I got back in the hobby during early 2020 when covid hit. Found my old collection and just started to be more and more curious. Being stuck at home help in a way, as I had a lot of time to do endless hours of research! Whatever it is, finding something to collect makes life a lot more enjoyable!
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Post-childhood there have been 3 (maybe two and a half) distinct times I āgot back inā (for cards, specifically). The first, in 2012, was the half time. I was not in a great place in my life and for some reason I started buying Yugioh and Pokemon packs (I think this is a pretty common experience). I donāt recall exactly what I got and for how long it continued, but it canāt have been that long because I only remembered this relatively recently. I think after I started moving forward in my life I put it out of my mind, maybe in part because I probably thought Pokemon was childish.
The second was the summer of 2015 (also a low point 
ā¦ maybe thereās a theme). I forget the exact trigger, but during that time I watched a lot of UnlistedLeaf and WakeRunCollapse. I had been watching playthroughs for a while, but didnāt buy any cards until that summer. Ancient Origins was the new set, and it was also the first box I ever opened. It was a very unique feeling of excitement opening that box that I donāt think Iāve felt exactly again.
This time, I got into Pokemon fairly seriously, for probably 18 months or so. I think part of the reason I didnāt dip as soon as life picked up is that by now I was mature enough to not care if Pokemon was childish. By early 2017 though, I was buying very little Pokemon, and had sold a fair bit of what I had acquired. I also had some bad experiences which soured the taste, so again fell out.
The third time was late 2019/early 2020, just before COVID. I wanted money to buy a Mercedes SL R107 (made in the 70s and 80s) and finally selling the cards I had been meaning to sell felt like an easy way to raise money. Luckily, I realised that would have been extremely stupid. Iām glad I kept most of it because I appreciate what I have now more than ever. This is comfortably the longest amount of time Iāve stayed in Pokemon as an adult. It really hasnāt felt like 3 years at all.
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I started collecting when jungle had just come out. My brother and I would spend every cent that we had to go to the local card shop and buy packs. Through trading and buying I managed to have a complete set of base through gym challenge. My cards were my pride and joy and I loved them.
Sadly hard times fell on my family and we were evicted from our current home. We had to rush everything into a storage unit so we wouldnāt lose anything. The cards sat in the unit while I went through high school. I asked my mom about them a few years later and she told me that she lost the unit and everything inside of it. I was heartbroken and put Pokemon to the side for many years.
Flash forward to 2013 and I saw a shiny pack of Legendary Treasures at my local target. The enjoyment that I had opening that pack really brought me back. One pack led to two which led to me buying back the cards that I lost as a child. Back then I could buy sealed base packs and open them for nearly nothing. I bought my first booster box when XY launched and had so much fun opening the cards with my daughter.
I am so happy to have my collection and so much more back. I wish I had my childhood cards but that is life I guess. Thanks for listening to my story and thanks everyone for sharing theirs.
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