Thanks M. I can’t be the only one who loves a good spreadsheet? Checklists, transactions, values, sales… the list is endless, well actually that’s about the entire list, but it seems I really like working on my Pokemon card spreadsheet. Maybe it’s a separate hobby!
I need to redo my spreadsheet. I’m not happy with the setup. 
Omg. Yes. <333
Brilliant! The mirror of shame has been held up to me.
I really enjoy getting to meet people and make new friends from all over the world. Really cool how much trading has evolved from being done mostly in the school yard in the 90s (at least for us who were kids when the Pokémon TCG was released) to being done online through forums, YouTube, etc. Without the internet, it’d be more difficult to find certain cards, let alone trade with people on opposite sides of the planet who happen to have what you want lol.
You should go to Worlds one year, it is nice meeting everyone in person and a real unique experience you can’t get anywhere else.
Sharing the Pokemon card experience with others on this forum. Can’t believe what i have missed out on these 3 and a half years. Being a lone soldier was not half as fun, and I spent way too much Monrae learning everything by myself through the mistakes, and changing goals, but it was all worth it once it all got graded. The best thing is also competing against everyone, and trying to pick up new tastes/collection goals from seeing other peoples experiences/Collections. Competing has always been a major thing for me with everything, especially music. I think I nirly went insane from trying too hard with that lol. I would really like to go to worlds to meet all you guys there, but its a bit far away for me being in Australia, plus it could be scary for me to be in America.
I love sorting through and checking conditions of cards, Putting them away perfectly for each Binder, like for instance Only GEM MINT condtion Cards make it into the toploader binder, and i like to try and get 1 graded gem mint 10, but have 1 that is IN the exact same condition for the binder that is double sleeved and toploaded, and 1 day someone will really enjoy getting a gem mint card for there collection, and they will remember that awesome deal/ awesome trade or card I gave them. Hopefully it doesnt end up in shit condition either because that would be really sad.
-I enjoy the company of about 90% of you ass clowns, on a more serious note. I love networking and enjoy meeting new friends and learning they collect the same cards/sets as you.
-I love laying out my cards from time to time and taking photos.
-I enjoy mailing cards to Gary in top loaders with tape. *activate flame shield*
I think for me its tracking cards down, it can be frustrating and hard such as these art academy cards. But it feels so fulfilling and rewarding once I add another to my collection 
Gotta say I love my collection spreadsheets 
I wanted to originally track sales and purchases on one too but I just forgot when I started so I will have to backtrack through my paypal and bank statements at some point to get a decent estimate of it!
I am going to keep this simple & Pokémon only. The smell of old school. But if I were to list a couple of things I like, they would be:
- The nostalgic blast
- Organizing & reorganizing to keep things organized lol
3.Waiting for the Mail like an impatient child.
4.Boxes, boxes & more boxes!
5.Cardboard
6.Admiring sharp corners
7.The never ending discoveries - Pulling cards
- Ken Sugimori & Mitsuhiro Arita’s artwork
10.Taking Photos of my cards with perfect lighting to compliment the holo. - Last but not least, Sharing the experience with my kids, letting them choose the booster they want, letting them open their stuff, showing them how to sleeve and binder keep. Watching my sons eyes pop out when he gets a holo, handing my daughter her small pikachu binder when she gets tired of running around.
I have a sachet of that exact tea in my drawer
I think the people can be my favourite and least favourite part of the hobby at times lol. 
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Friends made are irreplaceable.
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Stories shared such as winning an auction for dirt cheap, finding your grail for sale, collecting something new always make me smile.
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The wealth of knowledge for something so fun. I’ve met some great individuals who know a whole lot about these cards.
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The gratification of completing something, a set, a group of promos, whatever you like.
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Organization of the cards.
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Being able to resell things at times to help fund better projects. ie) I used to collect WORLDS binders and now that they aren’t being made anymore, I am thinking of giving them up for something else.
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The merchandise. I love plushies, figures, and random promotions. It is great that everyone loves collecting different things from cards, books, figures, video games etc.
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The passion. Everyone has undivided passion towards this hobby.
These are the things that come to mind for me!
* Organizing!
* Envision different storage and display ideas
* Learning new information about sets, cards, and prints
* Comparing prices, hunting cards for good deals
* The thrill of finding what you’ve been searching for in Mint condition
* Investing, predicting the market and study price-trends
* Having something to grind for and look forward to
* Networking, talking to people with the same interest
* Helping others with their collection or providing knowledge
* Sharing photos, enjoying beautiful card art
* Nostalgia!
I love Japanese sellers. I once had a few Gyarados cards mailed to me a few years back and it was encased in an envelope that had Magikarp stickers and an origami koi colored like Magikarp.
I would definitely say the people make it worthwhile. There are certain cards that I have in my collection that mean even MORE because they came from people. There’s a story for them and I appreciate that deeply. The meaning-making means more to me than the card itself.
Making memories. I think part of why it’s taken so long for me to complete my card collection (besides the finances), is because in the beginning, it was mostly by luck I got them myself, or I exchanged and traded with friends growing up and it was something to remember. As I’ve gotten older and have dragged my feet, I purchased cards more than anything and that takes away some of the value.
As I only collect Gyarados cards, part of the joy is looking through the portfolios and seeing a giant collection that has a central theme. It’s incredibly satisfying for me to view. I have this idea in my head that when I complete my main TCG collection, I’ll take a picture of all the cards laid together.
Sometimes the hunt is enjoyable, especially when winning bids. I’ve gotten really good at sniping and can guarantee almost 9 times out of 10 that I’ll win a bid last second.
But yeah, overall, the act of collecting and the people associated with it make it worth while.
Before I became a part of this community, I questioned whether I should sell my cards. I never really had the collection to share to anyone else as most of the people I knew grew out of it. You guys are an inspiration as well as a motivation.
Hit the nail on the head. Definitely the nostalgia for me. I went to the Pokemon 2000 movie in theatres and I remember everyone in the theatre was huttled around the kid with a 1st edition shadowless charizard in all its beauty. Somewhere out there in my home town. That card is probably still sitting in a binder in a closet or storage locker…