I think you have to look at it from a kids standpoint. They may buy a pack just because it’s possible they may pull an Uber rare card.
4 Likes
whiterabbit:
I am aware that it is a card game but the majority of the kids that I know who collect are not players themselves. Also, many of these kids 10-15 expect these cards to rise in value. These kids are collecting American Pokemon cards in a “junk wax era” The print runs are unreal right now.At some point there will be an awakening and there will be a greater focus on the collector.
Exactly which was the entire premise of most 80s and all of 90s sports cards.
pfm:
I dont understand why there’s a need for modern product to be valuable though?
Pokemon cards are some of the most diverse collectables I can think of. You could take 10 random collectors on the forum and they could all be collecting entirely different things. If you’re interested in highly desirable recognizable cards you can choose to collect PSA 10 WOTC stuff. Want the same thing but slightly cheaper? Buy lower grades or put together a binder. At the highest end you have trophies and very limited Japanese promos. If that’s too rich for your blood there are extremely limited English stamped promos or Japanese prize cards that won’t break the bank. Or if you’re a kid and you want to open a pack of cards, get your mom to buy you a pack of Crimson Invasion from Walmart. If you want to get something modern with value, theres a ton of modern Japanese promos and products that have seen excellent growth.
My point is that anyone can find an entry point or collection niche in Pokemon. Not everything needs to be valuable one day. I’d say the low barrier to the modern chase cards is actually a positive thing. It supports this tiered level of collection. It gets kids excited. They don’t care about real scarcity, they are concerned with perceived value. Although hyper rares may be objectively common, if you are a kid who gets a pack a week they will still be perceived as super rare.
There’s a reason why kids today love Pokemon cards and have little to absolutely zero interest in sports cards (based on my observations/experience)
Great points here and exactly what collecting should be about, having value is just a bonus or if the cards you have just happen to gain value and you are at a different part in your life where collecting is no longer your thing or you want to pass it along. I enjoy seeing other’s collections but sometimes I feel like I see Charizard collector’s over and over and in the back of my mind, I am asking if it is because they truly like Charizard or because it is valuable. I don’t bash on collector’s who collect to flip and get what cards they really want, it is just part of the hobby. One day, I will post my collection and u’ll be like wtf (not my original post). Shoot, I loved when I saw one of our member’s show off his Haunter collection, that was awesome! I am still waiting for Ditto or Jynx lol.
teamrocketop:
pfm:
I dont understand why there’s a need for modern product to be valuable though?
Pokemon cards are some of the most diverse collectables I can think of. You could take 10 random collectors on the forum and they could all be collecting entirely different things. If you’re interested in highly desirable recognizable cards you can choose to collect PSA 10 WOTC stuff. Want the same thing but slightly cheaper? Buy lower grades or put together a binder. At the highest end you have trophies and very limited Japanese promos. If that’s too rich for your blood there are extremely limited English stamped promos or Japanese prize cards that won’t break the bank. Or if you’re a kid and you want to open a pack of cards, get your mom to buy you a pack of Crimson Invasion from Walmart. If you want to get something modern with value, theres a ton of modern Japanese promos and products that have seen excellent growth.
My point is that anyone can find an entry point or collection niche in Pokemon. Not everything needs to be valuable one day. I’d say the low barrier to the modern chase cards is actually a positive thing. It supports this tiered level of collection. It gets kids excited. They don’t care about real scarcity, they are concerned with perceived value. Although hyper rares may be objectively common, if you are a kid who gets a pack a week they will still be perceived as super rare.
There’s a reason why kids today love Pokemon cards and have little to absolutely zero interest in sports cards (based on my observations/experience)
Great points here and exactly what collecting should be about, having value is just a bonus or if the cards you have just happen to gain value and you are at a different part in your life where collecting is no longer your thing or you want to pass it along. I enjoy seeing other’s collections but sometimes I feel like I see Charizard collector’s over and over and in the back of my mind, I am asking if it is because they truly like Charizard or because it is valuable. I don’t bash on collector’s who collect to flip and get what cards they really want, it is just part of the hobby. One day, I will post my collection and u’ll be like wtf (not my original post). Shoot, I loved when I saw one of our member’s show off his Haunter collection, that was awesome! I am still waiting for Ditto or Jynx lol.
Dont make me bring out my diglett collection.
2 Likes