The best collectibles were never intended to be collected.
Take early comic books, for example: They were printed on delicate paper, intended to be cheap, mass produced, read, and discarded. No one expected them to be coveted for generations, and so the vast majority of early comic books were lost or destroyed over time.
A price that reflects both the massive historical and cultural significance of Superman, and super heroes in general, as well as the tiny supply of known examples. Per CGC:
Fewer than 100 copies of Action Comics #1 exist in the CGC Population Report. At the highest levels, the population becomes extraordinarily thin. Just two copies are graded CGC 9.0, and each time one of those elite examples has traded hands, the value has climbed significantly.
Action Comics #1 was never intended to be collectied. Today, it is a wonderful collectible.
CGC article documenting the record sale of a CGC 9.0 Action Comics #1 for $15,000,000 USD.
By their nature, trading cards struggle for exactly this reason: Unlike comic books, trading cards were always intended to be collected.
And yet, TCGs are also wonderful collectibles.
How can that be?
To understand this, let's take a look at one of my favorite classes of overlooked Pokémon cards: blister promos. These are the simple, holo promo cards that get included in 3 pack and checklane blisters.
There's a good chance you don't think about these promo cards at all, and I don't blame you. Their standard card frames and widespread distribution make them quite unremarkable. Especially when compared to the spectacular promos we receive through Ultra Premium Collections and Elite Trainer Boxes.
And yet, this Pikachu blister promo from the Team Up set just sold in PSA 10 for $2,100 USD.
eBay listing for a sold PSA 10 Pikachu SM162 for $2,100 USD.
Meanwhile, raw copies sell for $120 or more. For a checklane blister promo...
The success of this card brings us back to beginning of this newsletter because, although promos like this were obviously designed to be collectible, they were also overlooked by collectors.
Like the early comic books, mass-produced promo cards like Pikachu SM 162 were rarely coveted and protected for the long-term. At best, collectors may have slid them into a binder to be forgetten. At worst, they thrown into a box with other bulk cards, risking damage or destruction.
Like those early comic books, which were never thought of as a collectible, the supply of high-quality examples of these checklane blister promo cards has disappeared over time.
To add to this, when the Team Up set was released, the Pokémon card hobby was far smaller than it is today. (This is why the Team Up booster box has gotten so expensive!) The supply of even a mass produced blister promo from this era is relatively low by today's standards.
The Pikachu SM 162 card, for example, has fewer than 2,000 PSA 10 examples (compared to the 20,000+ PSA 10 examples of the Moonbreon, which fetches the same PSA 10 price).
PSA Population Report for the Pikachu SM 162 card, showing less than 2,000 PSA 10 examples and less than 12,000 total graded examples.
The lesson is this:
Purpose-built collectibles can still develop into true, high-quality collectibles, when interest in the collectible hobby brings more and more collectors into the market over time. This dynamic ensures that even the mass-produced cards of earlier eras become rare and valuable in the current, larger, marketplace.
Along the way, overlooked cards, like Pikachu SM 162, can benefit disproportionately due to the higher than average attrition that came with their low perceived value at release. Assuming, of course, that enough collectors desire the card.
As usual,
Thanks so much for reading the TCG Buyers Club newsletter. My name's Grey, I buy cardboard, and I'm on a mission to make collecting and investing in Pokémon simple.
Cheers 🍻
P.S. I remember thinking $20 USD raw was too much for this Pikachu card, and I still regret not buying them! I did manage to pick up a couple of the Battle Styles checklane blisters featuring the Charmander promo, which are starting to appreciate in value! How about you? Do you collect blister promos?
Recent eBay sales for Battle Styles checklane blister packs with the Charmander promo card.