Zardyespana's unfinished sets (collection journey)

[charizardespana]

Just sharing some of my long-term PC items that I have acquired over the years - and discussing the journey.

Main collection journey:

1. Shadowless 9.5 set that has turned into a Shadowless set with some 9.5s in it (still in progress). Honestly collecting or grading 9.5 shadowless holos is exceptionally difficult as many of them are in long-term personal collections, and they are very tough to grade.

Shadowless Venusaur Gem Mint - Purchased in 2022.

Shadowless Blastoise Gem Mint - graded from an exceptionally clean PSA 9 (I cracked the PSA 9). Sadly has a hair in the slab, otherwise this is one of the cleanest Shadowless cards I have ever seen.

Shadowless Charizard Gem Mint with a very nice red colour

Shadowless Raichu Gem Mint - cross graded from a superbly clean PSA 8

Shadowless Alakazam Gem Mint, cleanest copy at BGS - purchased in a trade with a man who tried to scam me. His surname also meant “testicles”.

Shadowless BGS 9s…many of which are 0.5 off Gem Mint grades

Ex PSA 9

Ex PSA 9

Ex PSA 9 (so clean!)

ex PSA 9

Ex PSA 9 (SO CLEAN!)

Ex PSA 9

Ex PSA 8

Ex PSA 8

Ex PSA 8 (pretty clean, was hoping for 9 with 8.5 surface)

Ex PSA 9 (got a Quad 9 at BGS USA, but the Germans at BGS EU decided otherise on the second attempt)

I still need: Clefairy, Machamp, Ninetales

2. Other WOTC - I have been focusing mainly on Shadowless, but I have picked up some nice ones.

Pop 6

Ex PSA 8

Super clean 9

Pop 8, no 9s or 10s exist. French neo genesis Typhlosion unlimited

3. Japanese Shinings - some of my favourite set cards in the entire TCG - havent finished the set, will wait for the market to cool down a bit!

4. Japanese promos

2010 Shiny Lengend Present Camp

Ex PSA 9

5. ANA Promos - a recent set ive started collecting as honestly I feel they are quite undervalued (and the arts are beautiful).

I still need: Pikachu Plane on left, Marill, Togepi, Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres.

6. Autographs

CGC Cooked me on this pikachu

And my favourite - the no rarity chonkachu

Finally - no rarity set.

I still need: Charizard, Clefairy, Nidoking, Mewtwo, Gyarados

The theme of this thread is “unfinished sets” - If anyone wants to help out and has some of the required cards for sale, let me know!

[pikachutcg]

Beautiful cards! Love the shadowless! Thanks for sharing.

@charizardespana

Shadowless Alakazam Gem Mint, cleanest copy at BGS - purchased in a trade with a man who tried to scam me. His surname also meant “testicles”.

What’s the story on this?

Good luck with finishing your sets and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Arita sigs

[Josh]

You get a as long as you don’t ragebait with that 4 quid No Rarity Chansey which should have been mine.

[charizardespana]

@pikachutcg

What’s the story on this?

So there was a pretty active buyer/seller on the Facebook groups a few years ago - with the surname, Gonads (which is the scientific name for testes).

Anyway, we agreed on a trade deal of around $3000. He would send me a BGS 9.5 Shadowless Mewtwo, and this Alakazam - and I would send him a long-crimp shadowless Blister (charziard art) that weighed excactly 34g and some cards like a CGC 9.5 (blue label crystal golem and some PSA 8 shadowless holos).

At the time the prices were at market.

34g is a strong indication that the pack is heavy - I had 3 from the same case, one 33.6g, one 34g, and one 34.3g (which I opened, and pulled blastoise). So the 34g was a maybe, and I told him this up front.

Here is the video of me pulling the blasty! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItMJZzTjuLk

Long story short, he claimed I sent him the 33.5g pack and demanded i send him extra money.

Both myself and the guy I bought the pack from had it at 34g (and I have multiple scales that weigh to .00g, all which had the same number).

So I couldnt prove it, but he basically swapped the pack with another one he presumably had already. The packaging didnt match exactly but its hard to prove when he’s in the USA and im in EU. He also had a big following on the FB groups and said he would put me on blast as a scammer if I didnt “do something”.

In the end I sent him another $500 to shut him up.

I’ve only been scammed twice, both times involved shadowless packs.

The other time was with a short crimp shadowless blister that the seller said was guaranteed shadowless…was unlimited. Pulled a base unlimited zard though!

Funny times.

@pikachutcg

Good luck with finishing your sets and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Arita sigs

Thanks! France this week and Manchester in August for more squiggles

[charizardespana]

@Josh

You get a as long as you don’t ragebait with that 4 quid No Rarity Chansey which should have been mine.

$12 with shipping. So expensive!

[Josh]

Oh well in that case you were practically scammed

[eevee]

I feel so nostalgic when I see collections like this. They all look great.

[charizardespana]

Thank you very much! I have other cards indeed, but these are the ones I would struggle to ever sell.