Pokémon Cards: The Unofficial Ultimate Collector's Guide

Product Information

Although they don’t guarantee a holo card, I guess you’re upping your chances of pulling one. Naturally, though, you’ll pay a premium.

Pokémon cards can be “graded” to determine how pristine and well-preserved they are. Flaws like worn away corners and surface scratches are common in cards that get a lot of use, but they decrease the card’s value.

Books Multibuys

Human Pokémon Trainers try to “catch ‘em all,” as the saying goes. Trainers catch Pokémon (with a Poké Ball) and are able to give them commands and to send them into combat against other Pokémon. Naturally, they make great candidates for grading. And again, if you’re looking to hold long-term, you may well find the value of your graded cards exceeds the price you paid in a few short years. Personally, I think this strategy is best served for more experienced collectors, but who am I to tell you what to do with your money?!

In addition to collecting cards and playing the Trading Card Game, there are so many ways to become involved in Pokémon. If you like Pokémon cards and the TCG, then you may also be interested in: Video games The Pokémon video game series is one of the most popular of all time. New games continue to be released, and as of 2019, the series is in its eighth generation. Anime series This was my favorite set as a kid. Probably because it was the only one that I actually managed to fully complete!Some cards are Evolved Pokémon. These are more advanced, “evolved” versions of Basic Pokémon. Generally speaking, these cannot be played right onto the Bench. Rather, you should have the basic version of a given Pokémon first, and then place the corresponding evolved version on top. At this stage, I also want to mention some other popular vintage sets like Gym Heroes, Neo Genesis, Legendary Collection and the e-Card Series. All of which are great options as your collection builds. There’s also one last set I’d like to mention; Evolutions from the XY Series. This is the 20th anniversary set released in 2016. Towards the end of 1999 the 62 card Fossil set came along. It contains 15 holos and features great mythical Pokémon like Articuno and Zapdos. In addition to the animated television series, there are also over 20 Pokémon movies! Most of these films are also animated and are directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Tetsuo Yajima.

I’ve learned the hard way a couple of times buying boosters, so don’t really recommend it for beginners. Sealed Pokémon Booster Boxes Because they’re the cheapest way to build your sets. You can buy cards, on an individual basis, at your own pace. Now at this point it’s worth mentioning 1st Edition and Shadowless cards. These are considerably more valuable. Some of the older Pokémon cards have reached true collectible status due to their rarity. If you’ve been collecting since the 1990s, you might be surprised to find that a few of your cards are now worth astronomical amounts.

More in Books

The set even includes the first ever ‘secret rare’. 83/82 is Dark Raichu which remains a fan favourite to this day. I’m not saying it wasn’t without its glitches, dear god Niantic fix faster, but being able to catch an Onix on the streets of London was mind-blowing. It’s definitely an entertaining show, and I recommend giving it a watch! Ash and his companion Pikachu are two of the most iconic and well-known animated characters of our time. Movies

Nowadays, prices aren’t as much as the original base set, making it a great starting point for a beginner. The Electrabuzz, sorry electric buzz of a holo pull was soon replaced by first kisses, house parties and underage drinking. If you’ve got a bit more cash to splash, or you’re a bit OCD about white corners or print lines, you may wish to start collecting graded cards. The world of Pokémon is vast, creative, and always evolving. There are now over 800 Pokémon species. The creative designers of these fictional monsters draw on a wide array of inspiration, incorporating the natural world, mythology, real animals, and pure imagination.

Furthermore, they’re very clued up on which new sets are coming out and when – if you’re into the new sets of course. How to Determine Pokémon Card Values