Collecting Pokémon Cards is an Expensive Endeavour

In 1999 I made a choice. A choice to begin collecting Pokémon cards and bowing down to the might of Pikachu. To catch em' all no matter what the cost. Something that is easily more achievable with enough money today than it was 22 years ago.

Back then a booster pack of eleven cards cost £2.50 or my weekly pocket money. Today that cost has doubled. You receive a similar amount of cards, with ten from the main set and one random energy card contained within each pack. 

Double the price but equivalent value and so it is nothing to quibble about. The sheer number of cards is however something that should be brought to the attention of all, including the rarity distribution.

A Frequent Expansion

The Sword and Shield collection (the latest series) has released double that number, so my original hypothesis was correct in a way.

When I was ten (1999), it felt as though expansions were a yearly change, not quarterly, yet with the current batch of cards (Sword and Shield), it feels as though a new expansion is being released every other month. This is not the case of course, as checking through the release dates, I can see that the first three expansions (Base Set, Jungle and Fossil) were released in the same year.

The Sword and Shield collection (the latest series) has released double that number, so my original hypothesis was correct in a way. 

The latest trading card expansion releases new sets so frequently that unless you go out in the first month and buy 200 packs of cards, then you are highly unlikely to be able to complete a set whilst it is on the 'shelves'. You will instead be forced to utilise the power of eBay and various other websites to complete your collection.

Pokémon: Chilling Reign Expansion

As soon as I had unwrapped the second booster I knew that I had made a mistake.

Since the start of the pandemic, I have felt an overwhelming desire to start a new collection. I have my cards from the first seven expansions, yet I yearned for that sense of opening a fresh booster pack, placing them in an album and ticking off each new card as it arrived.

With the desire to start a new collection I decided to invest in the Chilling Reign expansion as the folder had one of my favourite Pokémon on the front (Articuno). As soon as I had unwrapped the second booster I knew that I had made a mistake.

The second booster offered me doubles from the first. Something that seems innocuous until you look into the costs and the rarity contained within the set.

Let me explain further…

Each booster pack contains ten cards and one energy, as well as a QR code to access what you have purchased in the online game. Within this set of ten is always one rare card and nine common/uncommon cards (shown to the buyer as a circle, diamond, or star in the bottom corner of the pack.

With only one rare per pack, those that are producing the cards should add a sufficient amount of common and uncommon cards to ensure variety. This is of course the human in me and not the business. In my opinion, each expansion set should be weighted with 20% of the total cards that inhabit that set being rare, then 35% being uncommon and 45% common. This ensures an even mix, yet when I look into the rarity of the Chilling Reign set, a picture emerges…

• There are 198 cards in the main set
• 35 additional cards beyond the 198th exist ('super rare')
• Before we get to the trainer cards in the setlist, there are 128 cards.
• Of these 128 cards, 70 are rare and only 58 are common or uncommon. 55% of the set up this point is therefore considered, rare
• This is in comparison to the original Base Set expansion (1999) that offers 22 out of 69 cards that are rare. 32% of the set-up to this point is therefore considered, rare.

From around a third of the cards to less than 50% being uncommon or common, it is a recipe for duplication.

The Results

There is no point in purchasing more booster packs as 90% of what I will receive I already have.

I stuck with it as I am stubborn.

After purchasing 30 booster packs at a cost of £5 per pack (£150 in total) I have 89 of the first 128 cards. I have all 31 trainers cards (all listed as uncommon in the setlist) and four of the possible 70 ultra and secret rare cards that dominate the set post trainer cards.

In total, I have 124 of the total 233 cards that are available to purchase. I own all of the commons and uncommon in the set, yet have 109 rare, super rare, secret rare or ultra-rare cards left to collect. There is no point in purchasing more booster packs as 90% of what I will receive I already have.

I have 160 (some cards have a shiny and non-shiny version. Some of the 124 cards have a shiny equivalent that I have kept) duplicates cards sitting on the side, waiting for me to consider what I will do with them.

In total, I own 53.2% of the cards available within the set. There is no point in purchasing additional boosters and so the only logical option is eBay and buying the cards, one by one. If we give every missing card a conservative value of £5 each (very conservative I know) then I am looking at an additional cost of £545 to complete the collection. This does not include delivery costs and a cursory look on eBay shows me that some of the ultra-rare cards are going for around £25 each.

The only conclusion here is that completing the collection will cost in and around £1,000 in total. This provides an average cost of £4.30 per card. Something that people will say can be offset by selling the duplicates but if everyone is facing similar odds, then who will be buying the common and uncommon cards? I have some cards with ten duplicates.

Play with the Decks

With such little variety when it comes to commons and uncommons, the game will be a little dull.

The argument can be made that the trading card game is more than collecting one of everything and that is a valid point. Sitting down with a friend and playing with your specially selected deck is important, as it is ultimately a game, yet there is a fine line. If my opponent has taken the same approach as I have (the average line), then each deck will be similar in nature.

There will be different rares and super rares included but the core set will be the same. With such little variety when it comes to commons and uncommons, the game will be a little dull. The counterargument here is that there are other expansions and you would pick and choose, but what if money was an obstacle?

Warning for Parents

You want to provide and treat your children but at the cost of over a thousand pounds a set, you have to feel sorry for the parents.

The world is split into those with money and those who struggle. Many live on the fringes but we can all agree that the super-rich guide the world into continually providing more for them. Leaching off the incomes of lower-income families to fund their lavish lifestyles, when £5 a booster could be the disposable income for some, for a week.

With expansions growing exponentially in the hope of making more and more money for the Pokémon company, you have to feel sorry for parents caught in the middle. The cards are overpriced for what they are. I have been able to indulge in a whim as I am in a good place in life. Others are not as fortunate. You want to provide and treat your children but at the cost of over a thousand pounds a set, you have to feel sorry for the parents.

It is nice to have a collection growing up. I loved collecting stickers and cards but I know now that it is an expensive hobby. To use a classic Hunger Games line, 'May the odds forever be in your favour'.

The odds are not in your favour and most likely, you will need to go card by card to complete the whole collection. Something that is unfair and has changed over the years.

A Final Thought

For some sets, the odds are stacked so highly against children that they will be forced to ask their parents for nearly £1,000 to complete the collection.

Collections are amazing. They are a key part of growing up and learning about the world, as you need to consider the cost, the benefits of the long-term investment and if you are alone. Being alone will add considerable cost to the process, as rather than being able to swap with friends, you will need to resort to the internet to purchase those missing cards.

There will still be a part of the process that will involve purchases online but there will be less to buy if you have other friends going through the same process. This will be of benefit in terms of being able to play the game and offering you additional reasons for investment.

The sad consideration that surrounds collections is that it will cost and most likely cost parents that are already cash strapped. With the odds being stacked against you, you will end up as I am, with numerous doubles that you can do nothing with. You will reach the point of pointlessness quickly and easily, with the purchase of boosters being a real waste.

Investment in trading cards is costly. For some sets, the odds are stacked so highly against children that they will be forced to ask their parents for nearly £1,000 to complete the collection. A cost that is too high for many but there will be enough that do invest to make it 'worthwhile' for the Pokémon company.