Tag: Card Collecting

By RJG

Hi there I am here to try and help you to start and get on your way to building your collection of Pokemon cards. First and foremost try to have a goal in mind there are many ways to collect Pokemon cards you can collect sets which is picking out a certain set that you like such as Pokemon Black & White, Base set, Fossil, Team Rocket, ETC and trying to collect every card in that set. There are collecting certain type or monster Pokemon meaning only collecting cards of a certain type such as water types, fire types, and many other or collecting a certain favorite Pokemon such as many out there like to collect Pikachu’s. There is also collecting only holographic cards where only the picture parts is shiny and sparkly, or even reverse holographic cards where everything BUT the picture is holographic. There are many different ways to start your collection. Second know which language you would like to your cards in English, Japanese, German, etc this will be a hug factor when it comes to money wise seeing that Japanese being the most expensive, English being average price wise, and every other language being cheaper due to low demand for them.

I personally collect Japanese cards due to many reasons but when I first started off I started collecting English cards for which I suggest a beginner to start off collecting and then when you know more about the rarity, price, high demand of cards you can grow over to Japanese. Lastly is to get out there and buy a couple of booster packs you can go to your local cards shop such as a comic book store, Target, Wal-Mart, and even online. I prefer as a starter to buy them at Target or Wal-Mart seeing that you can never be to sure about being sold a fake card at your card shop or online. Once you have grown a pretty good collection and want to get rid of some cards you don’t want for some that you do you can try and find some friends how also collect and trade with them or you can go online and join Pokemon TCG trading forums such as Pokebeach.com or Pokegym.net they are both respected trading forums that I highly recommend.
Continue reading “The Art Of Pokemon Card Collecting & Forum Trading”

Tags: Card Collecting

By TokoyamiTheDark

I remember back, in 1999, when the 1st Movie was going to be in theaters across America. There was a huge poster saying “Pokemon Movie Topps Trading Cards ON SALE HERE AND NOW!” Back then my parents didn’t wanted me to buy these cards, but my neighbor bought some packs. With rich colors and information about the mocie, the cards were really great.

Eventually, back in March 2011, I ordered a Booster Box of Topps Trading cards of the 1st Movie. There was two editions released for the 1st Movie, the Blue Squared edition which mispelled names while the Black Squared edition had corrected names. I ordered one Pokemon Booster Box of each edition to see and compare the differences. There was somewhing funny in the Blue Squared edition that caught my eye when I opened a pack and got a Foil card. The Foil card had four Pokemon, separated with squares, Raichu, Cubone, and two other Pokemon I never saw before I watched the movie in 1999. I know they are Snubbull and Marill. so I went to read the back of the card.
Continue reading “Pokemon The 1st Movie Topps Trading Cards”

Tags: Card Collecting

By RJG

Today’s article is about the comparison of which Pokemon cards are better to collect English or Japanese. There are many collectors out there who think that the English ones are better to collect and vise versa. I personally think that Japanese cards are WAY better to collect for the obvious two reasons first being the rarity of the cards for example the there are many cards that were never released in English such as the Masaki Promos, Trophy cards, Vending series cards, and if they were released in English they weren’t released in the same illustration such as Misty’s Tears.

Second being the price difference between cards as everyone knows Japanese card are by far more expensive then the English ones for example the Japanese Pokemon illustrator being worth at about $10,000 if I am correct and even if they were released in English there is a price difference. Example being the bumble bee Pikachu card, the English one is a promo and the Japanese is a Vending series promo obviously both are promos but a price difference between both none the less.
Continue reading “Japanese Pokemon Cards Are Better Than English Ones”

Tags: Card Collecting

By TokoyamiTheDark

It has been in my knowledge that many people are asking the question about : what is the difference in value between Japanese cards and International Cards? Well, let’s start with the rare cards. In Japan, each pack guarantees 1 Foil and 1 Rare. The random Mirrored card can also be rare, bringing up to 3 Rares in one pack! I got a Foil Slowking, a Rare Beedrill and a Rare Mirrored Lapras in a single HeartGold booster pack. One of my friends even got a Lv.X AND a hidden reprint card in the same pack! Outside Japan, you only have 20% of finding a regular holo in any packs, and you aren’t even guaranteed of getting a Rare card (marked by a star). LEGEND cards were a lot controversed outside Japan, since Japanese packs includes both halves while International pack have only one half, which makes it extremely difficult to get the other half without purchasing it on Internet.

The second aspect is about Booster Boxes. While the Japanese Booster Boxes has less packs than an International one, they are a lot cheaper and guarantee rare cards that are very difficult to get outside Japan. Let’s compare what we would find in a JPN Booster Box and an US box, shall we? Well, for 2 Japanese Booster Boxes, you are guaranteed to get at least 97% of the entire set, or even the FULL set, if you’re lucky. But in US Booster Boxes, you’ll only get at least 88% of the full set… So, why is the way cards are made and sold in other countries aren’t in the same way as Japan does?
Continue reading “The Differences between The Value Of Japanese Pokemon Cards And International Cards”

Tags: Card Collecting

By TokoyamiTheDark

The short word ‘TCG’ stands for ‘Trading Card Game’. Since 1998, the series has grown widely popular and features many things. There are many kinds of cards, and this small text will explain every aspect of them.

First, we begin with the most important aspect of them ; Basic Cards. You CANNOT have a deck without Basic Cards and they feature both un-evolved Pokemon or Pokemon that doesn’t evolve. Most Basic cards are very common and easy to obtain via Pokemon Theme Decks and Booster Packs. Another kind of card that is a MUST in any deck are Energies. These allow the Pokemon to attack, and there are 9 kinds of Energies ; Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, Steel and Colorless. There are no basic Colorless Energies at all, as any other Energy can be used for a Colorless mark. Unless the card tells you to discard an Energy card, don’t discard them after attacking!

Evolution cards are rarer, and can only be played if you have the pre-evolved form (for example, to play a Donphan card, you must have a Phanpy in play). When evolving, the Pokemon loses all of its previous attacks, regain HP and get rid of any Special Conditions. There are a few exeption where Evolved cards evolves from Trainer Cards, and not from Basic Pokemon. These Trainer cards are also called Fossil cards, and act like a Basic Pokemon, which means if they’re KOed, your foe takes a Prize card.
Continue reading “What Is The Pokemon TCG?”

Tags: Card Collecting

By Becca Mander

Some might say that legendary Pokemon have lost their sparkle over the years. These people might say that movie upon movie filled with legendary appearances have cheapened them. They may also go on to say that, aided by the popularity of the Action Replay, their desirability for the casual video game player has also diminished to something of a faint spark. For competitive video game players, most legendary Pokemon are classed as ‘Uber’, and banned accordingly. In the card game, legendary Pokemon have also become sidelined. Gone are the days of decks incorporating the majestic Rayquaza Star and Mew ex, and soon, even the glittery bordered level X cards of Mewtwo, Uxie and Regigigas will become obsolete for competitive play. Decks are now supported by the diminutive Cleffa, while the heavy hitters progress from Gyarados and Garchomp to Yanmega, Jumpluff, Cinccino, Samurott, Magnezone… not a legend to be seen. Or so some might say.

What’s your take on legendary Pokemon? Are they defunct, just a draw for kids? There’s no denying that legendaries do not pack such a powerful punch as they did back in the halcyon days of the first generation; in my area, Mewtwo was IT. If you caught Mewtwo on Pokemon Blue, you were IT. If you owned a Base Set Mewtwo, then you too were IT. Charizard, that rare starter whose draconic form just reeked of legend, was THE most desirable Pokemon around. But now, after four further generations of critters and with the advent of Pokemon Black and White, there is a sizable roster of “legendary” Pokemon, from elemental birds to monochrome dragons, and their scarcity and mystery would seem to be irreparably hindered by their sheer number.

However, I’m not of the opinion that all is lost for legendaries. Here’s why.
Continue reading “You’ve Lost That Legendary Feeling – A Look At The Card Art Of The Rarest Pokemon”

Tags: Card Collecting

By Jill/Redterror117

If you have cards you either play with them or collect them. While both activities go hand in hand, sometimes it’s easier to do one, especially when you have a favourite Pokemon, or enjoy competing with other people. For me, I’m a collector of cards, mainly because I live out in a rural environment with nobody else to play with. As a collector, I am currently working on building a collection of Dragon and Dragon-like Pokemon, Pikachus and Pichus (rather stereotypical choices), Pokemon Promotional cards, and rare cards from the Base series to Neo expansion. Collecting a variety of different cards makes it easier to complete these collections, but sometimes I can run into challenges, especially with my Promotional collection (where some cards are either hard to find, are very expensive, or when there are simply too many cards in the collection). While making collecting difficult at times, they can add to the fun as well, not to mentioning giving bragging rights to someone who, for example has a complete collection of Base cards.

Collecting Pokemon cards is an easy hobby to get started with, though at times only the most dedicated will stick with it. The most important thing to do when starting is to find a particular type of card you want to collect (whether it’s a specific species, a type, or even an entire expansion). Do some research on your choice and see which cards are the easiest to obtain, and which are the most expensive. Next you’ll need something to hold the cards in while keeping them well protected. Either a card binder or a tin will do the job, but if you want your cards to remain in good condition, invest in card sleeves for further protection.
Continue reading “Collecting Pokemon Cards: Overview And Tips”

Tags: Card Collecting