Any TCG Veterans with Suggestions for Noob (5 Viewers)

[Cratty]

Would yours be haunter?

I’d have guessed you’d be like a Chansey man, maybe an exxegutor or kabuto or porygon.

Ha, ditto would be a sweet collection.

And no clue on what I’d actually do, only really know gen 1 and not too familiar with the amount of cards/pricing of each character. I also haven’t collected since 1999/2000. Just assume my normal favorites (Blastoise, Gengar, etc) would lead me down a 5 figure path. Haunter would likely be one I’d be super happy with.

I just did an eBay search though and seems like I could do a master Haunter for ~$1-2k in just English. Not too bad for a gen 1 with regular rare/foil prints. But if I only limit to in person buys and no online purchases allowed (except gifts) - could be fun searching for a long time.. we’ll see. I suspect my daughters won’t give much of a rip about Pokémon cards. Ha

Edit: looking at Ditto card arts… really cool…

 

[Hotus777]

Nahhhh I’m not worried anymore. He just wants to master set next release, so not even that hard.

Spent about $1500-$2k on preorders plus just all the random stuff to rip for fun and build up some collection now. That’s all I’m going to spend, now it’s on him to organize his collection, rip on release day, and then use what he has to trade/sell/buy pitch black cards. (Obviously we’ll hook him up on bdays and holidays)

Great learning experience. Plus I’m surprised he’s SUPER anti flipping without me saying anything. He likes to earn things, packs are meant to be ripped, all cards should be treated equally, blah blah blah. This kids a way better human than I’ll ever be, his karma’s permanently sky high, and adults fricken love him. I’m thinking he’ll do pretty good on his own.

It would be cool though in 20 years to visit him and see a pokewall of 55 years of a sealed etb from every release

That’s a really good start for him and super glad he’s against it. I struggled with the fact that I had to pay more than MSRP specially since that’s all I knew growing up. I started collecting when I was about 8-9yrs old and Pokemon first released.
I remember my mom taking me to this place near my house, very popular nowadays, spending hundreds of dollars for me and brother. Priceless moments I hope to share one day with my girls.

Wish you and your boy the best of luck, if you ever want stuff a bit under market price, let me know. There’s a guy at this place that sells for reasonable prices although he started following suit of all other vendors.

 

[BarrieJ3]

Edit: looking at Ditto card arts… really cool…

 

[BarrieJ3]

That’s a really good start for him and super glad he’s against it. I struggled with the fact that I had to pay more than MSRP specially since that’s all I knew growing up. I started collecting when I was about 8-9yrs old and Pokemon first released.
I remember my mom taking me to this place near my house, very popular nowadays, spending hundreds of dollars for me and brother. Priceless moments I hope to share one day with my girls.

Wish you and your boy the best of luck, if you ever want stuff a bit under market price, let me know. There’s a guy at this place that sells for reasonable prices although he started following suit of all other vendors.

Yeah he won’t shut up about today. He’s already planned on going back to his fav shop, the questions he has about his cards, asking if he can bring his binder and watch them play, etc.

If my wife wasn’t impressed by poker chips, I’d say hate might be an apt word for her thoughts ok pokemon cards. So I think he’s 100% tapped out and it’s all on him from here on out I’ll help him when I can.

He learned today how to use collectr and tcg to pull prices and comps so he can shop. He comes down from his room before dinner and says dad it says some of these are worth money and pulls out what little heat he has from an old poker bag. Wife remains unimpressed

Cool to hear your experience. I hope/think that’s what my kid is getting, it’s fun to watch. Wish I could find my collection from the initial release, used to save lunch money from school to buy packs at weeks end.

 

[suchj0sh]

Aside - If I ever got into Pokémon with my kids, I’d go for a master/all languages collection of a single obscure Pokémon (e.g. Haunter). Great way to keep the fun of singles hunting up without majorly breaking the bank, and folks love seeing master sets regardless of what Pokémon.

Example of a Jolteon hunter (good video series, although still a pretty heavily printed and expensive card in some cases):

Yeah, I collect Jirachi cards. It’s a fun way to collect for sure.

 

[BarrieJ3]

Yeah, I collect Jirachi cards. It’s a fun way to collect for sure.

I guarantee this is cratty’s reaction cause it’s mine too.

Edit - it is cute as a button though. Wishing stars kinda dope. Unlike those stupid *ss pokemon that legit are just personified
real life objects.

Wtf is a key ring pokemon.

 

[Zmasterben]

Yeah he won’t shut up about today. He’s already planned on going back to his fav shop, the questions he has about his cards, asking if he can bring his binder and watch them play, etc.

If my wife wasn’t impressed by poker chips, I’d say hate might be an apt word for her thoughts ok pokemon cards. So I think he’s 100% tapped out and it’s all on him from here on out I’ll help him when I can.

He learned today how to use collectr and tcg to pull prices and comps so he can shop. He comes down from his room before dinner and says dad it says some of these are worth money and pulls out what little heat he has from an old poker bag. Wife remains unimpressed

View attachment 1699861

Cool to hear your experience. I hope/think that’s what my kid is getting, it’s fun to watch. Wish I could find my collection from the initial release, used to save lunch money from school to buy packs at weeks end.

That Espeon is a $350 card. Sleeve and case it.

Also sleeve that Mew. Always sleeves before cases. The case protects the cards from the elements, the sleeve protects the card from the case.

 

[BarrieJ3]

That Espeon is a $350 card. Sleeve and case it.

Also sleeve that Mew. Always sleeves before cases.

Wait. lol wtf we learned that today.

I think they are? They’re in a plastic sleeve thing and then in a top loader. Again I think that’s right terminology.

And yes, that’s what he said. I was like where the f*ck did you get these from!? “I traded Nessa (his sister) back in CA for it”. Where did Nessa get it?! “I don’t know, a pack?”

 

[BarrieJ3]

 

[Zmasterben]

Wait. lol wtf we learned that today.

I think they are? They’re in a plastic sleeve thing and then in a top loader. Again I think that’s right terminology.

And yes, that’s what he said. I was like where the f*ck did you get these from!? “I traded Nessa (his sister) back in CA for it”. Where did Nessa get it?! “I don’t know, a pack?”

Yep, sleeve and toploader is going to be good enough as long as he isn't slinging them around all day.

The other thing you should know is that there might be more fakes than real cards out there. Anything you get from an LCS will be real because people don't want to risk their reputation with fakes. But if he comes home from school with a bunch of shiny new cards he traded for on the playground, they are probably going to be fakes.

 

[BarrieJ3]

Yep, sleeve and toploader is going to be good enough as long as he isn't slinging them around all day.

The other thing you should know is that there might be more fakes than real cards out there. Anything you get from an LCS will be real because people don't want to risk their reputation with fakes. But if he comes home from school with a bunch of shiny new cards he traded for on the playground, they are probably going to be fakes.

One of my top questions today for sure.

100% appreciate it. We chatted, he knows he’s responsible for that.

Before this when he just liked the cards to like em and we’d just randomly grab whatever box every once in a blue moon while shopping at target, he traded his “best” card (no clue on value) for not even a fake but one of those artsy created ones with a school kid.

That was a quick convo.

 

[BarrieJ3]

How to turn $300 into $0:

Looking up chase cards for the sets, I’m actually surprised at the secondary market/economy. Like, for these sets people are waiting in line for everywhere and you have to pay extra for at any secondary the big chase cards are…..available for sub $300 and there’s only 2?

So it seems like everyone is just gambling and praying to beat the odds scoring one of those and then it happening to score a PSA or Beckett 10 so they can make $12-$1500.

It’s kinda wild. Maybe I’m too poker and not enough slots, but it doesn’t math at all. I guess it’s just the prospective of holding and cashing in in 2-10 years? We’ll have fun master setting, and prob easily get away from the costly gambols.

 

[Cratty]

How to turn $300 into $0:
View attachment 1699924

Looking up chase cards for the sets, I’m actually surprised at the secondary market/economy. Like, for these sets people are waiting in line for everywhere and you have to pay extra for at any secondary the big chase cards are…..available for sub $300 and there’s only 2?

So it seems like everyone is just gambling and praying to beat the odds scoring one of those and then it happening to score a PSA or Beckett 10 so they can make $12-$1500.

It’s kinda wild. Maybe I’m too poker and not enough slots, but it doesn’t math at all. I guess it’s just the prospective of holding and cashing in in 2-10 years? We’ll have fun master setting, and prob easily get away from the costly gambols.

Packs don’t math. The value of card packs these days is all about the chase to a PSA10 (or for mtg serialized) value of the top chase card, not just the chase itself.

 

[BarrieJ3]

Packs don’t math. The value of card packs these days is all about the chase to a PSA10 (or for mtg serialized) value of the top chase card, not just the chase itself.

I mean it’s like baaaaaaaaad bad lol. It’s pretty bad at normal msrp, as it’s pretty expected and should be. Over msrp and it just boggles the mind.

My kids working through it out loud to himself. Now that he understands pricing, even a 10 year old knows it ain’t mathing. He like thanks dad for the fun day, but I think I just want to go to the shop to play and buy good singles.

 

[Zmasterben]

Packs don’t math. The value of card packs these days is all about the chase to a PSA10 (or for mtg serialized) value of the top chase card, not just the chase itself.

And the speculative market of sealed product in 5-10 years.

The people waiting in long lines have no plans to actually open those boxes which is the real problem. Then scalpers just trade seal boxes for money back and forth to each other for years and years and the chart just goes up.

 

[BarrieJ3]

And the speculative market of sealed product in 5-10 years.

The people waiting in long lines have no plans to actually open those boxes which is the real problem. Then scalpers just trade seal boxes for money back and forth to each other for years and years and the chart just goes up.

It’s like PCF for my 10 year old! Feel my pain child!

 

[Cratty]

And the speculative market of sealed product in 5-10 years.

The people waiting in long lines have no plans to actually open those boxes which is the real problem. Then scalpers just trade seal boxes for money back and forth to each other for years and years and the chart just goes up.

And not to mention raising prices of sealed just because popular streamers are opening packs and paying premiums…

I’ve been watching some of this stuff on the side, wild.

 

[BarrieJ3]

And we don’t need to do whatever’s most popular. A Disney kid, I was fully ready to pivot to lorcana. Looked awesome and I could really see enjoying it with the kids.

I was shocked that that was ruined as well, then not so shocked. Le sigh.

 

[MC_CPA]

Separate from the collecting you can buy them decks from older formats to play with. From experience old cards are usually cheaper.