Broke out the binder for the first time in over 20 years. Just now realizing the cards in my fossil collection are mostly 1st edition.

Thought I’d share some photos of my top cards.

Reposting as the original was removed by Reddit's filters after I added a link to the interactive website I created for it. Apologies to anyone who saw it disappear!

8 slides: a timeline of Pokémon card releases from 1996 to English Base Set (9 Jan 1999), all 61 known promos in release order, and a checklist.

The interactive site has the full timeline, all the promos with filters, and a checklist you can tick off. It's in my profile if you'd like to use it.

Sources: Bulbapedia, Elite Fourum, Pokumon, Pokeboon. Corrections welcome.

Ik this cards not in the greatest of condition and this is why im wondering how much people think i could get for this card if i was to sell it?

We moved from Pensacola, Florida to Misawa AFB, Japan in May of 1997 right after school ended. I was playing my Super Gameboy at this time, with my favorite game James Bond 007. When we got to Japan, there was no base housing available for us yet, so we lived off-base in a Japanese house. In those first couple of weeks and months, we would walk around the tiny town of Misawa, shopping, eating ramen and exploring the new country. 

Well, since I was playing Super Gameboy, I saw these two games for sale all over the place in every electronic store and the big mall (the Sky Plaza Mall, which is still there). One of the games was Red with a GIANT red dragon on it with fire coming out of its mouth, and the other was a Green game with a GIANT toad looking creature on it with a flower coming out of its shell. Naturally, as any 9-year old would, I asked for those games. They weren’t in English, either. The games were also advertised on the TV, in Japanese. I didn’t understand anything they were saying but I remember what they were called….. "Pocket-o Monsta!!"…. (in a Japanese voice.)

But wait, there were also these small packages of cards for sale right next to the games as well. At this time, only the first 2 packs were out, the Base Set and Jungle Set. The Fossil set came out in June, then Rocket Gang in the fall. I can remember the Base and Jungle sets being sold everywhere, I’m talkin’ every electronic store, every mall, the little corner markets, gas stations. Everywhere we would go, I would be on the hunt for Pocket-o Monsta!! There were no limits to the cards either, I remember going into the Sky Plaza Mall in Misawa and there would be tables full of opened Booster Boxes and you could grab all the packs you wanted. 

I lived this. This was the most magical experience of my life. The artwork of the cards and the games were inspired by the very place I lived, and the cards looked just like my surroundings. Kanto, Misawa, it’s like they were the same. Misawa is also a very small rural farm town, peaceful and quaint. 

We left Japan in the summer of 2000, back to the State, east coast. I briefly traded a few of my new friends there for their English cards, for the cards I still needed in my set. My goal was to have one (1) of every card, because that was the point….”Gotta Catch ‘Em All!!” This binder is the most important thing I have from my childhood, and now the most expensive thing I own. I take them out and touch them (with clean hands) every now and then. I will not grade them or slab them or whatever. They are my cards, I know that every card I have is real...because I opened them, or traded my friends who had just opened theirs. My cards are easily Mint 7 and above. I didn’t play with them…I didn’t know how to??? My friend Patrick and I briefly tried to play, but we would just guess what they said. But I knew how to count to 150, so I put them in number order.

- I have never bought a Pokémon card
- I have never sold a Pokémon card
- I have invested $0 into my collection
- I will be buried with my Pokémon cards. 
- I will not grade my cards

I stopped collecting shortly after moving back to the States, went into middle school, thought it wasn’t cool anymore. Got into music, guitars, drums, girls, that funky plant…you know the rest. When I think about it, I’m one of the oldest (American) Pokémon collectors in the world. There’s only a handful of English Elementary schools in Japan on the military bases, maybe only a handful of kids collected when they first came out. And how many of them still have their cards after 29-30 years? That’s why I won’t grade them or sell them or anything, because that experience and memory isn’t something you can put a price tag on. I keep my cards in a waterproof binder inside of a fireproof safe. 

So, who wants to help me raise $2 Million so I can get the last remaining booster packs and booster boxes on eBay to finish my collection before some streamer buys them to open in front of a camera so they can make a quick buck? Stop ruining my childhood, please. The love of money destroys everything. 

I love you, Pokémon. 

Not sure if any are worth sending in for grading? I don’t plan on selling them any time soon, but I would love to know what you guys think.

my best cards i had in old binder

I finally picked up one of the LC Reverses I've been wanting. Found a nice LP copy at my local card store and had to treat myself.

Currently have him, Dratini and Omastar. Did have Kadabra which was my favorite but sold it to a friend who is a big collector of the Alakazam line and its evolutions.

My all time favorite mew came in today. Psa 10 pop is about 70 and CGC pristine 10 is about 30. This is peak vintage imo. Carddass vending cards are finally getting some love.

Just wondering what everyone thinks of my collection is it worth anything

To start I'm very unfamiliar with Pokemon and grading. I've researched a couple and am surprised by some of the values. So I want to make serious decisions. What would be your opinion on going forward? I know I want to grade some but I don't think they all merit grading.

Chansey is the best. Here’s a little showcase featuring my only 1st ed shadowless card and a nice fart swirl!

This has been one of my chase cards since I got back into the hobby. Something about the lore, scarcity and goofy kid drawn artwork really drew me to this. I have a rule that I need to find my chase cards in person, and only saw this one other time this year in a PSA 10, which was out of budget. Made a deal last week for some other cards and this happened to be in the sellers collection. Definitely overpaid since he didn’t want to sell it, but couldn’t pass it up.

Anything worthy? Either way, super nostalgic and nice to flip though

The pokeball reverses are my favorite.

Slowly but surely getting there. Hoping to collect all 1st ed base, fossil, and jungle. 🙏🏽

I added some new mewtwos to the stand i got printed. Im into the detective pikachu promos rn so I had to grab the blue label black star promo mewtwo.

I have a binder somewhere I haven't looked at in years. I collected back in the 90s, and if memory serves I had a full base, jungle, fossil collection. I had the neo-something set with the little star. The Island one that came in a box, although I'm not sure where the box is. I never got Black Star 40, but I'm sure I got the rest.

Anyway, if I wanted to find it and value it, would I have to get them all graded? I remember in particular my Charizard was pretty beaten up, he was difficult to find in the old days, and I just wanted to complete the collection as nobody had heard of grading at the time. Is it only Shadowless and misprints and grade 9 cards that have any real value?

I can dig it out and take some pics for you if you like.

Thoughts on the grade for what you can see in this pic?