Summary
ThePokémon Trading Card Gamehas been relishing in nostalgia recently, particularly with 2023’sScarlet & Violet’s151set, which featured the original 151 Pokémon from Gen 1’s Kanto region. Unfortunately, one fan’s heartbreaking discovery serves as a warning to long-term collectors about just how they choose to store their cards.
RedditorThe_Spear808shared images of their childhoodPokémoncard collection, which they came across in their dad’s attic after 20 years. From the images, this collection features predominantly Japanese cards, but has some English language ones in the mix, with some first editions of Spearow and Cubone.
Unfortunately, these cards are all completely destroyed, with many fellow Redditors stating that it looks likethe result of being stored in a location with high humidity. The_Spear808 later stated that they live on an island near the equator, which could further back up this theory. Fortunately, The_Spear808 seemed to take the discovery in good spirits, replying to JustGrowUp_’s comment that sentimental value is better than monetary value with “Yes. I had a big smile while flipping through the carnage.”
New Pokémon Card Binder Is Perfect ’90s Nostalgia (& Great For Your 151 Collection)
A new binder for the Pokémon Trading Card Game is a perfect callback for those who played in the ’90s, and would go perfectly with the 151 set.
Long Term Collectors Should Be Wary Of How They Store Their Cards
Some Conditions May Cause The Cards To Deteriorate
While The_Spear808 may have found amusement in their discovery, there is a lesson for collectors to take from this, and that’s where to store their cards to keep them in as good a condition as possible. When moving house or rearranging rooms,it’s easy for boxes to be stored away in garages, basements, or attics until there’s a convenient moment to display them once again, but these conditions may actually result in deterioration during this time, which could be quite a gut-punch for more die-hard collectors who have been building their roster over many years.
SomePokémoncards can be valued at wellover $100,000 depending on their condition, so collectors may be sitting on an absolute goldmine depending on what they’ve acquired over the years. Unfortunately, as these trading cards are ultimately just paper, they can be very easily damaged, causing their value to plummet.
The most expensivePokémon TCGcard is a 1998 Illustrator Pikachu, which was awarded to winners of a competition held by the Japanese magazine CoroCoro Comic, and is currently valued at $5,275,000.
It’s worth noting that it’s not always the rooms the cards are stored in that are a problem, as plenty of other Redditors took to The_Spear808’s post to comment that theirPokémon Trading Card Gamecollections were in nowhere near as bad condition and had also been stored in their attics for years. Depending on where in the world players are situated, these conditions will vary, so it’s always worth checking first before deciding where to store potentially valuable collections, asthe optimal condition for them is in a cool, dry place.
