u/OldManFreshTofu

Parting ways with a few of my old vintage slabs, but not sure how to price them since recent sales all came before the early 2026 run up. My interactions on FB Marketplace have been.. amusing? “I’ll buy them for raw NM value” to “75% of last sold.” 😭 The current eBay listings although high and for sure what I’d be willing to take should such an offer arrive, don’t look like they’ll sell so your assistance in determining fair pricing would be greatly appreciated!

Yesterday I received a thank you letter from the students who were part of my school’s very first Pokemon Club. Most of these kids come from low income families, and over the last few months I taught them how to play, build decks, and enjoy the hobby. Reading their letter reminded me why I fell in love with Pokemon in the first place.

It also made me think about how difficult it’s become for many kids to participate in this hobby today. I’m so thankful that a handful of fellow teachers were able to donate a ton of bulk for our club, but once upon a time as I’m sure many of you remember we could simply head into a store with a few buck and walk out happy. That’s obviously not the case anymore.

So when I see retailers cutting ETB seals at the register or putting purchase limits on products I’m 100% for it. Yeah all you sealed collectors and scalpers probably hate that, but wasn’t Pokemon made for the kids? Remember the joy you felt back in the day? Walking out with a handful of fresh packs and tearing through them was simply the best no matter what you managed to pull! Our kids should be able to experience that too. My club members were able to thanks to Journey Together/Perfect Order being such unappealing sets for the scalpers. I snagged dozens of packs/booster bundles at retail and used them as prizes for my students, but I should’ve been able to do that with any set. My kids shouldn’t have to skip class and wait in line for hours alongside jobless losers to get their hands on some cardboard at a reasonable price..

Nikita, the 4th grade author of this cute little letter had been part of over a dozen clubs since kindergarten. Whenever I mentioned that she was one of my club members to another teacher they’d give me this look. Apparently she had never shown much interest in any of her previous clubs. Her parents basically signed her up for everything because it was pretty much free after school daycare. That changed with Pokemon. As the weeks went by I saw this girl go from a disinterested shy hermit to a confident and on rare occasions angry tryhard and eventually the winner of our club tournament lol.. This is what Pokemon can do. It makes me think of the countless kids out there that are like Nikita. Kids who would absolutely love Pokemon if they had the means to access it. Maybe the next World Champ is some 10 year old who simply needs to have that shot at opening their first pack..

Waited outside my local GameStop for 2 hours to pick up this baby a few weeks back. As much as the Pokemon TCG community loves to shit on our favorite store, there were a ton of people waiting in line. Fast forward a bit and I’m attending a card show, CGC was doing on-site grading so I decided to send it in. She came back a 10 🤩 And for those wondering why I didn’t submit through GameStop/PSA it’s because my personal collection is all CGC. Yes, had this gotten a PSA 10 it would’ve been worth a lot more, but like my shares, I don’t plan to sell! God I love this card..