Collecting from the Heart: Hui Xin’s Focus on Memories and Meaning
Hui Xin’s journey as a collector is fueled by her passion for Pokémon and the joy of discovering new collectibles. Every item in her collection holds a special place in her heart, and she always stays true to the memories and significance behind each piece.
Despite some unpleasant experiences along the way, she remains deeply appreciative of the opportunity to collect cards she loves.
3 Memorable Stories From Her Journey Thus far
#1: The Gold Card Relevation
Hui Xin’s journey into Pokémon collecting began when her partner, after his reservist, brought home two packs of Astral Radiance, aiming for a Charizard. Guided by a shop owner’s (wrongful) advice, they eagerly opened the packs and were thrilled to discover their first-ever gold card, the Temple of Sinnoh.
The shiny card ignited their passion for collecting, with Hui Xin meticulously triple-sleeving each V and VSTAR card until a later recommendation from Oxley taught her that a single sleeve would suffice.
#2: The Celebi V AA Discovery
During their frequent visits to JCube, Hui Xin and her partner regularly purchased 6-8 packs from a local shop. One day, while opening Fusion Strike packs, Hui Xin pulled a Celebi V AA card, unaware of just how rare it was.
After discovering its rarity, they were exhilarated. Subsequently, at an Oxley trade show, Hui Xin decided to grade the Celebi as her first-ever graded card, despite being cautioned it might only come back as a Mint 9. To this day, the cherished card remains a treasured part of her collection.
#3: The Serena Saga
While on a European holiday with her family in 2022, Hui Xin, despite not being a collector of Japanese cards, participated in a pod break of Incandescent Arcana to support a friend’s Shopee stream.
During a church service, she watched the livestream and was thrilled to pull a Serena SR. Oblivious of its value and significance, she nonetheless celebrated the win with her partner and the stream’s community.
However, things took a turn for the worse when the streamer, whom she considered a friend, sent her card for “grading”. After months of radio silence, Hui Xin confronted the streamer and had a huge argument. Eventually, the streamer bought her a PSA 10 Serena slab. Although it’s not the card that she pulled, she still loves it just as much.
And while there are many rotten eggs in the community, Hui Xin is thankful for all the good friends she made along the way.
Spend within your means, and don’t collect with the sole intent to flip items. Collect because you genuinely love them, so you won’t be affected when the market value goes down.
Uncovering Hui Xin's Favourite Alternate Arts
Everything in Hui Xin’s collection is treasured, whether it’s singles or slabs. Each piece has a memory attached, whether she pulled the cards herself or purchased them through Facebook or at trade shows.
However, her favorite cards of all time are her alternate art PSA 10 slabs of Gengar VMAX, Espeon VMAX and Giratina V. She absolutely loves all the artwork on all of them; they’re detailed and capture the characteristics of each Pokémon superbly.
Another cherished item she has is the Leafeon V AA single she received from her partner as a birthday gift. He got it for her because Leafeon is her favorite Pokémon, and she prefers the artwork of the V AA over the Vmax AA version.
What's Next — Pokémon 151, Slabs and Vintage Singles!
Connect With Hui Xin And Follow Her Collecting Journey!
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