Fan of the Month: Jess & Joe on Tinkaton Takeovers and Pokédex Quests

Hey! We’re Jess and Joe, and we’re so excited to share a little bit about what we love about collecting together!

Tell us about you, your collection and your favourite card/cards

Jess: So I have always loved collecting, I have collections of cards, figures and plushies! Each page in my binder is themed; they’re all colour coordinated or dedicated to a specific trainer/Pokémon. My favourite card of all time is the Tinkaton ex IR from Paldea Evolved!

Joe: I like collecting goofy stuff. The weirder the artwork is, the more I want it. My favourite card of all time is the Sprigatito IR from Paldea Evolved, it’s one of the first ever hits I got and a card I really wanted.

How did each of you first get into Pokémon, and when did collecting become a shared hobby?

Jess: So my wonderful sister is to blame for our entire Pokémon financial debt. She has loved Pokémon since being very young and has always watched the anime.  

My uncle moved into a flat around 2010 and found a cartridge for Pokémon Pearl for the DS behind a radiator, and we shared that game throughout childhood. We have loved Gen 4 since!

She has now been collecting cards for over 15 years and would spend her pocket money on (and get my parents to buy) her packs.

Joe: When I met Jess, I had always wanted to get into collecting Pokémon cards but just did not know where to start. I had spent my entire childhood and adult life playing the games, my favourite being Pokémon X. Her sister showed me where to start a few years later, and slowly my collection began.  

Jess: As it was mainly me buying packs for both my sister and Joe, I decided to start a collection myself. I had always taken cute common cards from my sister, but I wanted to create a collection of my own! Paldea Evolved was my downfall, and now here we are.

Joe: We now always play the new games and buy merch to share together!

Do you remember the moment you realized Pokémon collecting was something you’d do together?  

Jess: Because we kind of got into it together, it’s been something we always now do as a duo. If I buy packs, he rips half. If he buys an ETB, he waits for me to be around to open. We never open packs without each other. And if he gets a hit I want, it’s already shared so it's always a joint win.

Joe: Jess one year got me about 100 packs for my birthday, which was when I realised that this may not be just a thing I do alone. We’re constantly buying each other packs; I don’t think we ever pay for our own stuff.

Do you collect the same things, or do you each focus on different Pokémon, sets, or eras?

Jess: I mainly collect Tinkaton. That is the bulk of my collection, but I’m still missing a few cards so hopefully I’ll be able to finish my collection soon!

I’m also trying to start a trainer card only binder, I think trainer arts are often overlooked, and some awesome cards can be picked up for cheap!

Joe: I'm currently trying to make an entire Pokédex, but just with cards that we have pulled! I’d say I’m about a third of the way completed, which is impressive when I’ve not been collecting for long. I kind of just collect what I can get hold of.  

In terms of us collecting together, we have our own separate binders. But, our favourite hobby is going to our local game store and going through the “under £15” cards boxes they have together. We know each other so well that we instantly know what the other person will like, so we pick out singles for one another, it’s a lot of fun.  

What are each of your all-time favourite Pokémon, and why?

Jess: I love Tinkaton, but Chimchar will forever have a special place in my heart as my first ever starter pokemon.  

Joe: Sprigatito, because Scarlet/Violet released around the same time as my childhood cat Leo passed. His name in game will forever be Leo in his honor.

What’s the most meaningful card or item in your collection?

Jess: Again, the Tinkaton IR from Paldea Evolved. It was the card that started my entire Tinkaton evolution collection!

Joe: The Sprigatito IR from Paldea Evolved, for the same reasons as mentioned above. I was so happy to pull it, especially pulling it from a pack Jess gave me.  

Is there a “holy grail” Pokémon item you’re still chasing?

Jess: I will forever be chasing older Cynthia cards, they’re all so expensive. As a goth, Cynthia has always been an icon for me. I love the Cynthia from Hidden Fates, it's just such a pretty artwork.

Joe: N's PP Up full art. It’s silly and funny, and perfect for my silly binder alongside all 50 million of my Whimsicott cards (not intentional).  

Do you have any card storage hacks, tips, or advice for fellow collectors?

Jess: What the heck is storage? Idk her, all I know is leave bulk in small piles all over the house.

Jokes aside, store bulk in ETB boxes! If you don’t have ETB boxes, MMH have plenty of empty ones 😉  

Joe: Mini cereal boxes.

Or Pokémon tins, they hold a lot and are pretty on shelves.

Do you share your collection online? If so, where can people follow you and what’s your handle?

Jess: So I’m trying to start posting unboxing and pack opening videos on Tiktok! I want to show off the figures I spend so much on, as well as my Pokémon collection. You can find me everywhere under the username @starrrbi !

Joe: I get Jess to share my pulls in the Magic Madhouse Discord.