Pokemon Cards (Do's and Don'ts)

September 29, 2018

Pokemon Cards (Do's and Don'ts)

Me with a Special Energy Card

Growing up in the 1990's lead me straight into the Pokemon card trend. I was under 10 years old when I got my first booster pack of cards and I kept my cards in a small binder that was actually meant for C.D's. I should of kept them in proper storage but as a child that was the least important thing to me.

I didn't buy Pokemon cards often but when I did it was a real pleasure seeing the new cards I had received. The cards were quite expensive for a child and video games were better in my opinion when I was younger. Cards were good to look at and play with when other people knew how to properly play the trading card game. However, most people didn't understand how to play the game and made up their own rules to either win or take other peoples rare cards.

Fast forward to 2018 and Pokemon cards are still fairly popular and sold at most bookstores and hobby stores. These packs come in numerous styles and packaging. They can be cheap to fairly expensive. The regular ten packs should cost around five dollars and the tins should be about twenty to thirty dollars depending on the card count and exclusive cards.

Here comes the budget cars for a dollar a pack. There are numerous dollar stores and discount stores that sell Pokemon cards at discounted prices ranging from one to five dollars mostly. These cards can be original packaged cards from Nintendo or repackaged cards from companies. I will list some do's and don'ts to help you decide which cards to buy.

The Do's:

1. Buy cards in original Nintendo Pokemon packaging. Pokemon cards should be wrapped in an official Pokemon wrapping. The packaging should be foil and have copyrights for Nintendo and Gamefreak. Make sure the packaging doesn't look like it has been opened or glued back together. If you buy a tin make sure it is factory sealed.

2. At the dollar store/discount store buy Pokemon cards that are in loose original wrapping. The cards at these stores may be sold in three packs or ten packs. Both are official packaged by Gamefreak and Nintendo. Make sure the package doesn't look tampered with and be sure that the cards aren't bent.

3. Buy rare cards from verified sources. If you want to buy a rare card make sure you get the card evaluated by a company or expert. Make sure the grading is correct and compare the price with similar cards in similar conditions. If there are no similar cards then proceed with caution of the pricing and don't get take for a fool on the price.

The Don'ts:

1. Don't buy Pokemon cards that look like they have been tampered with. If the packaging is not immaculate don't buy the cards. Numerous people have opened packages looking for rare Pokemon cards and re-wrap the packages after looking through them and taking the best cards.

2. Don't buy repacks from the dollar store/discount store. These cards are official cards that have been repackaged by companies. The companies usually open hundreds if not thousands of packages looking for rare cards. They remove the rare cards and repackage the less expensive cards for resale. The repacked cards may advertise that the have rare cards but in reality these cards are not worth much. They are repacked for quick sale and don't include ultra rare cards which the companies take and sell solely.

3. Don't buy rare cards from sketchy sources. Some people may advertise ultra rare cards for a cheap price however these cards probably are fake. Always examine the card with an expert or a company that deals with Pokemon cards. Fake Pokemon cards are everywhere and it can be hard to tell the difference between real and fake cards.

The Bottom line:

Trust your judgment and only buy cards that look like they are original and not tampered with. If a package looks weird or a card is too good to be true it probably was/is. Pokemon card collecting is a fun and exciting hobby that can lead to new friends and prizes in tournaments.

Always collect responsibly and don't over spend. Have fun collecting..

Opening up Pokemon cards: