What part of collecting Pokémon cards do you enjoy the most?
Opening sealed product?
Admiring your collection/binders?
Winning that auction at the last second?
Opening your mail?
Getting your cards/grades back from PSA
I’ll go first. I really enjoy getting my cards back from PSA. Its the best feeling to see your cards come back in that beautiful slab. It’s really a rush when you see that PSA10! I also love the feeling of opening sealed product and pulling the card you are chasing!
My favorite part of it is the research. Learning about cards that few people have heard of and especially the friendships that I make with people while I’m researching cards.
Mjisaacs
Sometimes I feel like a kid again just to admire the artwork and the holos as the “shiny” stuff haha. I think now my favorite part is actually seeing other’s collections too and to see what other’s tastes are. It is just so much product and collector’s its hard to see it ALL. Other then “CATCHING THEM ALL”, I want to “SEE IT ALL” lol. Scott keeps showing all these videos of cards I never knew existed.
Getting sweet deals on PSA cards and then opening them in the mail. I get so jazzed when I open that package and see the card, especially if it’s a 10 because then I know it’s the best copy I could own.
I got a PSA 10 Full Art Mewtwo from Evolutions in the mail last week and I just held it in the light and grinned for a few minutes, admiring it.
I find it quite therapeutic filling in the blanks in a neatly organised collection, like slowly piecing together a puzzle.
I also enjoy the fact that by doing this I’m solidifying and preserving a collection that illustrates the hobby at large for future generations to enjoy and pore over. Not that I don’t find myself poring over my collection on a near daily basis.
I agree. there is something about the feeling that Pokémon cards give off. I can’t describe it. All I know is that it’s my favorite feeling. I live for it. There is also no other community like ours. We are lucky to have the hobby we have!
Looking at a card and remembering the feeling of pulling it. I pulled my first base set 1st edition Charizard (in German) about 6 weeks ago. I lived in Germany as a kid for several years, and if that pull came 18 years ago, it would have been the best day of my life.
I actually have the pull on video, and my reaction is almost embarrassing lol. Still smile every time I re-watch the video.
The nostalgia, the hunt, the rush of opening sealed product. Seeing the joy in my nieces eyes each time I add to her Pikachu binder. Hoping my newly born son can share all the same joy one day. Knowing that it all has grown to be a pretty unique and active investment/hobby.
My favorite part has to be the collecting part itself. I’ve been collecting things all my life (nice-looking peddles and post stamps from the age of 5 or 6; to Pokémon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh TCG, twisty puzzles, euro coins, minerals, gemstones, fossils, pogs, loads of virtual items (like TF2 weapons, Smite or Overwatch cosmetics), etc. etc. later in life.
What I really like about collecting my Pikachu, Mimikyu, Seviper, amd Moltres #21 WotC Artwork Variation collections however is that there is a checklist and a clear goal in mind. Finding a new card from that list, especially now that I’m nearing the end for the collections is a great feeling. Buying that card, waiting impatiently for it to arrive, and finally having it arrive are all great feelings of that collecting part.
Apart from that I also really agree @mjisaacs. The research surrounding collecting Pokémon TCG, and both sharing with and learning this information from this awesome community, is also a great aspect I deeply enjoy. I’ve already made a few articles, like my Base Pikachu Artwork variations article, 1st edition stamp variations article, or Teach Sets work-in-process information to name a few, which were all well-received and I enjoyed putting together and updating when new variations are discovered.
So those are my two favorite parts. Having said that, I enjoy and agree with almost everything named thus far. Admiring and re-organizing my collections; winning an auction at the last second; opening packs/boxes and hoping for the pulls you want; the artworks of the cards; the stories from certain cards or people here in the community; the nostalgia from my childhood; the memories from then, now, and in the future; etc. etc. All things I agree with, and all things contributing me to keep collecting Pokémon cards for a long, long time in the future.
Looking through my binder sets, getting my cards back from PSA, the rush of a good deal/completing a set, the nostalgia from my older cards, and the fact that out of hundreds of online trades, starting when I was a 13 year old newb ripe for taking advantage of, I’ve only ever been ripped off ONCE really speaks to the Pokemon community
The Chase, research, and reward of seeing my collection grow. Also, attaining those cards that are harder to reach due to value. Makes me appreciate that I got into the hobby when I did and will continue collecting for a very long time.
