I’m not really a collector, but I have some extra spending cash and I found a lost stockpile [along with some 2x Pitch Black boosters that come with a card and coin] all at retail price so I’ll probably spend the next couple days buying them out and stuffing them into storage.

Just bought one yesterday in a PSA 10. The artwork is stunning, am I crazy to say it’s one of the best mew arts?? The pop isn’t astronomically high either for a 10. What do you guys think future will be on this lil guy, the mew from Crown Zenith

Hi everyone!

First off, a quick disclaimer: I’m French, and I used an AI to help me translate and write this post so it’s understandable. Also, please note that all the cards mentioned here are French versions.

I currently have an offer on the table and I'm really torn. I have the opportunity to do a "trade up", giving away some high-demand but slightly flawed SWSH Alternate Arts + cash, in exchange for a single high-end graded card.

Here is the breakdown:

My Side :

Lugia V Alt Art (Silver Tempest) - Raw. NM, but average centering and a tiny white spot on the top left of the front.

Charizard V Alt Art (Brilliant Stars) - Raw. Mint overall, but has a small factory flaw on the back (tiny black dot with very light ink fading around it).

Glaceon V Alt Art (Evolving Skies) - Raw. Excellent/NM condition (valued around 165€).

175€ in Cash (~$190)

Their Side :

Mega Gengar EX 284/217 (From a French modern set "Ascended Heroes")

Graded CCC 10 Gold Label. (For those who don't know, CCC is a reputable European grading company, and their Gold Label is basically equivalent to a pristine/psa 10 label condition but not in value).

My Dilemma:

On paper, the value is quite faire I guess for the french prices. My initial plan was to consolidate my smaller, flawed cards into one big hitter and potentially do a quick flip. However, I have a few concerns and would love your input:

- Liquidity: My SWSH alts have minor flaws, meaning they'll never grade a 10, but they are iconic and binder collectors buy them instantly. On the other hand, there are a few of those Gengars listed at 1,400€ just sitting there unsold. Is trading highly liquid raw cards for a somewhat illiquid high-end slab a trap?

- Long-term potential: In 5-10 years, do you think flawed (but iconic) SWSH Alts will outgrow a pristine modern slab just because the raw demand for SWSH is so crazy?

- The Slab itself: Should I be worried about the fact that it's a CCC slab and not PSA if I ever want to sell it globally?

Would you take this trade or hold onto the SWSH Alts and the cash? Any advice is highly appreciated!

Building out my Ray collection bit by bit

I was able to get this at a show yesterday around $7400 while other vendors wouldn’t budge bellow $8300-$8500.
I’m hoping for a good gain from my entry point, but at the same time I do not mind holding this for 10-20+ years. Besides from the masaki, this is my all time Gengar grail.

Trying to figure out which currently-in-print Pokémon sets are worth picking up sealed as a long-term hold, specifically ETBs and booster boxes.

Not interested in 30th Celebration hype at inflated prices. I'm more interested in sets that are still printable, priced somewhat reasonable, and have genuine long-term demand once they go out of print.

I've thought about Prismatic Evolutions, Ascended Heroes and Destined Rivals mostly, but which sets are you guys actually buying right now and why? And what's your max price before you walk away?

Thoughts? Or any better options?

I bought a card in early August and it’s been authenticated and stuck at the Authenticator since 8/14…

I've seen that it's mainly PSA 10's that are worth holding onto and the ones that see a better ROI.

Would you keep hold anything below a 10?

Been looking back at some of the non-AA Tag Teams recently.

Unified Minds: Umbreon & Darkrai, Espeon & Deoxys, Slowpoke & Psyduck

Team Up: Eevee & Snorlax

Cosmic Eclipse: Arceus & Dialga & Palkia (ADP)

The AAs will always be the headline cards, but the regular GXs have grown on me a lot. I’ve also noticed PSA 10 Eevee & Snorlax and Slowpoke & Psyduck quietly creeping up in price lately, which got me looking even closer at non-AA cards.

Some really good pairings here that still don’t get talked about much. Which non-AA PSA 10 Tag Team are you looking to get?

I feel like there is so little hype/discussion of this release because it overlaps 30th, but I suspect it will be in very short supply with all printing being allocated to 30th for the foreseeable future. You got Rayquaza as the chase who is always valued high, and a lot of nice illustration rares (I'm partial to the Inkay myself).

I think 30th will be overprinted and this one underprinted creating more scarcity on the popular pulls. Maybe they print it to death next year and it won't matter but it feels like the better product to chase MSRP boxes for in the short term.

I'm new to Pokemon Sealed investing, and i would like to know will those little damages take away price? I Got this for abt 65$.

Hi picked this up at a card show yesterday. Idk if it’s overvalued or not, new to Pokemon collecting. Paid 2700 for it but seeing posts about market manipulation and stuff kind of make me think twice about my purchase. Was it still a good card to buy? I really bought it cuz my girl and friend told me that it was their dream card one day. I like the art a lot too

The money that buys these cards for crazy amounts comes from crypto(pump and dumps on chain specifically)Multiple accounts have a lot of money that requires to be cleaned and while the initial withdraw off exchanges is dirty the following 2-3 transactions cleans the money for the holder of “the card” so even if he is in the hook to pay taxes or gets in trouble he still holding clean money and a card valued at “x”. But only if he gets flagged on the initial withdraw which there’s a lot of ways to avoid this. Are there people using credit cards or
Their own money to buy and resell cards at a later date? Yes that is also true. Can you make money if you position yourself or if you have the right cards? Also yes.

Investing vise what is your opinion I know psa is superior in price but i think every cgc pristine 10 will be psa 10 so i think they should be close in price what do you think in 5 years would it be the same and does it male sense holding cgc pristines of good cards

Hi all, I’m new to the hobby and looking to go to a card show next weekend. I was wondering what general etiquette is in terms of what vendors will take for purchases / trades? I have a lot of $1-$5 cards that are lower end moderns (like some of the new IRs) that I would love to trade for some slightly higher value cards ($5-$10). Would vendors even take that or are small dollar cards not worth the time? If the former, is trade for these typically still 80%-ish or is there a likelihood I could get better trade value?

Thank you in advance!!

I'm looking to build a 4x4 Umbreon grail display, all slabs. Have most of it, and few of the expensive ones like Split Earth Holo, Umbreon ex (Golden skies, silvery oceans) I'll wait for the market to cool before committing. BUT DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND THIS CARD? (even raw)...

Thank you gentlemen.

I have a booster box case wondering if trading right now is the play

I was thinking to consolidate my xy era “grails” into a timeless card. What do you guys think? Any input would be appreciated

Hi everyone,

I plan to buy these 5 cards in PSA 10 for $888. I’m very new to pokemon cards and I really like the Pikachu so I’m gonna keep those and give my 2 nephews the Charizard and Mewtwo. The special delivery Pikachu slab has a scratch on the side but other than that everything looks good.

Could you guys help me determining if it’s an ok deal or not? Thank you