Written by Peter Sammis on May 16th 2024

It is hard to believe that for the first 5 years of my life Pokemon didn't exist, and for the first 7 years of my life there was no such thing as “Pokemon Cards' ' in America. In 1998 Wizards of The Coast started selling Pokemon cards in North America, was also the year that I received my first cards and began playing the game boy games(red and blue). Although the original game and trading card game were released in 1996 in Japan, I did not get to see it for another two years. I can still remember my very first Charmander I chose (gameboy pocket), and Electrode (trading card) was the first “rare” I got out of a “booster pack”. 

Over the course of the next few years I played the Gameboy pocket game ceaselessly. Every road trip, vacation, and every free moment I had was spent catching and battling pokemon, researching helpful hints in books (no internet in my household yet), and learning how to get unlimited “rare candies'' so I could annihilate the Elite Four with ease. My dad would also bring me to different card shows around the DMV (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia), and my treat was either a “rare” that was under a certain dollar amount (my guess is $2) or one booster pack. Needless to say I could not develop a very extensive collection, as I was 7-10 years old and card shows only happened 2-3 times a year. Christmas’ and Birthdays I would definately receive some pokemon presents such as figurines, strategy guides and more cards, but that’s only 4-7 days a year that I would be increasing my collection. 

I also did not view it as a collection at the time, as I was a child, and just wanted to look at the cool pictures and battle with my dad (which we didn't even play properly). Our version, only HP and attack mattered. No energies, no trainers, no decks. Just each of us picking 7 of our favorite/strongest cards(I always got first pick) and just took turns attacking, the winner was the last man standing. Some of my favorite cards included Zapdos, Gyarados and Ninetales. I did pull a holographic Charizard, but had no idea what I had when I had it, and traded it for a holo Chansey(which I have to this day).

After a few years of being absolutely addicted, age and new things replaced Pokemon. Somewhere between the ages of 10-12 I, and all other kids my age, decided we were too old for that “kiddie stuff” and moved on to the Playstation, sports teams and whatever else pre teens did in the early 2000’s. I had no idea that, in reality,Pokemon would explode into a world wide phenomena, affecting all ages, and the avid collectors would be adults who grew up with Red, blue, silver, gold, ruby and sapphire(video games). And had the original 150 pokemon memorized. The introduction of Mew, Mewtwo and the first feature length film were revolutionary, whether we knew it at the time or not. I still have my original VHS tape.

Pokemon made a minor resurgence when I was in high school. Kids, including me, loved the nostalgia of our childhoods and began bringing our decks to school and battling for real. That was very short lived as jobs, girls and other things took precedence over a card game, majority loved by kids ages 5-12. The video games had also taken off. I can still remember my original Gameboy DS which introduced dual screens in which battles were more interactive, graphics were mind blowing(at the time) and more.Then came a 15 year hiatus for me from pokemon. I had jobs, girlfriends, left to join the military and simply had other priorities. My cards and games sat, collecting dust in my parents' crawl space. 

Then came 2022. A year in which my entire life changed. Location, living situation, and interactions with children now the same age I was in the late 90’s early 2000s. Without me knowing or paying any attention, Pokemon had not only held on, but increased the number of pokemon from the original 150 to now hundreds if not over 1000 different pokemon. New games, updated cards and more. Pokemon had never gone anywhere, I had just lost interest. My interest now reignited as an adult collector. I have given many of my original cards away so that the current generation of children can enjoy how it all began. I also go to card shows at a local mall 4 times a year with my dad, just as we did 25 years ago. I have also held onto a lot of my original cards, including the very same Zapdos, Gyarados and Ninetales I have had since I was 8 or 9 years old (all very “well loved” aka very poor condition). 

I have since increased my card collection to thousands of cards and 2 binders, one which includes the re-release of the original 151 set but updated with higher HP, attack and modern abilities(Pokemon Ex, GX, V, VSTAR and more). The other contains the very cards I have had since the late 1990’s and more current cards that I will pass down to either my children or someone else's when I am gone. Although I have no idea if pokemon will be around in 50 years, based on the history I only see it getting more advanced and intricate, and with the introduction of AI and virtual reality, maybe someday there will be actual pokemon battles like there were in the original TV show. Pokemon has not just been cards or a game for me. It has been a recurring source of joy, friendship and community.