Going back and watching some old videos for insight on the fundamentals. It's neat to hear your perspective from back then and seeing where the market is now. These are very exciting times! Thank you for your contributions to the community, dude!
dude your awesome i bought a couple times off your ebay and now seeing the type of person you are and what not! GOODLUCK with your future keep doing great business
Hey! I just found found your channel by accident and I'm really glad I did, lots and lots of good content on here. You seem to be an expert on older/WotC cards, but how familiar are you with e-Series, EX-Series, D/P/Pt/HG/SS/, B/W, and XY? What do you do think about the sets, what are some of your favorites, do you even buy new product/singles as they come out? You seem like the kind of guy who would look for sealed product, maybe the Crystals, Gold Stars, and big cards like the newer Mega Charizards, but obviously you can tell me better than I can. Do you invest in newer cards in the sense of their playability such as the currently infamous Shaymin? Regardless, you have some A+ content, definitely keep it up.
SMPratte 2016: "You need to start as a collector before you become an investor or entrepreneur in this hobby" Z&G Emporium, PokeRev, Gary Vee, Logan Paul, and Collectibles Guru: "Allow us to introduce ourselves."
Hearing you say $2000 for a ps9 Charizard just made me audibly say "fuck". I'm sat in tight now on this rollercoaster of fun. Really happy to have found your channel and all the great insight you've provided.
I did it as a part time thing to make extra money quickly as a part time thing as I was moving to Thailand. I'd buy booster cases, open it all and sell it as bundles/individuals, I'd buy bulk auctions, break it down and sell it. Sad thing is that I knew a lot of the stuff I had would go up so much in price if I kept it, luckily I still had so much to sell prior to moving to Thailand that when/if I go home I can get back on it, probably have 10,000 cards, couple of binders full of old school ex and some sealed packs.
I collect pokemon as well as football cards and i think the greatest thing about pokemon is that they never go away. I dont know how to put that into concise wording but what I mean by that is- mewtwo for example is a pretty popular pokemon more so than I would say clefairy as far as collecting. But clefairy 1st edition base set still has value. In football the Johnny Manzel cards were going crazy and buying in on breaks for the browns was insane just like with baker this past year. And now since he was a bust those cards have literally 10% value and there will never be an increase imo.
Hey Scott, love your videos! You've been a big part of my interest in returning to and investing in the hobby. I'm curious to hear your (and everyone in the comment section's) opinion on lower end PSA investments from base set - such as Base Set Unlimited PSA 9's and 8's. Do you see potential room for growth in these cards due to their current low value? Love your videos and hope to hear some opinions on this. :)
@DonGrean not so sure about that, supply, which drives price, is basically as low as it'll get. Everything has finally made its way into the hands of collectors
I completely agree. I started off purely collecting and now I know which cards to invest in and what people are going to have interest in. I bought my base set for $140 Australian years ago and sold it for $500 last week. There was so many times where I wanted to sell but I felt like the more patient I was the most profit I would generate.
As someone who mains YGO, but pays attention to Pokemon with full intention to grow a collection of both, perhaps opening a store if I do well, but it’s just a hobby. That being said, if I stand to make a ridiculous return on some of the extras I pick up along the way, that’s fine by me. It’s an old video but I appreciate the information and can’t wait to see where all these TCG’s go.
i know this is an older video but would you consider WOTC booster packs to be a good investment ? i’ve been collecting for a while and sealed product is something i’d like to start purchasing.
I've been ebay flipping newer expansions for almost a year, I'm really wanting to slow down, and truly invest for the future. I really appreciate these videos and the knowledge they bring. I'll definately be seeing more videos.
i think you are certainly onto something / all markets are speculative in nature, however pokemon seems like its only up from here 🥂 ive got the original era sets all complete , slowly getting the missing theme decks/promos PSA / beckett are both a wonderful way to ensure credibility & condition when reselling
The two main routes are selling it to a high volume seller, or making individual mixed lots and listing them on ebay. The first option is much less work, the second typically earns more, but takes more time.
Dude i use to collect pokemon cards in 1998 as a kid. I just got back into it 2.5 years ago and spent about $7-8k on the classic cards lol. I guess you are correct about millenials buying their childhood memories with their spare change.
@Billy Backwoods Why not? entrepreneurs don't always have to live an investment lifestyle. Although I didn't buy these cards for investments, they actually have gained in price as I have sold some.
When you say start as a collector what do you mean by that? For example I am collecting non graded sets and cards with some sealed packs. Or do you mean collecting PSA graded cards?
Great video, friend of mine sent the link. I just VERY recently started buying Pokemon cards again. I'm far from investing at this point, more reliving a childhood hobby, but if I'm lucky enough to find anything, old, rare, and mint I'll find myself enjoying the profits later in life. I noticed your channel icon is the Pokemon Illustrator card...there's no way you actually got your hands on one of those, is there? Interested to find out, let me know.
smpratte, i've got a few boxes of Roaring Skies that I purchased before they went out of print. Would you recommend selling them before the cards are rotated out (I forsee a price decrease because Shaymin was what kept the price high), or keeping them for 4-5 more years?
Do you only collect the older/classic Pokemon cards or do you think the new stuff that is available in the market today will have value years down the road?
This is a common question so I copy and pasted my answer: Not sure if you received a response not on here but, doing research I believe the older sets are better to invest. It does not hurt to possibly invest in some of the newer sets. It is kind of a debate as collecting is always touchy. A card is worth as much it is valued to that person. I believe that it is a good possibility that newer cards will have value as we think of cards that we would like to collect as we grew up as a value to us. The issue is, with the newer cards, how much are they going to produce? This happened with sports cards in the 90s (just by my research and reading articles/forums). They massively produced so many sports cards in the 90s that they have almost no value except for key players (i.e. Michael Jordan) and only certain cards. Didnt mean to sidetrack on sports card market cuz that market is so much harder to understand value then TCG because its based on the player/stats/etc. I think if you are going to collect, collect on cards you like and some of the new are you enjoy so that it has value to you and if it is worth a lot in the future, thats when you can determine if you want to keep it or sell it.
may i ask you a question, how do you keep ungraded cards stored? many cards i have ungraded in boxes just seem to bow, i am looking to find a way on how to store them correctly! or even if you could make a video on how to correctly store your cards for both fort term and long term!
This is a late reply as you did not receive one. Its not the best way, but I store mine in penny sleeves inside a binder but not all of them. Most of my cards are put in penny sleeves inside of ultra pro card sleeves. Then PSA cards have fitted sleeves to go around the PSA case so they do not get scratched. I think its unappealing to have a PSA 10/Beckett 10 all scratched up... Its kind of obvious but I think the cards should be in a temperature controlled environment. Simply meaning inside lol. Just my thoughts
Great video man, loved that douche speech lol, but you are right, generally rarer/older cards are more valued to buyers/collectors. Mint cards are pretty obvious when it comes to collecting, especially Pokemon. Looking at the market, obviously Japanese aka Pocket Monster cards are not as valued as English cards. Do you think investing in older Japanese cards will build value? Of course its just an opinion. I recently got back into Pokemon since I was a kid. I watched the cartoon more then anything, interested in hearing your thoughts.
Could you do a video about the Gold Star cards and their future value? I am a fairy new collector and have Umbreon, Latios, Latias, Regirock, Registeel, Charizard, Pikachu, Metagross, Groudon, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei all PSA 9. (also a PSA 5 Regice, and a PSA 3 Latios) I am just wondering what you predict their value to be in say 5, 10, or even 15 years. Thanks so much for your help!
Realized Im late for the party here lol. But I have a question. I just picked up collecting after having a lot of cards. Found happiness in sorting cards, searchin for knowledge and buying for nostalgia mainly. Resently bought a freshly opened base set (101/102). All sleeved and lookin pretty. Don't have the money to grade it all. Would it hurt to keep these safe in sleeves+folders and grade when I can and maybe the value even have gone up? Will it affect the grade?
If they are stored properly and not moved often then yes, the grade should be unaffected. The issue is the backside of the Pokemon cards, the blue edging is pretty easily silvered. I store all my cards and do not move them if I do not have to. I penny sleeve them inside an ultra pro sleeve, should be good...
Grading one card is more safe then grading an entire set unless you really analyze the cards. Even then and in countless PSA forums. You can get a magnifying glass and try your best to get the highest grade but you really dont know what grade you are gonna get. If you get a PSA 9 with an older card, if you do the math, you can get the cards "reviewed" and possibly moved up to a 10. An example (hypothetical pricing) would be the difference between a PSA 9 Dark Charizard which is valued at $200 vice a PSA 10 Dark Charizard valued at $1000. You can send it in for review 50+ times and possibly bumped to a 10 and still make money on that card.
I know this video is older and you might not follow comments on here anymore but I have a quick question... would you say your better off investing in New SETS while they're cheap or go into the older rarer SETS now that they're pricier but will continue to gain value?
Not sure if you received a response not on here but, doing research I believe the older sets are better to invest. It does not hurt to possibly invest in some of the newer sets. It is kind of a debate as collecting is always touchy. A card is worth as much it is valued to that person. I believe that it is a good possibility that newer cards will have value as we think of cards that we would like to collect as we grew up as a value to us. The issue is, with the newer cards, how much are they going to produce? This happened with sports cards in the 90s (just by my research and reading articles/forums). They massively produced so many sports cards in the 90s that they have almost no value except for key players (i.e. Michael Jordan) and only certain cards. Didnt mean to sidetrack on sports card market cuz that market is so much harder to understand value then TCG because its based on the player/stats/etc. I think if you are going to collect, collect on cards you like and some of the new are you enjoy so that it has value to you and if it is worth a lot in the future, thats when you can determine if you want to keep it or sell it.
Also Pokemon cards are not faked as much as sports cards but thats just in my experience, I would have to find and get statistics and research to properly cite that...
Thank you so much, I'm about to watch every video you've ever made. I am about to make my first purchase with intent to resell. Do you have an email I could contact you at if I had a question?
If you took this advice in 2016, congrats you made it!
Michel S. I think you got scammed
@@michels.9965 they sell for a couple hundred :/
Christian think he’s talking about a booster box lol
Cams Collectibles that would make a lot more sense lol
It's even better now! Haha
4 years later, still relevant
Going back and watching some old videos for insight on the fundamentals. It's neat to hear your perspective from back then and seeing where the market is now. These are very exciting times! Thank you for your contributions to the community, dude!
Going back and watching earlier videos are so great. Seeing that starter experience and knowing what the outcome is now. Pretty cool imo
Very informative and well explained. Thank you for the advice, as I've recently just got back into the hobby and needed this advice so thank you :)
dude your awesome i bought a couple times off your ebay and now seeing the type of person you are and what not! GOODLUCK with your future keep doing great business
man o man, if I found this video in '16 what difference that would make - love ur content, Pratte
Watching this five years later is almost chilling how much you got right
Hey! I just found found your channel by accident and I'm really glad I did, lots and lots of good content on here. You seem to be an expert on older/WotC cards, but how familiar are you with e-Series, EX-Series, D/P/Pt/HG/SS/, B/W, and XY? What do you do think about the sets, what are some of your favorites, do you even buy new product/singles as they come out? You seem like the kind of guy who would look for sealed product, maybe the Crystals, Gold Stars, and big cards like the newer Mega Charizards, but obviously you can tell me better than I can. Do you invest in newer cards in the sense of their playability such as the currently infamous Shaymin? Regardless, you have some A+ content, definitely keep it up.
Your channel features amazing, useful content. It deserves to be bigger.
SMPratte 2016: "You need to start as a collector before you become an investor or entrepreneur in this hobby"
Z&G Emporium, PokeRev, Gary Vee, Logan Paul, and Collectibles Guru: "Allow us to introduce ourselves."
I cant stand z&g
@@rsnerd008 As someone who's also in it for the money, and as someone who loves Rev, Guru, and Logan, I HATE Z&G. Why? Because he called gamers lazy.
Hearing you say $2000 for a ps9 Charizard just made me audibly say "fuck".
I'm sat in tight now on this rollercoaster of fun. Really happy to have found your channel and all the great insight you've provided.
Thanks smpratte. This video is refreshing. Timeless advice. Thank you.
saw this title, I subbed, keep posting dem videos!!
Nice to see where this started👍
I did it as a part time thing to make extra money quickly as a part time thing as I was moving to Thailand. I'd buy booster cases, open it all and sell it as bundles/individuals, I'd buy bulk auctions, break it down and sell it. Sad thing is that I knew a lot of the stuff I had would go up so much in price if I kept it, luckily I still had so much to sell prior to moving to Thailand that when/if I go home I can get back on it, probably have 10,000 cards, couple of binders full of old school ex and some sealed packs.
I collect pokemon as well as football cards and i think the greatest thing about pokemon is that they never go away. I dont know how to put that into concise wording but what I mean by that is- mewtwo for example is a pretty popular pokemon more so than I would say clefairy as far as collecting. But clefairy 1st edition base set still has value. In football the Johnny Manzel cards were going crazy and buying in on breaks for the browns was insane just like with baker this past year. And now since he was a bust those cards have literally 10% value and there will never be an increase imo.
Hey Scott, love your videos! You've been a big part of my interest in returning to and investing in the hobby.
I'm curious to hear your (and everyone in the comment section's) opinion on lower end PSA investments from base set - such as Base Set Unlimited PSA 9's and 8's. Do you see potential room for growth in these cards due to their current low value?
Love your videos and hope to hear some opinions on this. :)
Genius starting this series in the middle of the pokemon go hype!
Really wish I would have decided to spend $10,000 in 2012 or so on higher end base set cards and rare promos, as well as sealed packs and boxes.
@DonGrean not so sure about that, supply, which drives price, is basically as low as it'll get. Everything has finally made its way into the hands of collectors
I completely agree. I started off purely collecting and now I know which cards to invest in and what people are going to have interest in. I bought my base set for $140 Australian years ago and sold it for $500 last week. There was so many times where I wanted to sell but I felt like the more patient I was the most profit I would generate.
Uh huh. How do you feel now? Its like 4-5k now. Oh my gosh everything is so expensive now.
@@ReMarig00o $40k-50k now
@@thevintagevaluesexperience4302 Funny to look back. Yikes.
As someone who mains YGO, but pays attention to Pokemon with full intention to grow a collection of both, perhaps opening a store if I do well, but it’s just a hobby.
That being said, if I stand to make a ridiculous return on some of the extras I pick up along the way, that’s fine by me.
It’s an old video but I appreciate the information and can’t wait to see where all these TCG’s go.
good video man makes sense just watching alot of you videos new to alot of them thanks for the education
Still holds true today. $2000 for a 1st edition PSA 9 charizard is nice to hear though 😅
*"The OLDER, the RARER, the MINTER, the BETTER!"*
*smpratte*
i know this is an older video but would you consider WOTC booster packs to be a good investment ? i’ve been collecting for a while and sealed product is something i’d like to start purchasing.
I've been ebay flipping newer expansions for almost a year, I'm really wanting to slow down, and truly invest for the future. I really appreciate these videos and the knowledge they bring. I'll definately be seeing more videos.
i think you are certainly onto something / all markets are speculative in nature, however pokemon seems like its only up from here 🥂
ive got the original era sets all complete , slowly getting the missing theme decks/promos
PSA / beckett are both a wonderful way to ensure credibility & condition when reselling
Boi YOU ARE THE BEST POKETUBER EVER
Awesome video, man! What do you recommend with bulk commons and duplicate cards?
The two main routes are selling it to a high volume seller, or making individual mixed lots and listing them on ebay. The first option is much less work, the second typically earns more, but takes more time.
Dude i use to collect pokemon cards in 1998 as a kid. I just got back into it 2.5 years ago and spent about $7-8k on the classic cards lol. I guess you are correct about millenials buying their childhood memories with their spare change.
@Billy Backwoods Why not? entrepreneurs don't always have to live an investment lifestyle. Although I didn't buy these cards for investments, they actually have gained in price as I have sold some.
Took this advice a couple years ago ! I think I made it guys !
I got back into the collecting game in 2009 when I started my channel. everything was so cheap then. glad I invested in what I did
I got my PSA 9 1st edition base set charizard for $200 in 09 as well
@@ImVeryBrad that''s a big W
@@tieswillems3841 big time
When you say start as a collector what do you mean by that? For example I am collecting non graded sets and cards with some sealed packs. Or do you mean collecting PSA graded cards?
Its 2024 and this video does not get old
Wow its 2020 and Im seeing this video, to bad cant time time travel
I like the picture of Jake and Bender
Can you show off your collection?
Im pretty sure I read an article about you in one of the PSA magazines lol
man i wish i found this in 2016. i did however save all my cards from 1999 and they blew up!
Great video, friend of mine sent the link. I just VERY recently started buying Pokemon cards again. I'm far from investing at this point, more reliving a childhood hobby, but if I'm lucky enough to find anything, old, rare, and mint I'll find myself enjoying the profits later in life. I noticed your channel icon is the Pokemon Illustrator card...there's no way you actually got your hands on one of those, is there? Interested to find out, let me know.
Thanks! I do own a pokemon illustrator card. I actually have one listed on ebay at the moment. My username is the same there as here "smpratte".
I’m as old as the Pokémon franchise. I’m buying all my childhood cards. Selling some newer o es to get there
smpratte, i've got a few boxes of Roaring Skies that I purchased before they went out of print. Would you recommend selling them before the cards are rotated out (I forsee a price decrease because Shaymin was what kept the price high), or keeping them for 4-5 more years?
moop they are reprinting the whole set.
Its 2021, Shining Fates just came out and flippers have become the market
So well made
Do you only collect the older/classic Pokemon cards or do you think the new stuff that is available in the market today will have value years down the road?
This is a common question so I copy and pasted my answer: Not sure if you received a response not on here but, doing research I believe the older sets are better to invest. It does not hurt to possibly invest in some of the newer sets. It is kind of a debate as collecting is always touchy. A card is worth as much it is valued to that person. I believe that it is a good possibility that newer cards will have value as we think of cards that we would like to collect as we grew up as a value to us. The issue is, with the newer cards, how much are they going to produce? This happened with sports cards in the 90s (just by my research and reading articles/forums). They massively produced so many sports cards in the 90s that they have almost no value except for key players (i.e. Michael Jordan) and only certain cards. Didnt mean to sidetrack on sports card market cuz that market is so much harder to understand value then TCG because its based on the player/stats/etc. I think if you are going to collect, collect on cards you like and some of the new are you enjoy so that it has value to you and if it is worth a lot in the future, thats when you can determine if you want to keep it or sell it.
I have some card is LATIOS and LATIAS that is pop 3 I don't know if have value
may i ask you a question, how do you keep ungraded cards stored? many cards i have ungraded in boxes just seem to bow, i am looking to find a way on how to store them correctly! or even if you could make a video on how to correctly store your cards for both fort term and long term!
This is a late reply as you did not receive one. Its not the best way, but I store mine in penny sleeves inside a binder but not all of them. Most of my cards are put in penny sleeves inside of ultra pro card sleeves. Then PSA cards have fitted sleeves to go around the PSA case so they do not get scratched. I think its unappealing to have a PSA 10/Beckett 10 all scratched up... Its kind of obvious but I think the cards should be in a temperature controlled environment. Simply meaning inside lol. Just my thoughts
Great video man, loved that douche speech lol, but you are right, generally rarer/older cards are more valued to buyers/collectors. Mint cards are pretty obvious when it comes to collecting, especially Pokemon. Looking at the market, obviously Japanese aka Pocket Monster cards are not as valued as English cards. Do you think investing in older Japanese cards will build value? Of course its just an opinion. I recently got back into Pokemon since I was a kid. I watched the cartoon more then anything, interested in hearing your thoughts.
dude that shirt is awesome
Look at the market now. 👏
@@jxh6408 my collection easily passes the 10k mark in terms of value. Really excited to see how far it goes
Great shirt!
How much you think will a sealed X&Y evolutions booster box be worth in 5, 10 or 20 years?
And hidden fates collector tins?
Great video, thanks! :)
well now there 500$ ;)
Could you do a video about the Gold Star cards and their future value? I am a fairy new collector and have Umbreon, Latios, Latias, Regirock, Registeel, Charizard, Pikachu, Metagross, Groudon, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei all PSA 9. (also a PSA 5 Regice, and a PSA 3 Latios) I am just wondering what you predict their value to be in say 5, 10, or even 15 years. Thanks so much for your help!
I would like to see that you. And btw. this is an amazing collection for a new collector.
Realized Im late for the party here lol. But I have a question. I just picked up collecting after having a lot of cards. Found happiness in sorting cards, searchin for knowledge and buying for nostalgia mainly. Resently bought a freshly opened base set (101/102). All sleeved and lookin pretty. Don't have the money to grade it all. Would it hurt to keep these safe in sleeves+folders and grade when I can and maybe the value even have gone up? Will it affect the grade?
Watch and learn alot from ur vids btw! Knowledge is power! @smpratte
If they are stored properly and not moved often then yes, the grade should be unaffected. The issue is the backside of the Pokemon cards, the blue edging is pretty easily silvered. I store all my cards and do not move them if I do not have to. I penny sleeve them inside an ultra pro sleeve, should be good...
Grading one card is more safe then grading an entire set unless you really analyze the cards. Even then and in countless PSA forums. You can get a magnifying glass and try your best to get the highest grade but you really dont know what grade you are gonna get. If you get a PSA 9 with an older card, if you do the math, you can get the cards "reviewed" and possibly moved up to a 10. An example (hypothetical pricing) would be the difference between a PSA 9 Dark Charizard which is valued at $200 vice a PSA 10 Dark Charizard valued at $1000. You can send it in for review 50+ times and possibly bumped to a 10 and still make money on that card.
Absolutely right
the charlie munger of pokemon
Love ya Scott 🇬🇧🔥
Hey man, I pulled the shiny charizard gx and need some advice on how I should send it away to PSA for grade. Any advice?
No envelope juat a stamp
I know this video is older and you might not follow comments on here anymore but I have a quick question... would you say your better off investing in New SETS while they're cheap or go into the older rarer SETS now that they're pricier but will continue to gain value?
Not sure if you received a response not on here but, doing research I believe the older sets are better to invest. It does not hurt to possibly invest in some of the newer sets. It is kind of a debate as collecting is always touchy. A card is worth as much it is valued to that person. I believe that it is a good possibility that newer cards will have value as we think of cards that we would like to collect as we grew up as a value to us. The issue is, with the newer cards, how much are they going to produce? This happened with sports cards in the 90s (just by my research and reading articles/forums). They massively produced so many sports cards in the 90s that they have almost no value except for key players (i.e. Michael Jordan) and only certain cards. Didnt mean to sidetrack on sports card market cuz that market is so much harder to understand value then TCG because its based on the player/stats/etc. I think if you are going to collect, collect on cards you like and some of the new are you enjoy so that it has value to you and if it is worth a lot in the future, thats when you can determine if you want to keep it or sell it.
Also Pokemon cards are not faked as much as sports cards but thats just in my experience, I would have to find and get statistics and research to properly cite that...
Nailed it.
really hoping pokemon go doesn't affect the tcg market. I already struggle with the hobby as is when it comes to the financial side of it.
I have noticed certain items have spiked a bit, mostly older cards from the original era. Thanks for the business by the way. :)
Lol don’t you wish you bought it all 3 years ago
I want buy Charnzardon, where buy
thank
Thank you so much, I'm about to watch every video you've ever made. I am about to make my first purchase with intent to resell. Do you have an email I could contact you at if I had a question?
hope it worked out for you
Reverse holo should they be collected as well?
Good question, also should they be graded?
The older the rarer the minter *or the more charizard* the better
You are a god among men!
Can I contact you?
2022 checkpoint
👍like
👄👄👄👄