POKEMON WHAT IF WEDNESDAY! Weekly Investing & Collecting Q&A!

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]Welcome back to another Pokemon What If Wednesday, where every Wednesday morning we go through last week's investing and collecting questions where your guys' questions will actually be featured in the video and one person's question will help me make the thumbnail every single week. So, please drop your questions down below for a chance to be me in next week's video. And if I did comment to you saying great question, I might use this and I didn't. Please drop that same question again and put repeat question moved to the top. And I'm not saying I'm some guru who just knows everything. But when I'm unsure, I always like to talk it out with a few people. It always helps me make my final decision. And I have been in the hobby since 1999 and I've never left. So, I've been here for a while. And we do have to give a quick thanks to our video sponsor real quick.

[00:00:30]And that is Arizona TCG. If you guys have some graded cards laying around that you guys are looking to sell, PSA, CGC, Tag, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece, it does not matter. You guys do not want to deal with listing them yourself and having a bunch of people lowball you.

[00:00:43]Then you can send all your cars to Arizona TCG. They're going to take professional scans of your cars. Then they're going to post it to their massive weekly eBay auctions and even lower their prices to match the promotion they're doing during the holidays. So this is one of your cheapest options. So definitely check them out. I'll have all the links in the description. And of course, if you guys want to try out PSA, you can click the link, use code beer 25 and get $25 off your first submission. And same with tag. Use code beer 10, get 10% off your first submission. All right, first question is from Bon Waller. I have heard you say that your one rule is that you never sell or trade evolving skies or teamup. It's my personal opinion that you'll be adding ascended heroes to that list in the future to form the trio of untouchable modern sets. Think I am right or wrong? No, I honestly totally agree with that. You know, I was going to put 151 up there even though I don't think it's the best set ever. just has that nostalgia that you cannot deny. But in my opinion, the Senate Heroes blows 151 out of the water. And we're actually going to compare Senate Heroes Evolving Skies and Team up right now. So here is a Senate Heroes. Total set value is $7,500. So now the thing that's really helping like the Mega Evolution and Scarlet Vad era sets is the illustration rares. And now these gold cards, especially for the Mega era, I mean, they are just worth a ton. But, you know, Pokemon wise, we got a Gengar, Pikachu, multiple Pikachus, multiple Gengars, multiple Dragonites, we got another Mewtwo. So, I mean, that's a crazy lineup right there. Just Gengar, Pikachu, Dragonite, and Mewtwo. And then on top of that, you're getting, you know, Metagross and then, you know, Psyduck and, you know, a ton of other beautiful illustration rares. I do wish they would have thrown like maybe one or two more popular Pokemon for some of these illustration rares, like something crazy that we haven't gotten one for yet, like a Kyogre or something cool.

[00:02:17]And then the mega attack rares are also really unique. Probably some of the best full art trainers we've ever gotten. But I mean, look how far you have to scroll down to not hit like illustration rares.

[00:02:26]There's just so much beautiful art in this set. And then if you compare it to a full art, I mean, it's not even really close. Then we have evolving skies.

[00:02:36]Total set value is $6,926.

[00:02:40]So ascended is worth more, which is kind of crazy to think about. Now, I mean, this set also is just stacked. Umbreon, Rayquaza, Dragonite, Sylveon, Leafeon, Glacion, Espeon is just insane. I really do wish they would have put all the evolutions in here. It kind of bugs me.

[00:02:54]And then that we got, you know, the Gen One evolutions as promos, which are pretty sick. But then we got some beautiful rainbows, some really, really nice full arts. Not the most popular gold cards, but tons of really nice full arts. And then, of course, we got a few more alternate arts. Next, we have team up worth $9,238.

[00:03:13]So, it does beat Ascended Heroes. This is where we got our tag teams. Rainbows, honestly, best rainbows we've ever gotten. Full arts could possibly be the best full arts we've ever gotten. The new mega attack rarers are pretty sick.

[00:03:26]And this set actually has insane trainers. I mean, the Sabrina's at 170.

[00:03:29]Erica's Hospitality is at 125. Jasmine's at 70. Tons of, you know, pretty valuable trainers. And then even the non-extured tag team alternate arts are beautiful. Really good scenes. Then after that, it does just go to your basic hollows and stuff. So, I mean, I didn't have to scroll down very far to get to that. So, like artwise, I really do feel like Ascended Heroes is the best. Like I said, the illustrationers just destroy, especially compared to just regular hollowos and stuff. But all three are absolutely insane. But all three are absolutely insane sets. And there's so many popular Pokemon in team up if you really look at it. We got Latas and Latios, Mimikyu and Gengar, Magikarp, is not the most popular.

[00:04:09]We got Pikachu, Zechrom, we got Venusaur, Celaby, even got a regular holo Charizard which artwise is absolutely sick. But yeah, I totally agree with that. I would definitely put an Ascended Heroes right up there with team up in Evolving Skies. Next is from Josh Rebs. Hey Beard, I just recently got the cricket tune from Crown Zenith back from PSA. It's a 10 and pop a 367.

[00:04:30]I feel like that's super low and only worth like 90 bucks now. Should I hold?

[00:04:33]Thanks, Beard. Love the content.

[00:04:35]Appreciate that. So, let's check out this cricketon. This is one of the most beautiful cards we've ever gotten. The detail is crazy. There is so many Pokemon in here. I do think this card is pretty special. The pop is 367 in a 10, 492 in a 9. So, a little difficult to grade. We do have an eBay sale at 114, but there's sales all the time at, you know, 70, 80, 90, $100. Kind of fluctuates, but I mean, at that price, I think I'd hold on to it. I know Cricketon isn't the most popular Pokemon, but I mean, as we're seeing right now with all these crazy illustration, I mean, Mouse Hold is a hundred something dollar card now.

[00:05:10]There's a lot of like not super popular Pokemon that are just going crazy cuz the art is super beautiful. And yeah, you cannot beat that, especially low pop 367.

[00:05:20]You got to think not that many people are going to get this card graded, especially cuz Crowns is getting expensive. So, this card will never have like a pop of like a couple thousand or anything like that. It'll always probably stay below a thousand. So, I feel like at that price, not a bad hold.

[00:05:33]Next is from Raphael Franco. Beard, do you think amazing rares are being slept on? So, they weren't super difficult to pull. So, there is a ton of them out there. I do think they are absolutely beautiful and I love how they got a little bit of texture on them. The Rayquaza is going crazy. Market price $30. The rest really haven't gone up too much. D7, Celby 6, Raichu 5, and the rest are like $3 or less. But, I mean, at these prices, you really cannot go wrong. I love picking up cheap sets like this cuz they look beautiful on a page.

[00:06:02]You got to think there's nine of them.

[00:06:03]Fills a perfect binder page and doesn't cost a lot of money. Super low risk. You know, I have a whole binder like that where I collected like the radiant collections and break cards and now those radiant collections are worth a ton of money. You know, stuff that isn't popular now can definitely get popular in the future. But yeah, I love the low-risk stuff, especially completing collections like that. It's my favorite.

[00:06:25]Next is from TJ Bartle. What do you think about collecting the cosmic eclipse, Charizard, Blastoise, and Venus are ultra rare tag teams in a PSA 10?

[00:06:32]All three were illustrated by Arita and I feel like they made for a really cool display collection together. Recently picked up a copy of the Archus Indie Pia for the same reasons as above. The alt arts are out of my price range and prefer the ultra rare art over the full art or the rainbow. Yeah, you cannot go wrong doing that. Especially, I mean, anything from Cosmic Eclipse is just goated. I really feel like Cosmic Eclipse is even better than Team Up in my opinion. I just like the Pokemon a little bit better. And then they got, you know, the first ever trainer gallery cards. Look at that adorable Pikachu.

[00:07:02]But I love the ultra rare tag teams. I mean, the arts are just crazy. And like I said, too, I like the full arts. I like the rainbows. I think they're the best we've ever gotten. But, you know, these non-extured alternate arts are also just insane. So, I think that is a great idea. Especially that you can get Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise all in the same set. But I feel like people don't even realize that they have that in this cosmic eclipse set. So, I think that's a great pickup. Next is from at Ghetto Blush. What do you think about picking up slabs from the Trading Card Game Classic? If you look at the gem rates of the popular Pokemon like Charizard, Blast Size, Venus, Mewtwo, and Pikachu, you'll see that almost all of them sit around or below the 40% mark. I like these repins have way better falling than that of Celebrations, and they're way harder to grade with pops in the low thousands, and they're set to explode any day. Now, let's take a little peek. Here is the trading card game classic. Says a pop of 2,400 in a 10, 3,300 in a nine. Was at $350. Now sells for around $850. So definitely going up in price. Here is the celebrations Charizard of 33,000 in a 10, 19,000 in a 9 and this was at $387.

[00:08:08]Now it's at $600. So also going up in price, but as you can see there is way less of these. I mean, Celebrations didn't have the toughest pull rates. A ton of people opened it. And this box was $400 and not a lot of people opened it. So, I do feel like this would probably be a solid pickup and I could definitely see it going up in price. It does suck, you know, we didn't get in that $350.

[00:08:27]You know, $800 is definitely a little risky and this could definitely come down in price, but I bet some of the other ones are a little bit cheaper.

[00:08:33]Let's check Blastoise.

[00:08:36]So, he's selling for about 239 with a pop of 1,600 in a 10, 21,00. So, not too bad. And I do agree the hollow really pops on these cards. I actually have a bunch of these in PSA tents. They used to be super super cheap. Let's go check the all time. This card was $77 in 2024.

[00:08:57]Actually got down to the 60s. But yeah, I think I got the whole trio. I think I got a few sets of them and you know, a bunch of the other ones. Yeah, these are actually some of my favorite reprints that we've gotten. Next is from at JP Mega Man beard. Love the content. I finally have a question for this series.

[00:09:10]I have a silver tempest Lugia V alt art in a PSA 9 and a PSA 10. I'm looking to trade or sell the nine. I absolutely love this card and I'm thrilled to have the 10 now. So, I don't have much need of the nine anymore. What are some potential buys or trades I should look into if you were me? Thanks in advance.

[00:09:24]So, I mean, if you can trade it for some steel product, that might be a good option. But, I mean, if we're checking all the new SIRs, cuz you got to think that Lugia is close to $500.

[00:09:34]I really feel like this Mega Lucario could easily be like a $350, $400 card for some reason. I just like the art so much more than a lot of these other cards. And I mean, it's basically a tag team. And there's even multiple battles going on in the background. There's one over here. There's one over here. I mean, there's so many Pokemon in this card that I could definitely see this thing popping off. But yeah, if you're talking like investment wise, if anytime you can trade cards for seal products, that is a good option for sure. But I mean, on this page, that is probably the most undervalued sir in my opinion. Next is from at Deirius Smith1214 heavier I have a Charizar VMAX SV 107 at a PSA 10.

[00:10:13]I'm not sure if I should trade for some steel products for long-term investment or I should keep it as I know the price for it has been going up a little bit but it's always nice to have a second option. Also load the vids keep the grinding going. Thank you. I feel like I would trade that card. You know, as you can see it really does not go up in price very often. It went up to $380 in 2025, dropped back down to 240. You know, it's going up again close to 300.

[00:10:36]Says a pop of 34,000 in a 10, 8, 700 in a 9. This is a very, very slow mover.

[00:10:42]So, I would definitely trade this for some seal products. Next is from It's Just Dom. I'm still new to the hobby, but I started my seal collection. Out of all the modern mega booster boxes, which one would you say is a sleeper set example? Surging, Journey, Mega Base, Fantasmal Flames. Love the content. Your videos help me so much. Pack battle soon. I'm down. So on that list, Surging and Mega Base, in my opinion, are the two most slept on. And I really do feel like the Journey together one with the box topper could go crazy cuz just think if that promo really goes crazy, that is going to help that box so much. And Fantast Daryl Ramirez. Oh, great bearded one.

[00:11:25]What's your take on collecting base set, Shadowless Hollows, and BGS slabs? solid long-term play or just collector hype. I like the transparency of subgrades versus PSA. Thanks in advance. So, I actually really do like BGS slabs, but they can definitely be slow sellers, so you do have to think about that cuz not everybody collects BGS. And then I do love the collecting the Shadowless Hollows. I really feel like those are some of the most underrated cards. And I actually like some of these Shadowless cards more than the first edition Shadowless Base Set cards. And some of them are actually even rare. They even have lower pops and everything. So, I'm a big fan of collecting Shadalist. I feel like one day Shadalist will just go crazy, but I just think they look clean and they're nice and neat. The stamp doesn't throw it off, so the OCD is just loving it. But, I mean, as long as you get higher grades for BGS, it'd be okay.

[00:12:13]All right, next is from G Pang. Hi, Professor Beard. How do you usually price your items? I've run into an issue when selling locally. A lot of buyers reference a TCG player market price, but I've noticed it can sometimes feel inaccurate. For example, sealed item might show a market price of 89, but when I check the recent sold listings, the last five sales are around 110 to 120. On top of that, the current lowest listings on both DCG player and eBay are also around 120. In a situation like that, what would you consider the fair value of the item? Should market price still be the main reference, or should recent sold comps and current listings matter more. Thank you. So, yeah, definitely ignore market price. People just kind of get lazy and they don't want to actually click on the card and check the recently sold and see what's available. And then I always try to price it a little bit below that to where they're, you know, getting a better deal buying it with me than buying it online. So for that situation, you know, I'd probably list my card at, you know, $110. All right. Next is from Matt Ellison. Hello, Mr. Beard. Quick question. Would you recommend buying XY era cards now or later on this year?

[00:13:06]I've been looking at Gold Border XY secret rares, and I think they're still great pickups. They are amazing pickups, and definitely check out the XY Blackstar promos. These are non-extured promos. basically the first ever illustration we've ever gotten of all legendary and mythical Pokemon. You can find them near mint all day long for like 30 to like $100 and I feel like they're so slept on. Next is from Tito Barkco. My cousin and I are vending for the first time in 2 weeks and I'm nervous and excited, but do you have any tips? So, just make sure you're prepared. You know, price out the day before so everything is super accurate.

[00:13:37]You don't have any, you know, arguments or anything like that. And try to get there as early as possible. It really really sucks when you get there late and you're trying to rush and do everything.

[00:13:46]Then you can get stressed out. Get there nice and early and get set up and just be one of the first ones set up. And then too, depending on the venue, make sure you bring snacks and drinks and stuff and maybe a little fan cuz sometimes it gets crazy crazy hot and it just sucks when you do not have a fan.

[00:14:02]You know, stuff like that. One thing I really love to do, and I really feel like people are more inclined to spend money with you, is, you know, have some bulk at the end of the table with a little sign that says free. People absolutely love that. Especially the people that do not have a ton of money.

[00:14:15]They can sit there for a few minutes, grab a few cards, and then they'll probably come buy a few cards from your binder. But I love doing that. Just anything you can do to make, you know, the people happy. That's what I try to do. But all right, next question is from Matt Muot. That's hilarious. Hey beer, due to some unfortunate circumstances, a lot of my PCBs were damaged, mostly smashed, dented, and wrapping ripped.

[00:14:37]What would you do with them? Try to sell them at a discount or rip them? I wish I could see a picture of them. I feel like that would help me a lot. But normally when I destroy something or it gets smashed or dented, I usually just open it. I feel like it's a sign. And you never know. These promos could get PSA 10s, which would be worth more than the boxes for sure. But some of them were dented and smashed. Some of the promos might be messed up. So, you got to think about that. But, I mean, if the boxes still look somewhat decent, you could just try to sell them at a discount.

[00:15:05]Let's say they're selling for $300. So, I'm at 250. Someone will probably buy them, especially in this market right now. I'm constantly seeing, you know, sales for torn, dented, and ripped. And it's like $20 less, which is just crazy.

[00:15:18]But if the boxes are legit smashed and dented to where they won't even display decent, you might just want to open them up, gamble, you know, rip open those packs. Hopefully, you get something crazy. Plus, you're at least getting those promos. And hopefully the promos aren't too bad. Next is from Sunny Beering. Hey Beard, what do you think about reverse holo e-reader PSA 10s? The pops are lower than the regular hollowos and they are a fraction of the price. Do you think they are undervalued?

[00:15:42]Honestly, depending on the Pokemon, yes, reverse hollowos are so impossible to find clean. You know, I've been searching for raw reverse hollowos in, you know, good condition my entire life cuz people didn't care about them. And they have a lot more hollow surface than a regular holo does. So, they scratch so easily. But yeah, like I said, depending on the Pokemon, I really do think they are undervalued. Next is from at Silver Spring Gaming. Hey beard, how do you travel with so many cards and figures?

[00:16:07]Do you have many check bags? I've been collecting since 95. Got back into the hobby last year and every cart show I go to. I show vendors my binders and they always say you should vend collection.

[00:16:16]Clean vintage, but I'm nervous about flying with all my stuff. I've organized my collection and have a couple 4x4 binders along with full regular binders.

[00:16:23]Should I consolidate a binder with hits for a show to travel light? How do you do it? What advice can you give so that if someone is traveling with a big collection, they don't lose anything or get anything stolen? That's my biggest fear. Thanks and love the content. Hope to meet you at a show one day. So, I don't fly. I'm crazy. And I literally drive all of my statues across the country in a 15 passenger van. I wish I could just fly to all these places, but it would cost so much money to ship all that stuff or bring it with me. But if I do fly to a show, like I brought my little Zion case, which was full of cards in a duffel bag with like three binders, and I just put that above me and you know, then I checked like my clothes and stuff. So, that's what I normally do just so it's always with me.

[00:17:02]So that way you do not have to worry.

[00:17:04]Next is from at Colin Wells. Sir Beard, do you like the idea of trading some higherend alternate art cards from Scarlet and Violet series for Ascended Heroes ETBs booster bundles? Is it worth moving those cards to invest in the set?

[00:17:15]I mean, Ascended is already pretty expensive, but anytime you can trade cards for sealed long-term, it's smart, but you got to be patient. Sometimes, you know, it takes a while, but with Ascended, I mean, I can't even see reprints really bringing the price down.

[00:17:31]So, I'm sure you'll do fine. And last on the list is from the Pokémon hub. Hello, Beard Man. It's been a while since I asked you a USD question, so I figured I'd ask who your picks are for next weekend's main and co-main event. Thank you and cheers. So, I'd rather have Strickland win cuz he at least stands there and bangs, but I have a feeling he's going to lose again. And then for the co-main, probably Van would be my choice, but not my favorite card at all.

[00:17:54]Was kind of hoping for a better one. But right, that was today's Pokemon What If Wednesday. If you guys like this content, want to stay ahead of the market, please make sure you subscribe, hit that notification bell, leave a like and comment, and definitely check out my vending content. I'm going to be pumping that out. A short real Tik Tok every single day from here on out. And I'm basically going to be posting seven long form videos a week. Then of course, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, all that.

[00:18:14]You guys know what to do. You guys are the absolute best. But all right, I want you guys to have a great day. And if you guys want to watch my newest vending video, you can click that here.

[00:18:20]Otherwise, I have my entire playlist full of vending videos. So check that out. But all right, we'll see you next