I bought a Rocket’s Scyther ex since I really loved the design. Two months later, I sold it.

Not because I stopped liking it. But because it was in too good condition.

Sounds weird, I know. Let me explain.

I think Scyther is a really cool Pokémon. Scizor too. Especially since I used both in my Pokémon Gold playthrough on the GBA, which I started a few months ago.

At the same time, I wanted to make a Team Rocket-themed page in my binder. And then I came across this one: Rocket’s Scyther ex, the Japanese version from 2004. It’s from Rocket Gang Strikes Back, the Japanese version of EX Team Rocket Returns.

I paid €150 for it. A big buy for me. Especially for a “loose” card that doesn’t belong to any set I’m working on.

But the spiky border around the artwork, and the red R in the bottom right (the Team Rocket logo), just look really, really cool imo.

I can’t afford to collect all the Rocket’s cards from this set at the moment. So for now, just one card from this set would be enough.

Quick hello 👋 since you’re still reading: I’m Lucas. I collect obscure vintage Pokémon stuff for the love of the collectibles, not just for the market. One free issue a week about cool collectibles and the stories behind it, plus a free Collector’s Guide when you join!

Collecting the stories, not just the collectibles

The card I bought was super clean. I found one tiny dent in the top left on the back but that was it.

So after putting it in my binder, I took it right back out a few minutes later, back into a toploader. And there it stayed. In a toploader on my desk, where I never really looked at it.

That’s not how I want to collect. I want to take my cards out of the sleeve for photos, shuffle my binder around, flip through it. With this one, I didn’t really dare.

Could I have graded it? Maybe. An 8 or 9 might have been possible (I think). But I’ve never graded anything, and doing it for the first time with one card felt a bit scary. And the other cards I have, I keep raw for my binders anyway.

So I took it to the card show. My plan: if I got my €150 back, maybe a few tenners on top, I’d sell it.

Turns out I’d underestimated it. The card had gone up lately. The vendor offered €255.

I’d already spotted two cards at his table, about €50 together. So I walked away with those two cards plus €205.

And I don’t regret it. I made some money on it. Even though that was never really the goal. I just wanted to swap a card I didn’t dare to touch for cards I’d actually enjoy.

Selling is part of collecting too. Not my focus though, but part of the hobby.

While we were talking, the vendor told me something I didn’t know.

My copy was a 1st edition. Normally, that’s the rare version. But not for most Japanese cards.

In most Japanese sets, the unlimited print run was the shorter one. So unlimited is often harder to find than 1st edition. For this era the difference is smaller, but most copies of this set you come across are 1st edition.

Does that make unlimited more valuable? A bit, but also not really. A lot of collectors still prefer that 1st edition stamp.

I spent the whole show using only the Scyther money. So it felt like a free show.

Here are some things that I got:

All cards that are going straight into my binders!

I started CrulCrul because I think the best part of collecting is the collecting itself. Investing isn’t wrong, it’s just not why I love and collect the things I do.

If you collect for the love of it too, join for free. One issue a week, plus my free Collector’s Guide.

Collecting the stories, not just the collectibles