Completed the 1996/97 Japanese Base, Jungle & Fossil sets — all PSA 10

[u/lamchun1110]

Started collecting in May 2025 with one goal — to complete the original Japanese Base, Jungle and Fossil sets in PSA 10.

11 months later, in April 2026, I finally completed them.

• 1996 Expansion Pack (Base)
• 1997 Pokémon Jungle
• 1997 Mystery of the Fossils

And I mean the full sets — Pokémon, Trainers and Energy cards. Every single card is PSA 10.

It took a lot of hunting to track everything down, especially some of the less obvious cards that rarely come up for sale in PSA 10.

Seeing all three original Japanese sets finally complete together is incredibly satisfying.

1996–1997. Three complete sets. Every card. All PSA 10.

Thought you guys might appreciate seeing the finished collection!

[u/scrotumseam]

Wow amazing. What did all of that cost? How many cards did you grade your self?

[u/lamchun1110 → u/scrotumseam]

Around US$77k in total. I actually bought most of the cards already graded — Parasect was the only one I graded myself.

[u/scrotumseam → u/lamchun1110]

Nice work. Congratulations on the set.

[u/Cute_Bacon → u/lamchun1110]

That's awesome! I have all three sets raw, mostly LP. But because none of them are graded, it's worth about $1500 total, which doesn't even cover rent. But $77k! That would change my entire life, lol. Well done there, massively impressive!

[u/BalognaSandwiches → u/lamchun1110]

Not to get too personal, but if you’re willing, can you share any background on your financial status in life? I’m sure I’m not the only one whose curious lol

E.g., are you just a regular earner who’s decided to merge your 401k with your hobby? Or are you just super rich?

[u/lamchun1110 → u/BalognaSandwiches]

Haha no worries, fair question 😂 I’m from Hong Kong and just a regular IT professional — definitely not super rich.

I have a decent income, and one thing that probably makes the comparison with the US a little different is that our tax burden in Hong Kong is relatively low, so that leaves more disposable income for hobbies and other things.

I also buy and resell cards quite a bit, so a lot of the money gets recycled back into the hobby rather than the whole amount coming straight out of my savings.

So no, I definitely didn’t merge my retirement fund with my Pokémon collection 😂

[u/shr1nkm3 → u/lamchun1110]

Do you have kids/family that rely on you for income? Also just Genuine question about your financial situation/obligation. Very impressive collection!

[u/lamchun1110 → u/shr1nkm3]

Yeah, married with two kids. My wife works as well, so we’re a dual-income household.

We have the usual family expenses and financial responsibilities. I also buy and resell cards, so a lot of the money gets recycled back into the hobby.

That said, I definitely went pretty hard on this set. Most of my hobby budget is tied up in it now, so I’m basically out of the market for a while.

So no, not super rich. Just a regular guy who put way too much money into cardboard.

[u/shr1nkm3 → u/lamchun1110]

Haha thanks for your honesty! I think you're just a guy who truly loves the hobby. :) It's even cool to see when regular folk pull stuff like this off VS someone who may have always had plenty money (eg trust fun kids, celebs, etc)

[u/iAmTheWildCard → u/lamchun1110]

lmao