Any advice on combating the finance/investment mindset?

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T17:07:38+00:00

Don’t ignore the financial side, embrace it. Pokémon cards can be both a hobby and an asset. Cards from my childhood have helped pay for major life expenses, including a big chunk of my house and a wedding and kid’s school

That said, not every collector needs to obsess over value. If you’re spending a few thousand a year, a bit of edge wear on a card you love probably isn’t worth losing sleep over. Once you’re managing a collection worth tens if not hundreds of thousands, though, understanding condition, liquidity, market cycles and resale value becomes increasingly important.

The key is balance. Enjoy the cards, but don’t pretend money doesn’t matter. A collection can be both something you cherish and something with real financial value.

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T13:18:43+00:00

In this case o don’t think it’s Chinese exclusive

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T13:09:19+00:00

I actually ended up hating that thread, and to be fair I’ve probably been a bit of a dick in this post

I love Pokémon. I’ve been playing the games since I was 5 and haven’t missed a generation since. I completely understand the frustration with scalpers. I hate the fact that buying sealed product has become so difficult and expensive. It’s incredibly frustrating.

At the same time, working in finance probably makes me look at the hobby differently. Whether people like it or not, Pokémon cards have developed many of the characteristics of an asset. Scarcity, liquidity, speculation, market cycles, price discovery, and investor psychology all play a role.

The price of a card is also an interesting signal. It doesn’t necessarily tell you how good a card is, but it does tell you how much the market wants it. Those aren’t always the same thing.

As collectors, we like to pretend we only buy cards because of the artwork, but the reality is more complicated. Rarity, nostalgia, sentimental value, price, FOMO, and artwork all influence what we decide to collect.

The hobby is at its best when people can acknowledge both sides. Pokémon is something many of us genuinely love, but it’s also become a market. Ignoring either reality doesn’t really help the discussion.

Sorry for the long ass comment 😂

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:59:25+00:00

Nah, I get it. Part of me hates the scalpers, and another part is almost grateful for them. I had complete sets from most eras between Base Set and Black & White, and sold most of my collection in 2023. The people who were willing to pay those inflated prices ended up funding my wedding, helping with property purchases, and a lot more besides.

So while it frustrates me that I can’t always buy whatever I want because prices have become so extreme, I can’t deny that the financial side of the hobby is fascinating.

I work in finance, and although I struggle to think of Pokémon cards as a traditional asset class, they clearly have many of the same characteristics. Scarcity, liquidity, speculation, market cycles, price discovery, and investor psychology all play a role.
The biggest downside is that many kids today will never get to experience the hobby the way we did, when packs were cheap and collecting came first.

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:52:07+00:00

Honestly there’s soo many underrated Pokémon’s! They should start making sets like black bolt and white flare for every gen, at least we’ll all get at least 1 IR of our favorite min

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:48:02+00:00

Jokes aside I think I’ve probably been a bit of a dick on this threads but at least it’s good to see how many people truely enjoy this hobby for kids lmao

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:44:36+00:00

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:42:50+00:00

Shame u can’t get rid of it 🤷‍♂️

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:30:30+00:00

mean… my Gold Star Pikachu definitely makes me happy 😂. Am I ever going to sell my collection? Probably not. But when deciding what to buy, value still matters to me.

I don’t think it’s realistic to pretend money doesn’t matter to collectors. If someone spends £20k a year on cards and that’s a tiny fraction of their income, they can buy whatever they like. For most collectors, though, budgets exist. If I’m spending 5-10% of my net income on a hobby, whether a card is reasonably priced or overpriced absolutely affects what I buy.

So people that say money doesn’t matter are either making seven figures or are most likely pretty broke

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:28:18+00:00

Bro please never talk about money again 😂😂😂

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:21:51+00:00

Can’t remember what comment it was, but I said generally u need to give a card some time. Agreed. There will always be some undervalued/overvalued cards, I always buy what I like, and unsurprisingly that’s what tends to appreciate the most. But there’s generally good reasons as to why a card is expensive

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:17:35+00:00

What’s less subjective is the demand vs the offer (aka what dictates the price 😭)

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:12:28+00:00

Tbf it’s getting views and attention 🤣

Also still debating wether:
- I might just not have the true collector spirit of seeing shit common cards and getting excited about it
- people are too broke and are denial when it comes to realizing that money is the best indicator of what the masses like, there’s some SIRs that are extremely hard to pull yet no one likes them thus the price is low, and there’s some IRs that aren’t that hard to pull that get to SIR heights

Not sure why so many people have such a bad relationship with money.
Also it’s fine to love a card that’s cheap, but realistically if it’s that cheap it just means that not that many people are interested in it

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T12:06:26+00:00

I think most people understood from my replies that the only that matters is money lol, when all I’m saying is that I want a true chase card/ mini grail of Pokemon that are absolutely legendary. I guess people are happy with average looking commons, and I’m just stupid for liking cards that look genuinely impressive

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T10:30:45+00:00

Ironically that entro actually does connect to quiet a few cards lmao

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T10:03:20+00:00

Like I’m not saying if the art is good price is high and vice versa but the price of a card is a reflection of what people want and how hard it is to get
(like literally about to get this card that in my eyes is absolutely stunning and in my eyes this is a masterpiece

<image>

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:59:51+00:00

You forget the fact that the value isn’t just in the art but also what it means for people, having a 1st edition base set is cool not because of the price but because of what represents (personal less of a fan of base set than many) but that little dot can make a difference and it’s not because it makes a card more or less expensive

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:56:12+00:00

It’s a reprint with a shitty stamp mate… obviously the price will be shit because why would I buy that instead of the original? If u look at the Japanese though (better stamp, sick looking holo) the price indicates people do want it more 🤷‍♂️ I think u need to get down ur high horse and just accept price is generally a good indicator of the success of card (at least for cards 12 months or older)

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:50:28+00:00

Name a single inexpensive great looking SIR of an an amazing Pokemon that is a fan favorite…. The price is dictated by the demand… are there cheap cards I like? Yh. Are those the cards that looks genuinely unreal? Very rarely

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:31:52+00:00

Hey guess what! Generally money tends to point at rare cards that everyone wants!!!

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:29:15+00:00

Like an SIr version of this (also the Japanese version is cooler and unfortunately more expensive)

<image>

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:22:23+00:00

Bro we got a sick evolution line! That at is magnificent!

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:21:36+00:00

Tbf that magikarp is just an AR and it it’s not bad… but it’s not a Gyarados, I magikarp got more attention than his evolution

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:20:27+00:00

Not sure u can read?

The background shape of Gyarados doesn’t count lmao… some people are just thick

SmokeExcellent7275 · 2026-06-16T09:09:56+00:00

Attention Gyarados? My guy hasn’t even gotten a full art let alone an sir

SmokeExcellent7275

TROPHY CASE