Don’t let the dread of not having one card ruin the joys and challenges of making your collection unique and special to you. You’re doing great.
I’m in a similar boat. I can’t catch em all now the prerelease exists but I can kind of hand wave that away by saying it wasn’t a released card.
Jasmine’s Raichu is proving to be “that” card where I haven’t been able to get one tracked down. I suspect one will hit auction and go for more than I dare and at that point I’ll add that to the technically never released for public consumption caveat and give up on owning one of those.
Sounds like you are on the right path and some good advice here too
I completely agree with Dyl. For the love of god dude don’t drop five figures on a Pokemon card at your age even if you do save up to it. Save that money for when you move out on your own (it’ll come faster than you think) so you have a foundation and some financial cushion when you’re getting your footing out in the real world.
Hi!!! As someone who collects Dark Magician Girl (goal involves some expensive cards) I recommend you that at your age you shouldn’t focus too much on expensive cards … It’ll drain you mentally and collecting might become something stressful (instead of something that you genuinely enjoy (as it should be)). Instead, transform that “A GStar Rayquaza is now $11K USD and I might not ever be able to get this card.” to “Someday I’ll own that card” … It’s not going to be tomorrow, next month or next year … it’s something that might take years, but when moment arrives, it’ll be more satisfactory for yourself …
With time you might learn some strategies related to collecting … Correct me if I’m wrong … I think your goal involves only English & Japanese Rayquaza, right??? … You don’t need to get every card rn … You should focus on cards you can afford (even the bulk cards contribute in percentage for your goal) and also save money (for your personal life & for other things such as cards) …
And you don’t need to have a lot of money to have an awesome collection … I managed to get some amazing things with low budget …
If you need suggestions or strategies regarding collecting, let me know …
Hey Vert,
Time is on your side. Not sure how old you are exactly but i made a big financial mistake aged 18 with a big cash buy (new car) which i greatly regretted later on in life. It eventually sold for less than half its RRP. Had i bought a beater and put the rest of that money in SPY, it would have tripled instead of halving. Life then changed in a big way, and I sure wish i had that money now when i need it more than ever.
The lesson here is twofold. Firstly, unless you have a lucrative career and/or very strong finances, don’t make huge buys of anything frivolous when young.
Secondly, my “new car” felt new and awesome for about 3 months. Then it just felt like any old car. Newer models came out. The Rayquaza will make you feel the same; amazing for a few months as you’ve achieved your goal, and then it’ll be “just another card” as you move on to chase something else.
And finally, i’m not trying to imply the Rayquaza will depreciate as fast as my car did!
My $0.02 is don’t buy it at this time.
Don’t give up Vert! You’re probably sick of hearing the whole ‘age’ thing but genuinely your income is probably going to 10x over the next 5 years as you settle into a career and whatnot. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish with the power of frugal saving and some big pay rises. Also keep working hard on ebay and who knows where that can go. Most of the big names in this hobby started with very little other than a good work ethic, knowledge and passion.
I believe 
