Pokemon Cards Provide Personal Growth When Discarded

The idea that this is a sleepy Pokemon who may inflict damage on others or himself seems oddly apropos.

The son decided that Pokemon cards are no longer his thing. Until recently he had collected and coveted them, organizing a thick three-ring binder to contain his collection of a few hundred.

Like many who collect porcelain cows, Romanian coins, nostalgia from the 1990s, barbed wire, and Israeli phone cards, the value a collector places on his collection may not reflect what the market will pay.

The kid's desire to cast off his cards is a good opportunity to instill some lessons. LSS took him to a place that bought cards, giving him half of what the cards would sell on ebay -- a shockingly low amount in the kid's estimation.

After the rarer cards get a few bucks, LSS is hoping the kid will tap a philanthropic vein and give the cards away to others still suffering the fever that is Pokemon.

I've asked the kid to give a valuation on the entire collection, what would giving up every single card be worth to him. Previously he had only calculated the projected worth of any individual card.

Perhaps the value in Pokemon is learning, the hard way, what investing in collectibles is really worth.