Whether it’s your final grail, something you wish for but never expected, or a dream card/item turned reality. We often don’t consider when we might hang up our collecting towel or when our stopping point might be.
But if you could think of a scenario where you might strongly consider it, what would it be? This isn’t for scenarios where something tragic happened that made you give up - this is in the case you get something so amazing that you decide “Yeah. It can’t get any better than this.”
I will never be content with a “perfect” collection. I could own any card in the world and I would still want to collect something new. I enjoy collecting immensely and will probably never give it up.
For the longest time, I would’ve said Trophy Kangaskhan.
I feel like completing this goal just set the goal post even further. I have even more of a desire re-collect everything I sold to obtain the Kangaskhan. On top of that, it also motivated me to start my first artist collection: Sugimori.
At this point, I’m just looking at this as a “gotta catch ‘em all” journey rather than a goal.
I’ve been contemplating liquidating a significant chunk of my collection to buy a PLAY Umbreon and just disengage from the hobby.
An unobtainable 1/1 for some of the sets I am collecting might do it for me.
A master set of team rocket returns and every single card related to team rocket.
Oh, and every gyarados in english/japanese.
Only then will I consider quitting… realistically would just move on to something else like trophies 
I remember when I was only a few years old, I would lay in my crib and stare at my parent’s sealed collection of X-Men figures tacked to the walls. When Pokemon became a thing, I started a similar collection, putting up tacks and hanging my collection of Battle Figures, Power Bouncers, Dog Tags, anything I could get. I don’t think it would ever be possible for me to stop collecting. Even if I found a good stopping point within just the Pokemon hobby, I would continue to work on my other ongoing collections or find something completely new. If anything, I would probably consider consolidating and just going after more expensive or rarer items.
Very heartened by the responses above. I think similarly the value of collecting is just too huge to give up, and whilst there might be so end game cards that i would list, i think i would wanna keep collecting for as long as possible. I would be contented to set the cards that would end my collection journey aside, even if it means not being able to own them.
In 2017, I was missing the final card to my PSA 10 1st Edition Neo Destiny Shining set which was the Mewtwo. It was the card that would ‘complete’ my collection. But upon getting it and having the 8-card set neatly positioned on my desk and a few photos later, I tucked them away. I was satisfied for about 20 minutes. After that, my sights were set on the Skyridge Crystal Charizard.
Fast forward a few months later, I broke up the Shining set and got my first PSA 10 Crystal Charizard and felt ‘complete’ once more especially since it almost got lost to Parcelforce (I was in the UK at the time) and I had to fight for it. I don’t know how it happened but I ended up with three copies. The satisfaction died pretty fast. I then moved on the English Gold Stars and was looking for the Rayquaza.
Same story here. Got my first PSA 10 Rayquaza from @qwachansey. I was extremely aware of the process of opening the package. I still remember the time, place, what I did before running back home to get the package because in my mind, this was it. This was the Ultimate Grail for me. This would finally ‘complete’ me.
I was satisfied for a very short time after looking at the Rayquaza. It was there, but the chase was gone. The Ultimate Grail doesn’t feel so Ultimate after all.
It was around this time when I started dabbling more into Japanese cards and I was like, ‘That’s it! I need a Trophy Card!’ So I sold all my English stuff by the middle of 2018 and was all in on Japanese cards. The research, the rabbit holes, the never-ending new stuff (at the start) was all new to me and I LOVED IT.
But Trophy Cards weren’t it. It was still the same story. Since then, I’ve acquired and let go of a PSA 10 Lucky Stadium, multiple Master Keys, a PSA 10 Wonder Platinum, I think 8 Unikarps, three Kangs, PLAY Espeon, PSA 10 No.1 Boy Trainer, No Name Girl Trainer, PSA 10 Scramble set, many copies of the Modern Trophies, and even a Snap Bulba. I’ve accepted that the chase for the ‘Ultimate Grail’ will never end.
From my experience, acquiring the ‘final/end/ultimate’ goal card will never actually do the trick. The fact that you would ‘want’ a card would always push you to want something else. My grail right now is the Old Back Pika1, but I truly believe that even if I get it one day, I’ll just keep going. Maybe the complete set, maybe with the illustrator, maybe 2 sets. It will never end.
But looking back now, I had a great time. You know what they say, ‘The chase is what makes it fun!’ 
I dont think i would stop, but to be content with pausing my collecting… i’d have to 100% what i need for my deck collection.
The Creatures deck blue deckbox, at least 1 from every year world champ decks, all 3 kalos starter collections, the couple products that include decks (like prime collection boxes, value boxes, trainer collection kit boxes, etc), couple japanese vs movie decks, and that darn team aqua international deck.
Im at like 90-95% completion, I just need a couple more lottery jackpots to afford what i need.
Once i get all those, i can happily not care if other things pop up. Ill have done what i set out to do and thats what makes it complete for me.
But due to costs, i wont be able to get some of that and am doomed to always be vigilant for a deal i can afford.
1 of:
Play umbreon, Master key, signed skyridge umbreon by Nishida.
After going through all that, great time or not, would you not end up with the takeaway that if nothing can satisfy the urge, then maybe you don’t need to chase anything at all?
As for my own answer, TPC keeps releasing amazing art, so it’s difficult to say that what has already been released will be the best that ever will be. Although that probably only goes for collectors who are into species, artist or art etc collecting. If you set out to only complete a well defined set, I’m sure it should be easier to be content and move on.
You’re right. I don’t chase any card anymore since the end of 2019.
I just buy based on value now.
For me, it’s a baby. For so long I’ve had disposable income, so I just go on eBay every night and look for hidden gems. I’ve a good feeling that when the baby arrives, I’ll have to hit pause on making larger purchases.
It’ll just be new ultra-modern Gyarados releases for me going forward.
A complete Shadowless Base holo set with the deepest unicorn saturation, pulled by myself from Shadowless booster boxes.
The ultimate cards and the ultimate booster opening experience. About as likely as me getting hit by a meteor with a venom symbiote attached to it slung from an EF5 tornado traversing the norwegian countryside in January.
If I somehow got a TV Tokyo Lottery Ash-Greninja EX I think I would feel complete. It certainly would make me feel that there is no need to chase anything other than new releases for quite a while.
But like everyone else, I feel like it wouldn’t be forever. There is something else, there is always something else to chase.
I think this is it! The journey and the chase is what its all about, having that goal to work towards and the connections with others along the way. Its interesting as having also obtained some “grail” goals of my own (one of which took two years) most of it gets put away and looked at only on occasion after obtaining it. I also find I get as much if not more satisfaction from completing my binder goals which are much more obtainable and less pricey than trophy cards for example. I don’t think there would be anything that would make me go I have peaked and not want to collect. Only personal circumstances or a shift in life goals would do this potentially.
I Probably will be collecting for a long time to come. A lot of the fun is hunting for a super desired card, waiting for it to pop up at an affordable price and the joy of finally acquiring it, then moving onto to something else. After having collected for a couple years now, it’s been so rewarding seeing the collection grow and grow and want to keep it going. I believe it’s important to consolidate the collection regularly and to assess what to let go of and also what to set my sights on that are within my financial means.
Hard to say. Collecting the Raichus is 2 cards away from being essentially over. I don’t see me doing that for another species. So that kind of counts as closing a door.
But I have been enjoying collecting sets again. I supppse it depends on how hard I feel like going on those. I don’t need every variation like regional stamps and singapore released cards to feel like I’ve completed a set
