9 Things I Wish I Knew Getting BACK into Collecting Pokémon Cards
I want to share nine things I wish I knew getting back into Collecting Pokémon Cards 6 months ago. This hobby has changed quite a lot over the years, and it can be overwhelming to navigate. So if you want to get into Pokemon card collecting, these tips will help!
I'll be sharing some fundamental mindsets I believe you need to have as a collector, as well as practical resources for the best places to buy cards, how to value them, how to best store them, and more.
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00:00 Intro
01:11 #1. Have a Focus
02:12 #2. Not Just One Way to Collect
07:56 #3. Where to Buy Cards
11:09 Vintage Mystery Pack Opening
13:03 #4. How to Value Your Cards
14:56 #5. Significance of Graded Cards
16:47 #6. How to Store/Protect Your Cards
24:11 #7. The Community is Your Ally
25:07 #8. Three Sides to the Hobby
26:32 #9. Enjoyment Over Profit
28:07 Vintage Mystery Pack Opening
31:37 Outro
Music by: Mikel
smarturl.it/pokechill
I started collecting again 4 months ago. I have listened to tons of podcasts, watched lots of KZhead videos, and read tons of blogs, forums, and articles. This video is by far the best video explaining everything, hands down. You should be honored Luke.
Oh that’s awesome! Glad you found it helpful! 🙌🏽🙏🏽
Legend of luke is pee and poo
Didnt heard anything special
Kiss ass much? 😂
Am barely getting into collecting Pokemon cards & one mini dilemma I had was deciding between storage (binder) vs displaying vs getting more product due to my low budget. Decided on buying a 5 pack magnetic displays after realizing how happy it made me to see the $1 Dedenne card I bought (& love) being propped on a cheap phone stand at my desk. The binder for proper storage & buying more packs for cards can wait but knowing & being able to display my favorites cards sooner will greatly help me enjoy this hobby a bunch more!
You shud start collecten pokemon cards
I really appreciate this video! I NEEEEDDDEEEDDDDD to be told not to let others tell me what I want to collect! Also your voice is so calming and you have really nice articulation
So glad you began the video with the first 2 things, which to me is the most important for this hobby and needs to be reminded to folks. I finally got into collecting Pokemon cards just recently. I've been mostly just collecting cards of the Pokemon I like to keep, and not for flipping. My approach has been mostly hunting down and buying singles. Every now again buying a pack or two just for the thrill of opening them. Having that focus helps me from making bad financial decisions, and most importantly, making this hobby enjoyable.
That’s great. Focus is so important!
What does flipping in this context means?
@@Foxller2727buy and sell for profit
@@Foxller2727buying cheap and selling higher
@@Foxller2727buying cheaply something to resell for profit. Usually quickly and short term as opposed to holding on to something long term and waiting for it to appreciate in value.
Thanks for the video! I am just getting back into the hobby, too, and I've been thinking about some of this. Your video is helping me shape what I want to do on my channel.
Good advice on the whole "getting burned out" thing. Especially the sealed booster part. It would be no fun for me to collect sealed boosters.
I'm really glad I found your channel and your video. I used to collect back into 7th and 8th grade back with the base set jungle set and fossil set were coming out. I used to compete in tournaments I had a binder of holograph I had a binder about comments and comments and I had energy cards and other Pokemon item in battle related cards and stuff that I would trade at different tournaments. I had quite a few of those cards stolen when I was at school. So I went back and got those cards back through collecting and buying booster packs. I lost the entire set of rare cards upon movie to a different place when I was transitioning from eight grade to high school and that entire experience really affected me and I just got out of it. Just like what you said of the video I don't know what happened 20 years later I'm seeing adults collecting and I'm seeing that it has come back there's like what 6 to 7 different types of booster packs series out there and it seems to still be a pretty big deal plus there's a lot of money involved if you are selling some rare or stuff like that anyway thanks for your video really helped
The final point is why I ordered 160 bucks worth of Obsidian Flames cards a few days ago. I'm in it for fun , nostalgia and art work. I'm 29, I just wanna have fun lmfao, the booster box I ordered is the most I've spent on cards in 20 years
Hope you have fun with your openings!
@@LegendofLuke So do I, man! I'm sure I will. Maybe they even arrive before the release on Friday, that'd be pretty damn cool
Honestly I started collecting again a few years ago and have slowly learned a few these on my own - haha. Really awesome advice, and definitely learned a couple things as well :) great video!!
Glad you found it helpful!
I don't usually post comments but I really liked this video. You're very nice to listen to. And aren't shouting. Which lots of Pokemon KZheadrs tend to do I've found haha. I'm trying to get back into the hobby as well. I'm trying to find my focus area a bit. But I'm not sure what I want yet. The gotta catch em all mentality is strong haha. I do enjoy opening packs. And I'd like to have lots of binders with cool art. So maybe I'll try to get all common and uncommon cards while I collect some current era sets like the upcoming 151. Cool video. I'm also thinking about maybe starting a channel in the future. Talk about the cards I like, what Pokemon's meant to me over the years. And maybe do some product openings. But I'm not sure if there's too many channels like that already. Anyway, keep it up!
Thanks for sharing Jaina!
Thank you for this video, great info! Good luck on your collecting journey 👍
You too!
I'm REALLY glad I stumbled across your video. I just got to Japan around late December 2023 and I visited a Pokémon center here. I remembered collecting cards as a kid and enjoying it. I already spent about $200 in cards in a month, a binder, etc. and I realized I don't really enjoy collecting anything other than the original 151 (specifically the holos/shinys). I went into it with an "investor" mindset thinking I had time/energy to resell these cards for profit. That alone is making me lose interest in the hobby again. Long story short. I'm glad you stressed on the different aspects of collectors and maintaining focus on what's important. That hit home, resonates and will save me money in the long run. Thanks!
Awesome! I’m really glad to hear it resonated. In the end it’s supposed to be fun - if you don’t enjoy the buying/selling, it’s perfectly ok to just collect!
Hey! I just started collecting because we got my husbands collection handed to us from when he was a kid. It was so exciting going through all the vintage cards and I really got excited about collecting! But I was not sure where to start and your video helped so much!! Thank you! I especially liked that you told everyone God loves them and has a plan for them at the end. 😁 Amen!! Loved this video and I’m definitely subscribing. Thanks! Have a blessed day!
Insightful video, and some nice pulls to add to the collection 🙂
Great camera work! Hope to see a tutorial about your set up soon. Subscribed.
Really great video bro! Very insightful and well produced. Keep up the good content!
Really appreciate it!
Just started collecting myself, I don’t really care about the value I’m treating them more as art and working in a full art card collection! Awesome advice and good luck on your sets!
Nice video, also love that ending encouragement!
Thanks for watching!
Perfect video for me, im starting collecting again after over 20 years
Ive started collecting recently (like a month ago) and I first got an 151 ETB box because I started with gen 1 and nostalgia is strong, but Im just gonna focus just on collecting gallery art cards that I like, think they are also called (special) rare illustrations. I just like seeing and collecting good pokémon art. :)
That’s awesome! Welcome to the hobby!
Great video! My kids started collecting and I got hooked myself 😂. Amazing point about the focus. It’s really important. For me, I’m collecting artistically beautiful cards. Things I think are feminine, and eye catching. I also love anything holo, or shiny. 🌟
That’s awesome - I love to hear that! And thanks for watching!
Nice video I just started collecting again after sooo many years I still have my original old school cards today me and my son are collecting together 👍
That’s awesome! Welcome back to the hobby - it’s seriously a really fun community to be a part of.
Love how relaxing this video was, thank you for that, Luke. Too many "hypebeasts" out here trying to replicate Mr. Beast's energy and screaming at people with really fast cuts and over dramatized cinematography. The slow pace and lofi background music was really relaxing. Wish this was the new standard for KZheadrs. Really informative for someone who's getting back into collecting. I'd love to collect every Zapdos some day!
👍 All of my cards I had as a kid are gone. My little brother is getting into pokemon and he got me into collecting again at 24. I decided to collect evolving skies set and i ordered 2 Holo mews from evolutions so far
That’s great to hear you getting back into it! Yeah, unfortunately that is the case for many that their mom sells their childhood collection or something like that.
I’ve collected all the snivy, servine, and serperior cards I wanted (which was my ultimate goal) now I collect all grass types (Reverse Holo, Holo, and above) I used to have common ones but I decided against it because it would be….a lot. I mainly have an aesthetic collection if I’m being honest 😂 but all of my hits outside of this criteria have their own binder to store them in 👍🏻
Very nice!
This is my first video here, and I gotta say -- what a great guy!! As a DFWer, I love Leonhart, but I'm certainly going to be a regular on here as well. Loved the video.
I really appreciate the kind words. Welcome!
@@LegendofLuke Glad to be here!!
I'm getting back into Pokémon cards and all my research made the algorithm lead me here. Nice chill video. Dragonite is my favorite too ❤
Glad you liked it. Welcome back to the hobby!
I remember when I first started collecting again, the joy I had when I started buying some of my old cards. I spend so much money lol. Then I started spending more and more, but luckily I bought most of my collection in 2018-20 which saved me a TON of money. You can't get a 1st Ed Fossil Box for $1300 anymore 😂. Anyways, like most collectors, I've experienced everything you have said and its been quite a ride. Don't sell anything unless they are duplicates or you really need the money. Often times, its just not worth it and try to think outside the box and find unique ways to display your collection (such as glass cabinets, frames, stands, ect.). Happy Collecting!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Joe! Man, I really wish I had been back in the hobby pre-2020 - everything was so cheap then!
I recently got back into it and one thing I wish I knew is that many sellers love to sell the same exact cards and that older cards are way harder to get than it is in Yu-gi-oh where in Yu-gi-oh it's far easier to get older cards.
Thanks for sharing, Jamie! 👍🏽
Very informative thanks mate, appreciate it
Glad you found it helpful!
Once quarantine hit, I stopped going to my league and playing with my neighbor. Just today I got back in, thanks for the refresher!
151 got me back into collecting since 01. I recently finished my master set and have been focusing on getting some base set cards as well as the Japanese vending series cards. I generally focus on kanto pokemon but I’ll generally get whatever I like, I don’t really care too much about the value, more so whatever catches my eyes.
Unfortunatly there is no more 151 product for retail, only secondary market. Why can’t they sell a product for a year?
Great info and awesome the way you end
Love the way you structured this video
Glad you enjoyed it!
Man, I'm back at pokemon since I was a child and found this video is so useful. You presented a very healthy point of view for the hobby. Just curious about grading prices, how much it costs sending cards for grading nowadays? I'm not very interested but a friend of mine is, thanks
So glad you found this helpful! Currently, for bulk pricing PSA is $15, CGC is $12, and Beckett is $18
@@LegendofLuke Thanks, I think the worst part should be the shipping costs
7 minutes in and I have learned.so much already Amazing video. The app info was priceless for me.
So glad to hear!
Me and my son use to play/collect Pokemon. We use to play tournament in ToyRUS in Boise, Idaho. Unfortunately, someone stolen our entire collection suite case. Since 1999 we stop playing Pokemon. We still have some we collected over the years like Ancient Mew, 14 karat played bars. Now, I decided to collect again. My son is now 30 years old n he is more interested in firearms.
Lol. I'm doing same. Son 30 married. Going thru and sorting old stuff. I started 151 and obsidian flames lol.
When you display your cards in toploaders do you use something to cover the tops? Do you know about bags that fits and brand? Thanks!
Thank you for this video!
Thanks for watching!
Hey Luke! Cool video, great info to start collecting! Was wondering what camera you are using? ☺️🎶
Thanks! For this video, I was using the Canon M50: amzn.to/3IyIrTs
@@LegendofLuke Great, Thank you so much! Keep up the great work! ☀️
Thank you for this. I sold up 6 years ago (thoroughly regret it!) and I'm starting again from scratch!
Glad you found it helpful! The chase is what makes it fun, so you’re still in a great spot!
Man, this brings back memories. I'm a 90's Kid I used to go to 7-11 all the time and Buy the individual packs. How hard is it to find and collect the original classics?
This was a great guide. Thanks!
You’re welcome. So glad you found it helpful!
hey i know im very late to this video but i collected pokemon cards since i was a kid and i wanted to buy as many packs as possible to get the really cool cards that are worth much and have a great full art but was never able to because of financial issues and me lacking the money to keep buying more. even to this day i still want to buy more and more but cant cuz im not that rich and need to focus on things that are essential in life. this video gave me a different view of the hobby and im thankful i can view it differently now then i used to. even if i dont have super valuable cards, my collection is still nice and in a few years i can maybe think of when i first got these cards and how much fun i had to store each one. ill try to buy only then if i really have the money for it.
As an “old guy” it’s the first few sets for me though I will say the new art variations have me grabbing a bit of modern stuff too.
Same!
Collecting wotc vintage and vintage Japanese 🎉🎉🎉 Great video man ❤
Just started collecting a few days ago. Great video
That’s awesome! Good timing then 😄
@@LegendofLuke Just got my hands on a Charizard XY Evolutions 11/108 Near Mint from ebay for $50.
@@dinobot8698 that’s awesome! Great pick up!
Same
Man it's so many cards now I started loving them when they first came out in the 90s it's so much goin on now but I really like it
I want to collect all of the cards i wanted as a kid and do modern day master sets
I got this for my kids (3 boys 7 9 12). I used to play magic. And i thought this would be a great trainer for that when they are older. I love this game! I never knew the rules so i bought the training board deck box for 12 bucks. I'm hooked and so is my 9 year old!
That’s awesome!
Great vid!
I'm just getting back into collecting, precisely because nostalgia kicked me in the butt like a month ago and I kinda decided I wanted to get all my old cards back haha. I made the bad decision of giving away my whole collection out of pressure [and lowkey shaming] from my ex and a shared desire to go minimalist in 2015 or so... Quicky checked if cards had gained an interesting value with time, and it was (as I've recently learnt) the moment they were the cheapest... So, seeing it wasn't exactly interesting to start selling, I gave them all to the nearest thriftstore..... I had all a card from all 151 pokemon in gen 1 and had a fair amount of Johto 💔. It's been my biggest bad decision and regret since then. Anyyyyway. Beside biting my fingers right now,, I've been overwhelmed when discovering the whole new world of collecting Pokemon cards. So, all your tips are extremely useful for me. For instance, I really need to keep my focus in mind. Thanks for the reminder haha. Also props on your last comment. Gotta keep the fun part of collecting always on top! It's all fun and games (literally lol), until you stress over money.
Nice informative video Luke!
Thanks Ash!
I remember growing up EX pokemon were super hard to get and now it’s like how getting a holo was. No hate just making a comparison I’m recently getting back into collecting too and I’m loving it
Yeah it’s true. I remember when holos were a big deal!
Great video. Must watch for newcomers like myself. I have the full base set, jungle set and fossil set. 90% mint, 5% near mint, 5% excellent. About 13 first editions. Almost all 1999. Any idea on the collective value of my collection? From my own research, anywhere from £1,000 to £8,000, but I’m not sure…. Very hard to value collections, compared to individual cards. Although even they range greatly.
Very hard to gauge value if they aren't graded. Upgraded cards have massive variance in price.
Nice video, thanks!
Thanks for watching!
2nd :). Nice video, keep up the videos they are great!
Enjoy your content, Luke. Keep it up! God bless. :)
Thank you James 🙏🏽
I've started a 151 master set. The one thing that is a bit annoying and probably a bit of a cash grab is the reverse holos
Great video
Just “found” my child hood collection I’m 29 and man I’ve been thinking about getting back in the game again!
Dew it.
Just bought my first starter deck for the first time in over two decades. I lost my old folder with the Pokémon cards from the 90s.
Awesome! Welcome back!
I switched over from sports card collecting to Pokémon card collecting, sports card community is super toxic and all about money and they drove me away from the hobby. The Pokémon community has been so much better to me so far and I am so glad I got into it
I wish I could like this a thousand times, such great messages
So glad you found it helpful!
Yea dude! Cards in hand crew!!
🙌🏽👍🏽
This is an excellent video. I'll tell you what. I don't think it's FOMO, I think it's the adrenaline rush when get a great pull....highly addictive, then you keep buying. You are right though, focus is a must.
Yeah that’s definitely a part of it too. Definitely important to be self-aware.
Be very cautious with perfect sleeves. If the card has been exposed to any level of moisture they have been prone to rip edges and create whitening when sliding on/off
Why have I not gone with the clear sleeves to have outside my perfect fit sleeved cards.. It is such a winner as you can bascially easily see what condition the cards is in without having to remove the outher sleeves. Wish I knew about them 7 years ago lol
Now you know! 😄
I’m a combination of collector and investor. Buy Trainer Boxes and open for my amusement and collect Master Sets BUT also buy “high value” cards/sets low and get graded and resell. Though my endgame isn’t to make money but to either break even or make my hobby far less expensive.
I wish I knew about sleeves back in the day. not sure if they even existed actually. btw can you let me know whenever you ship the giveaways cards to the address I gave?
I just started getting into Pokemon again after a couple years but I try not to roll back by these types of videos that have those evolutions cards in them because. I was about 9 or 10 and I had two neighborhood friends. But one of them “made a fair trade” I was so gullible back on the day I traded 200$ worth of Pokemon for 20$ Pokemon. And that sticks with me. The only reason I don’t go over there and try to trade them back is cuz they donated all of them to goodwill or something Man those cards were so mentally valuable. But I wanted good stats on them
perfect sleeves almost always damages the card if you aren't putting them in perfectly since the hard plastics edges contacts the corners of the card
That has not been my experience.
I got into the hobby again. I do buy PSA cards but always crack them open because otherwise it's the grading number you are buying them for while the reason I started collecting is the artwork. This should matter not the PSA number, unless you want to re-sell ofcourse.
Nothing wrong with that! Some people appreciate the condition rarity aspect, but it’s definitely not what everyone cares about.
why not just buy a cheaper near mint version that is sleeved then?
My friend, that is not a pro gamer move and a total waste on everyones end MNT and CGC or below are okay
Im an artwork collector and love a rare card. But if theres a set that has great artwork im a sucker for it
Me too!
just started collecting again and i made the mistake of buying a trainer box arceus and i have .. a lot.. of energy cards now lol. and plenty of dupes. now i gotta focus on building a set. trying to find the lowest set first since i figure it would be easier. anyone have anymore tips?
I think its important to go for what you like. I dont care about rarity and condition of cards as much as i like the pokemon itself or the card art
👍🏽👍🏽
I don’t know if i should only keep valuable cards or try to complete an entire set
You should enjoy the hobby the way you like. Personally, I keep the valuable and non-valuable cards that I like. I do a few master sets, but only for certain sets (mostly vintage). What gets you excited about the hobby? I would start there.
When people say they're collecting a set, is a 'set' made up of several decks released under the same theme? Or is it a single old deck that you can't get hold of in full anymore? Are booster packs not just random cards from pre-built decks? I can't wrap my head around how collecting works 😅
A new “set” is released every few months, and it contains usually around 200+ new cards - so it is basically an expansion of the current playable cards in the TCG. The sets each have a name (“Paradox Rift” is the name of the one releasing this week), and they release several products with that name. Each product contains booster packs, which have a random chance of containing any of those 200+ new cards. When someone wants to collect or complete a “master set”, it means they are collecting all 200 or so of those cards. A “deck” is more of a players term, and not relevant to most collectors. They do sell some pre-made decks, but most players of the TCG construct their own deck using any of the cards that have been released in the past few years.
I mainly collect sealed cards and I sell at a later date
I had many cards in top loaders, put it in my attic, somehow a few drops water got into it then and ruined many cards
I'm getting back into pokemon because I miss collecting it just confused on the new sets and what's up in the world of pokemon
Hope this video helped some. Let me know what other questions you have!
@@LegendofLuke if u have collected any of the 2023 sets can u tell me what i should expect?
During the pandemic I didn't have any hours at work, so I spent my savings of $3,500 on Pokemon cards, ended up selling it for a total of about $18,000. I got lucky though, my friend owned a store (and he wasn't allowed to have people come in) and hooked me up with a large amount of vintage and then the whole Logan Paul thing happened. Talk about fate.
Wow, you did really well! Wish I had gotten back in before the boom.
I've seen so many videos about that app scamming people and the scammers facing no repercussions
Wheres a good place to buy all of the base set cards?
Meanwhile I'm just trying to get 1 card of every pokemon and have all cards of my fav pokemon 😂 I got on and off with the pokemon cards, glad to have the first to gens in the of cards tho
What’s that wall shelve in the back called? I need something like it
It’s called a ladder bookshelf.
Open your eyes young man
Good video!
Thanks Sean!
Sick video!
Glad you liked it!
Where did you get your card display holder?
Here: tidd.ly/3hmc6Co
A day ago I pulled a first adition holographic charizard. I searched up its price and it said it was 20,000 dollars
Wow, that’s wild. I don’t believe it’s worth quite that much ungraded. Where did you look up the price?
Wise words Luke. Thanks for sharing. You earned my sub!
WOAH, heard the end of the video as I was closing it... what an awesome surprise, brother!
Glad you got some value from it! God bless!
Tried to get back in to it but.. sets are coming way to fast.. and you have to spend so much to get a set complete these days.
It’s true, but that’s why I generally recommend creating some realistic goals based on what you enjoy the most. I personally don’t try to complete most modern sets. I just master-set the ones I like the most: 151, Hidden Fates, Evolutions, etc. And I also have a goal to complete the first 12 vintage sets, but that’s one I can work on slowly over time. There are a lot of ways to collect, and you don’t have to feel pressured to do it the way certain people do it. I would encourage you not to give up on it if it’s something you enjoy - just set some realizations goals and collect what you like!
I honestly have yet to get a bad box from amazon....im a sealed collector and just collect singles of my favorite pokemon
Yeah, if you know what to look for, you can get legit boxes on there.
People think im weird but i collect evolving skies booster boxs. I have 12 on display with a rayquza figure😂 im laughing now bc their over 500 dollars Canadian
You did alright for yourself.
How many Moonbreon’s do you have or if you don’t how tempted are you to open the boxes?
@Legend of Luke hope you don't put your pokemon cards in pokemon trainer sleeve cuz i found out that they can ruin your pokemon cards and ruin the bottom of them when your putting them in
How can I make a profit as a Pokémon card dealer? Buying and selling?
First! Nice Video! 👍
I got to this whole Pokémon again because I want to invest my money hopefully 20 years it would worth x10 or x100 😂 it’s fun but yeah it can be scary 😢 too
I'm the same, I'm collecting PSA 9 and 10 vintage. I do also enjoy the art work, but I do think in 20 years they will be worth alot more.
There’s certainly potential in it, but know that it is risky, and I’d say there are better investments out there. I just collect ‘cause I enjoy it - the fact that they retain value is an added bonus!
Did they stop making first edition cards with the newer sets?
Yeah, they stopped after the Neo sets.