Mixing a sports card collector and Pokémon cards
 

My son introduced me to Pokémon cards a couple of years ago. As a sports card guy for over 40 years, I immediately gravitated towards the Topps and Topps Chrome cards that were issued in 1999-00 only. I bought a ton of them, completing insert sets, etc. Over the past year, I grew tired of them and decided to start selling them at my local sports card shows and eBay store. I have quickly come to find out that there is virtually zero interest in these Topps issued cards. While we get tons of requests at our table for Pokémon, it is next to impossible to sell even a single Topps card. I expected that these would gain traction one day, just not sure now whether I’ll still be alive to see that day, I’ll be 55 next month.

Anyone else on the board here do Pokémon and finding out the same scenario? Just as an example, I went on eBay and did a card search for Kabutops, definitely not one of the more popular Pokémon characters. Results were 6,000+ Pokémon issued cards listed for sale and a total of 52 Topps and Topps Chrome combined. Could it be any more obvious that there is zero interest in these cards?

Guess I should look at the bright side. At least we know that there are a few other idiots like myself who bought lots of these and now stuck with them forever. Maybe eBay can somehow promote these listings so that all of these can finally sell……

My view on modern cards is notoriously jaded but anyway:

Modern cards are common. Grains of sand on the beach. They are also nearly always in top condition. And the following for them is shallow and fickle, chasers of trends. If you are collecting for fun, that's one thing. I love the Dufex cards of the mid-1990s. Doesn't get much more interesting, from a technical and aesthetic perspective. I have a bunch. But they are worth a lot less today than when issued (with a few exceptions). Buying as a collector-investor, IMO you have to either avoid modern trendy items or get in at a per unit cost so low that you won't get hurt when the trend-chasers move on to something else. Pokemon has a fan base for sure but not a long and deep history of collecting that helps protect the downside. It will be volatile, especially since its fan base is largely younger and not a bunch of older men with established finances and nothing better to do. It may get there, but the gyrations before that are going to be vicious, as has been the case with junk wax and shiny crap.