Guide
Starting a Pokémon collection: how to begin without scattering
Buying cards without a plan quickly leaves you with a box of duplicates and no common thread. A focus keeps a collection tidy, cheaper and yours. Here is how to begin.
Step 1: choose a focus
Almost every long-running collection begins with a simple boundary: a favourite Pokémon, one set, one type or one region. One Pokémon suits a start best, because there are many cards from different years and the collection gets a face.
Step 2: set a budget
Fix an amount per month, or for the start, and stick to it. Cards come in very different price ranges. You do not need expensive cards at first to have a collection that looks good.
Step 3: begin with a binder
- A binder with nine pockets per page is the usual standard.
- Sleeves, or the binder pockets themselves, protect cards from scratches.
- Leave room: someone with 90 cards does not need a binder for 900.
The guide to binder sizes explains how many pockets each size has.
Step 4: pay attention to condition
Marketplaces grade cards in fixed steps from Near Mint to Played. For a collection to look at, a good condition is pleasant but does not always have to be Near Mint. Decide in advance what you accept and set the minimum condition when you buy.
Step 5: keep the list and buy
Keep track of which cards you have and which are missing. In Your Card Binder you create a wish binder for that: you see which places are free and get the missing cards as a shopping list for Cardmarket, CardTrader or TCGplayer. A free place does not count as a missing card until you decide on one.
A collection is never finished, and that is its charm. Start small and let it grow.