Guide to Pokémon Card Collecting Archives - TCG Mart London

Guide to Pokémon Card Collecting

All entries in this guide series, in order of publication.

31 Aug 2024

1. Why Pokémon Cards Are Worth Anything (And Why Most Aren’t)

The £300,000 Card That Convinced Everyone They Were Rich In 2021, a PSA 10 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard sold for more than…

10 min
30 Aug 2024

2. Grading and Condition: What Actually Separates a PSA 9 from a PSA 10

Grading and Condition: What Actually Separates a PSA 9 from a PSA 10 The Single Grade Point That's Worth More Than A…

11 min
29 Aug 2024

3. Buying and Selling Pokémon Cards Online Without Getting Burned

It arrived. It was a Base Set Blastoise, and it was in a PSA slab. The grade was PSA 6. When I…

6 min
28 Aug 2024

4. Why the Pokémon Card Market Goes in Cycles (And What That Means for Collectors)

The £20,000 Charizard That Became A £5,000 Charizard In early 2021, a PSA 10 Unlimited Base Set Charizard — not even the…

13 min
27 Aug 2024

5. How to Store Pokémon Cards Without Quietly Destroying Them

The £500 Card I Ruined With A Binder I once owned a Near Mint Base Set Blastoise. Good centring, sharp corners, clean…

11 min
26 Aug 2024

6. Are Pokémon Cards an Investment? An Honest Look at the Risks

Why Most Pokémon Card "Investors" Lost Money In 2020 and 2021, a great many people bought Pokémon cards as "investments". They paid…

12 min
25 Aug 2024

7. How to Spot a Fake Pokémon Card Before You Buy

The £800 Fake Charizard I Nearly Bought I was looking for a Base Set Charizard and found one listed at £750, against…

12 min
24 Aug 2024

8. Sealed Products and Promos: What’s Worth Buying and What Isn’t

The £2,000 I Lost Opening Modern Booster Boxes Between 2020 and 2021 I bought modern sealed product as "investments" — Evolving Skies…

12 min
23 Aug 2024

9. What I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Collecting

Every Mistake In This Guide, I Made First When I started collecting in 2018, I worked through more or less the entire…

11 min