My favorite starter was Squirtle, so that meant I was really attached to Blastoise. While other kids wanted Charizard, I would have been happy with Blastoise. I also thought, karmically, that since it was not Charizard I would have a better chance of getting it. But I never did and it was always one of my great disappointments.
When I got back in to collecting in 2008/2009, there was a card shop that has since closed that I went into on a whim and asked if they had any “old school Pokémon cards from the 90s.” The owner reached down behind the counter right where he was standing and brought up three shuffled stacks of booster packs. He sold them to me at regular cost, which I think was $3.50 each, so I would go there every couple of weeks and buy some boosters for the thrill of opening them like I was a kid again. I am so grateful I got to do this because this is unheard of now. You can’t just go to a card store and buy Base Set booster packs and open them in the car. So while I did not know how special it was at the time, I am so glad I got to experience that joy again. It solidified that I was going to keep doing this for a long time.
But in those booster packs, I finally pulled a Blastoise. I was stunned. Speechless. I didn’t even celebrate, I was just so at peace and fulfilled and satisfied. I set it down where I could see it, opened the next booster pack, and I pulled a second Blastoise. Two in a row! After all these years, to pull two in a row of my childhood grail was sublime.
I don’t really feel anything special towards the card nowadays. It made sense as a grail when there were very few Pokémon cards and the starters sat at the top. Now it’s just a really special memory.
Really unique to see the variety here and surprised it took so long for someone to call out Base Set Charizard.
Gyarados was always the Pokemon I was chasing but I was fortunate to pack them during the Base Set Series era.
Maybe not a grail… but one card I distinctly remember looking all over for and finally collecting was 1st Edition Victreebel from Jungle. I remember making a trade for it on a family camping trip about 3 hours away from home with some random kids I had met that weekend. For the life of me I can’t remember why I was drawn to Victreebel… probably something to do with the anime show. I do remember it being my prized card for a large period of time
I had a holo base Nidoking that was just THE coolest at the time.
I thought having KING in the name meant something (more than just…you know…being his name).
1997 CoroCoro Lily Pad Mew, always loved the art and used to see it for sale online @ $200-ish, thought it was super rare and super limited print, thankfully it turns out it wasn’t and snagged a lot of copies in the early 2010’s both Coro-Coro and JR.
For me it’s my shadowless Mewtwo. It was my first holo in grade 3 and I brought it to school. Someone in my class nabbed it from my marble fanny pack while we were in class (the fanny pack was in my cubby in the hall).
I ended up getting it back because the thief was trying to trade it back to me, I recognized it by its creases an got it back! Still got it today
Jumbo #1 Pikachu. I still got 3 Sealed Top Deck Magazines I took off the shelf in 99. I bought 4 but opened one. I loved that Jumbo so much but there was no real way to preserve it and it got destroyed and lost. At least I still have these 3 in great condition.
