Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Legends Arceus, and Sword & Shield Soundtracks

As a long-time collector of video game soundtracks, many of which include Pokémon, I was disappointed when Pokémon stopped releasing them after Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee. My assumption was that they had decided to go with digital soundtracks from that point on, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a physical release of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Pokémon Legends Arceus, and Pokémon Sword & Shield Super Music Collections, which released on February 27th, 2024 in Japan.

Thankfully, a good friend of mine who lives in Japan purchased all three of them on my behalf from the Pokémon Center website. The special box that they rest inside features silhouettes of key Pokémon from each of their games. When he came to visit me in October 2024, he gave them to me. I have loved listening to them and I hope that someday I can obtain the Pokémon Black & White soundtrack to complete the collection!

Pokémon “I Choose You” Movie Soundtrack

In addition to the video game soundtracks, my friend from Japan also purchased the Pokémon “I Choose You” movie soundtrack, which was a rather thoughtful gift. I wasn’t a huge fan of the original movie, but the soundtrack was an enjoyable listen overall. Perhaps I should start a collection of Pokémon movie soundtracks next?

Classic TCG Theme Deck Boxes (Erika, EX FireRed)

These old theme deck boxes have been with me since their original release. I vaguely remember buying the Erika deck because I liked Vileplume. At the time, they were around six or seven pounds to buy, which was great value for someone who didn’t have a huge amount of money growing up, and would have been purchased in the year 2000. The EX FireRed theme deck was a gift from a friend from around the time of its original release. Both of them still have their damage counters, and the EX FireRed deck has all of the instructions that came with it. I wish I had kept my Fossil theme decks (BodyGuard and Lockdown) from those days.

Pokémon Magazines (Beckett Pokémon Collector Price Guide, Pokémon World)

When I was a teenager, I loved to read Pokémon magazines. Some of the magazines I still have today are these copies of Beckett Pokémon Collector Price Guide, as well as many copies of Pokémon World magazine. They were an essential source of information during the early days of Pokémon, especially because I didn’t have an internet connection at home until late 2002. These magazines cut through the boredom and gave me an update on all the recent Pokémon news.

They continue to be an inspiration behind the weekly news section of Johto Times, over twenty years later!

Pokémon Scarlet Pre-order bonus figure

Prior to the creation of Johto Times, I was fortunate enough to review Pokémon Scarlet from Nintendo. As a result, I was unable to obtain the pre-order bonus, as I didn’t purchase it. Thankfully, my friend in France who works at a video game store sent me a spare. I was quite thankful to have it, as I think it looks pretty awesome!

Extreme Pokémon Guide, Pikachu’s Rescue Adventure, Island of the Giant Pokémon Books

When I was younger I recall seeing a book called Extreme Pokémon Guide, which had a full map of the Orange Islands inside it. I enjoyed the Orange Islands arc of the Pokémon anime, and was disappointed when they weren’t canonised in Pokémon FireRed. Years later in December 2022, I decided to pick up a copy of my own.

In 2024, I attended a toy fair and purchased a few Pokémon related items to share in Johto Times. I purchased two books: “Pikachu's Rescue Adventure” and “Island of the Giant Pokémon”. The former is an adaptation of the short that preceded Pokémon The Movie 2000 and the latter is adapted from the Pokémon anime episode of the same name. While they weren’t overly interesting items, they were a mere 50 pence each. My intention is to pass them on to a good home in the future, but they’re a bit of nostalgia for older Pokémon fans who grew up with them!

Pokémon Card Dispenser (Hope Industries)

While I didn’t play the Pokémon Trading Card Game, I somehow came to own this licensed card dispenser created by Hope Industries. A deck of 60 cards would be placed into the machine, and a lever on the side could then be pressed down to dispense a card from the slot in the top. I do recall putting some of my cards in here, which was probably not the best idea as I'm sure it resulted in a few scratches on some of the holographic cards back then!

Pocket Pikachus (Japanese original, and Second Color)

I have previously shared my original Pocket Pikachu Color, which I had many years of enjoyment with during my days with Pokémon Crystal. In addition to that, I own a second Pocket Pikachu Color I bought a few years later, as well as its predecessor, the Pocket Pikachu. The Pocket Pikachu Color was bought from my friend Jesse at some point in the early-to-mid-2000s. My intention was to get the two to connect to one another via their infrared ports, but I don’t recall if I ever got around to it. The Pocket Pikachu was purchased in 2023, and was originally from Japan!

Pokémon TCG coins

Over the years, I seem to have amassed a collection of Pokémon Trading Card Game coins. Many of them are from the earliest days of the Pokémon TCG, with Vileplume, Chansey, Aerodactyl, and more. There’s something rather charming about them, and I did consider collecting a whole set of them at one point. I think my favourite design is Aerodactyl — it really takes me back to collecting cards from the Fossil set.

Pokémon Playset (Tomy)

Pokémon mini play sets were originally released in 1997 in Japan by TOMY and eventually found their way abroad. This one is based on Pinkan Island from the Orange Islands. It folds down into two areas, which can be interacted with. It also came with two Pokémon: a Psyduck and a pink Rhyhorn. Unfortunately, the horn on Rhyhorn's head has broken, but hopefully whoever owned this before me had a lot of fun with it growing up! I originally bought it because I wanted to share it with Johto Times readers. However, I think it’s a neat little toy, and it represents a favourite episode of mine from the anime back when it was first broadcast.

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SteC, you have an amazing Pokémon collection and probably one of the biggest collections of Aron merchandise we are likely to ever see! Thanks for sharing them with us, and good luck on hunting down even more cool items in the future!

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New 3DS Cover Plate (Pokémon Sprites)

To mark the 20th anniversary of Pokémon Red, Blue, and the release of the games on 3DS eShop, Nintendo released Cover Plates featuring sprites from these games. I thought it was such a cool thing that I immediately bought it. It remained on my New 3DS for the rest of that year, while I played through Pokémon Yellow from the eShop!

New 3DS Cover Plate (Primal Groudon & Primal Kyogre)

I also purchased this awesome Primal Groudon & Primal Kyogre Cover Plate around June 2015. I liked how colourful it was, and how you could see straight through to the device itself. It was fun to swap and change these cover plates, and I wish there had been more Pokémon related ones to choose from.

Pokéball 3DS Cartridge Holder X & Y Pre-order bonus

I received this Poké Ball 3DS cartridge holder from a GAME store on release day, October 12th, 2013. My friend knew the manager of his local store, and after picking up the game elsewhere, he was able to snag one of these for me. For a few years afterward, I thought I had lost my copy of Pokémon HeartGold, only to discover it had been inside this case the entire time!

Pokémon Sun & Moon pre-order bonus pin badges

These Pokémon Sun & Moon pins were given to me by a friend who got them from a games store he was working in at the time. They were originally handed out to people who pre-ordered the games in-store. I was visiting my friend at the time and noticed he had them pinned up on his notice board, after which he proceeded to gift them to me. Quite the generous friend!

Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon pre-order bonus coin

Just prior to publishing this feature, I discovered another pre-order bonus hidden in the back of a chest of drawers during a clear out. This double-sided coin was originally given away to customers who ordered Pokémon Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon, but I have no idea who gave it to me, or how I obtained it, at the time of writing. Hopefully I'll remember someday!

Latios Plush (Banpresto, Pokémon The Movie XY)

Ever since I was a teenager playing Pokémon Ruby, I always wanted to own a Latios plush. When my friend in Japan told me he was selling some of his plush toys, I jumped at the chance of buying his cute little plush. This was released in Japan by Banpresto in 2015, to commemorate the Pokémon movie Hoopa and the Clash of Ages that was released around that time.

Official Pokémon TCG League Badges

While I never had the opportunity to join a Pokémon League to play the Trading Card Game as a kid, I always loved the badges. At one point, I purchased a job lot of badges that would have been given out to players who achieved specific goals required of them. There’s a wide range of badges here based on in-game Kanto and Johto gym badges, and plenty of duplicates I am not currently sure what to do with at the time of writing. Perhaps I can trade some to get a full set? Regardless, it’s great to finally have some, but hats off to the trainers who originally earned them the proper way!

Pokémon Sliders

Pokémon Sliders were a toy that first released in 1999, they featured several characters from the first three Pokémon games. They contain a metal ball which helps them slide across flat surfaces, which allows players to slam them into other Pokémon sliders and targets created specifically for the product. I started collecting these from around 2022, and I currently have them displayed across the top of my bookcase. In 2025 I was able to purchase another sixteen figures. I hope to trade out and replace the extras I have to complete the set and own one of each!

Various vintage Pokémon plush toys

Who doesn’t love a cuddly toy? Throughout the years, I have purchased and been given plenty of them. However, some of my favourites are some of the earliest Pokémon toys sold, featuring Kanto and Johto Pokémon released between 1998 and 2001. I love the material they’re made from, and how they don’t quite look as neat and tidy as some of the more modern toys you see today. I recall purchasing a significant amount of them for one pound each! The Blastoise plush was purchased most recently in 2025, and I paid very little for it. It looked like it needed a good home! While I believe my days of taking one of these to bed to snuggle with are long over, they do bring back a lot of fond memories from such a special era of Pokémon.

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Pokémon Card Trainers magazine (Issue 5)

This is the fifth issue of the Pokémon Card Trainers Magazine, released in Japan on March 1st, 2000. Each issue was packed with the latest news and information about the game in Japan, and each one included a Pokémon card. Issue 5 contained a Steelix! It was obtained by a friend, who sold it to me in 2019.

Pokémon Box for Nintendo GameCube

Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire was a piece of GameCube software that allowed players to store up to 1500 Pokémon by connecting their Game Boy Advance consoles and their copies of Pokémon Ruby or Sapphire to the GameCube via a Link Cable. It was also possible to play the games on a television! Special bonus Pokémon could be obtained from eggs if you deposited a certain number of Pokémon into the game, one of which was a Pichu that had the move Surf, a move it normally couldn't learn. I obtained my original European copy of the game from the Club Nintendo Stars Catalogue in 2004.

Pokémon Omega Ruby autographed cover

In November 2014, Junichi Masuda, the producer of Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire and Chief Creative Fellow at The Pokémon Company as of 2024, attended a launch event for the 3DS games in London, United Kingdom. Fifteen EON tickets were then distributed via StreetPass, which could then be sent to other 3DS systems across the UK and beyond. An old acquaintance I used to speak with knew how much I appreciated Masuda’s musical contribution to Pokémon and got me an autographed Omega Ruby cover (Shigeru Ohmori, the game’s director, also has his autograph on here). I truly appreciated the kind gesture, and hopefully someday I will be able to meet Mr. Masuda himself!

Pokémon Battle Discs

Throughout the years, I have randomly picked up several Pokémon Battle Discs, which were available with Pokémon Battle Figures by Hasbro. They’re made of cardboard and were included with many different toys in the line. I don’t believe I ever bought anything that featured them, so these were likely given to me by friends. I wonder how difficult it would be to complete a full set.

Pikachu N64

I received this special Pikachu Nintendo 64 from a friend in college back in 2005. While we initially agreed on a certain price for it, I ended up paying a mere five pounds plus two lunches at the local Subway sandwich store that week. Sadly, I have never really used it, since the Nintendo 64 wasn’t a console I was hugely into. I do appreciate it for what it is though – it’s a rather awesome item!

Pocket Monsters Zensho Manga

This Pocket Monsters Zensho Manga was purchased from eBay, and was originally released in Japan, with later prints released in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It follows the story of the original Pokémon Red & Green games for the Game Boy quite closely. Based on what I have seen online, it isn’t a very well documented manga, and no English translation was ever officially published. It is definitely worth picking up if you are able to find a copy!

Pokémon Crystal Strategy Comic

I purchased this Pokémon Crystal supplementary comic book strategy guide from eBay in 2024, but it was originally released around the time of the game’s Japanese release. Based on my research, it was included in a Japanese magazine called “2nd Grade Elementary School”, along with a model kit. The magazine has fifty pages and follows the story of Pokémon Crystal, including screenshots from the video game. It begins at Ecruteak City, suggesting to me that there are other comics in other magazines, which requires further investigation to be certain. I also love the humorous Pokémon Stadium 2 story that is included!

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Pokémon Red & Green Complete Sound CD

The one that started it all! The soundtrack to Pokémon Red & Green means a great deal to me, as it was the first Pokémon game I owned and played. Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Shinichi Aoki, and others in the audio team did a great job at creating memorable and catchy compositions. The CD has more than two discs filled with music and Pokédex entries of all 151 Pokémon narrated in Japanese. An old acquaintance of mine, who lived in Japan at the time, shipped it to me. I love the classic Pokémon art across the sleeve and the discs. It’s truly a wonderful item!

Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Super Music Complete

This soundtrack took the original Pokémon Red & Green themes and modernised them for the Game Boy Advance generation. This release had 90 tracks over two discs, including remixes and a small selection of original tracks from Pokémon Red and Green.

Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire Super Music Complete

The third generation was represented with a 109-track album featuring all the music heard throughout the Hoenn adventure. There are some truly wonderful compositions in this game, with one of my favourites being the theme of Route 120. This soundtrack also features a few remixes, and The Trick Master arrangement continues to confuse and scare me greatly…

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Super Music Collection

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl’s soundtrack included an even larger number of tracks, 149 of them in total, since it was the generation that introduced day and night variations of themes. The two discs don’t include any additional remixes or tracks, making it a much more contained release compared to other albums in this list.

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Music Super Complete

I was super disappointed that Pokémon Gold, Silver & Crystal didn’t have a physical soundtrack release, especially since that generation was my favourite. So nothing was going to prevent me from owning a physical copy of the Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver soundtrack. It featured two discs covering all the arrangements heard in the game, and a third disc of chiptune-like arrangements heard in the game via the GB Sounds item, a throw-back to the original games.

Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 Super Music Complete

Admittedly, I haven’t listened to the music of my Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 soundtrack since I purchased it. This is mostly because until 2023, I didn’t even own the game! This soundtrack contains a massive 173 tracks over four discs. That makes it one of the most interesting releases, as it features an additional disc of music from previous games. The first three discs total 124 tracks, and cover the Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 games, and then 49 tracks on disc four featuring music from Pokémon Emerald and Pokémon Platinum. It was great to see Emerald's Battle Frontier tracks and its event Pokémon battle themes, as well as a wide range of music exclusive to Platinum finally get a physical release and the love it deserves.

Pokémon X & Y Super Music Collection

The soundtrack to Pokémon X & Y contains 212 music tracks over four discs, including some music from Red and Green without reverb as bonus tracks. Admittedly, it's probably the least played soundtrack of my collection, but I still love the sheer volume of music contained. After playing this generation again in 2022, it allowed me to appreciate some of the themes a lot more deeply, such as Professor Sycamore’s theme.

Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Super Music Complete

I purchased the soundtrack to Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire as a last minute Christmas gift to myself in 2022. It contains six discs of music, two of which are a re-release of the original Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire soundtrack. I’ll never forget the Primal Reversion arrangement from this game, which contained hints of the original instruments used in Ruby & Sapphire, hitting me with a wave of nostalgia!

Pokémon Sun & Moon Super Music Complete

The Alola region and its soundtrack to Sun & Moon were captured within 169 tracks over four discs, including some music exclusive to its demo release. I appreciated the shift in tone this game and its soundtrack had, making things feel fresh at a time when Pokémon was becoming a little stale for me. That being said, it’s probably my least favourite soundtrack of all the entries on this list.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! Super Music Complete

I bought this album on April 21st, 2023, and it arrived a couple of days later. It contains 122 tracks over three discs. Discs 1 and 2 cover the game’s musical score, which include arrangements of themes from Pokémon GO. Disc 3 contains the music from the original first generation games, and I believe marks the first time the themes exclusive to Pokémon Yellow, such as the theme when you encounter Jesse and James, and the Surfing Pikachu mini-game, have had an official release!

For a few years, no further soundtrack releases beyond Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee were announced, but on December 7th, 2023, The Pokémon Company confirmed that physical soundtracks of Sword & Shield, Legends Arceus, and Scarlet & Violet would release on February 26th, 2024. At the time of writing, I do not own these albums, but I will absolutely be doing everything I can to obtain them. Perhaps someday I will even find a copy of Pokémon Black & White’s soundtrack to complete my collection.

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With a collection as large as this, we felt it was probably a good thing that Miles mostly collects small figures! We asked Miles to tell us about his collection in greater detail, and about which companies created them.

Collecting an entire Pokémon generation of figures is mighty impressive! Out of all the figures Miles owns, we were curious if there were any that were rare or meant a great deal to him.

Finally, we asked Miles to give us a closing statement and leave a message to anyone who is thinking of making a collection of their own.

We were blown away by the impressive number of figures that Miles has, and we thank him for taking the time to share his collection. We wish him luck on his journey to obtaining a figure of every Pokémon. You can even keep track of his progress on a website called Pokédex Tracker, which is kept up-to-date with the figures he has.

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Electronic Pokédex

Back in 2004, I was the 1,000,000th visitor to a Pokémon fan website called Pokémonaholic (a now defunct Pokémon fan website) and won this electronic Pokédex. I didn’t get the chance to appreciate it as much as I would have as a child, as I was already reaching adulthood by this point, but it was a neat little toy to have on my desk. I recall that it took months for it to arrive by mail, but when it finally came, I was super excited to open it. The webmistress of Pokémonaholic, who sent me it, was known as "Raven". I hope she's doing well these days.

Pokémon Tazo's

Here are my two completed Pokémon Tazo collections. The first set was released in the year 2000, in packets of Walkers Crisps. Tazos were likely a response to the Pogs craze, came in different shapes and materials, and had a huge amount of success outside the UK in many countries around the world. For many years I was missing only one Tazo, which featured Dratini.

Walkers released a second set of 25 Tazos featuring 2nd generation Pokémon in 2001, with a further 10 added later. The Tazos from this set were ‘holographic’ and would display a different image if you tilted them side to side. The second collection of Tazos was smaller than what other countries got, and while I wish they had continued to release them here in the UK, I'm thankful to finally have these two fully completed after purchasing the remaining ones on eBay in October 2019, almost twenty years after I started.

Pokémon Monster Guide

Here's a copy of the Pokémon Monsters Guide that I read prior to buying Pokémon Crystal. I have fond memories of buying and reading through this magazine, taking in the information on each page in eager anticipation, before I could buy the game for myself. This is likely the first place I heard of Misdreavus, and that it could be found right at the end of the game in Mt. Silver. I remember being disappointed by this news, as it was a Pokémon I wanted to have on my team at the time. Apparently, this was a series of eight magazines, but this was the only copy I ever saw, unfortunately.

Pokémon Official Magazine (UK)

Here are two copies of the Pokémon Official Magazine that were released quarterly between Autumn/Winter 2004 in the United Kingdom. Sadly, only these two issues were ever made, which is a huge shame, but also quite understandable as the series was starting to die out around the third generation in the UK. One of the free gifts was some Pokémon fridge magnets!

Pokémon Adventures Manga (Volume 1 - 7)

In 2021, I finally made my way through the Pokémon Adventures manga that had been on my bookcase for years. I was always keen to read it because the story differed from the original Red, Blue and Yellow games. It came with a small poster of the artwork found on the box. I really enjoyed these issues while sat outside in my garden, and they proved to be a great distraction from the Covid-19 pandemic that was still a huge issue in the UK at the time. The manga has had several reprints throughout the years, so if you haven’t read it already, I highly recommend it!

Pokémon Adventures Gold & Silver (Volume 8 - 14)

I also own the follow-up to the Pokémon Adventures manga, Gold & Silver, since this generation meant a lot to me. I spent years waiting for the box set to drop to a good price and finally obtained it in October 2020 with the intention of reading it through lockdowns, but didn’t get around to it until the summer of 2022. While I did enjoy it for the most part, I felt the ending to this fourteen-volume series was underwhelming. I would still recommend this arc of the manga though, especially if you’re a fan of the Johto era of Pokémon and its characters.

Dark Venusaur (Best of Game) Holo Fire Energy (Pokémon League Promo)

Time once again to highlight some Pokémon cards from my collection! These ones in particular are rather special to me, because on November 22nd 2003, I was one of twenty-five people who won an online contest to win two cards from a Pokémon trading card website called Pokéschool, for joining their new forums and making at least five posts. The cards are Dark Venusaur (Best of Game) and Holo Fire Energy (Pokémon League Promo), but there were a selection of cards that could have been won. I was super surprised and happy to receive them and have treasured them ever since.

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Pokémon The First Movie (VHS)

The first Pokémon movie was one of the very first pieces of Pokémon content I was introduced to by a friend in my class at school. When the movie finally released, I was eager to watch it. The tone was very different from the individual episodes, especially when Mew and Mewtwo accidentally turn Ash into stone and you see the emotion of the Pokémon bring him back to life. I don’t remember the exact circumstances of obtaining the video, but I do remember watching it a few times, and I still have the promo Mewtwo card.

Pokémon the Movie 2000 (VHS)

Out of all the movies I am talking about today, Pokémon the Movie 2000 is probably my favourite of them all. I really enjoyed watching this film and I loved the new second generation Pokémon that were introduced. One of the most memorable parts was when Lugia fired an Aeroblast attack at the Pokémon collector Lawrence, who was trying to capture him. It really emphasised the strength of this legendary Pokémon, maybe even more so than Mewtwo’s attacks in the previous movie. This one came with a Pikachu promo card, which is still a part of my collection.

Pokémon The Movie 3: Spell of the Unown (VHS)

While not as memorable or enjoyable to me, I vividly remember picking up the third Pokémon movie and watching it at home. I recall pulling our armchair right up to the front of the television and watching it all to myself. Like the previous releases, this one came with a promo Unown J card. It’s one of my favourite promo cards, and I recall taking it out of the box and seeing its striking orange background. I feel very fortunate to have kept all the cards from back then.

Mewtwo Returns The Movie & The Great Race Double Pack (VHS)

This double pack contained a sequel to Mewtwo Strikes Back called Mewtwo Returns and a selection of anime episodes that include The Ninja Poké-Showdown, The Flame Pokémon-athon and The Kangaskhan Kid. It was an enjoyable sequel that showed what happened to Mewtwo after the events of the first movie, but it’s sad to see that it hasn’t had any digital releases since. Unfortunately, this release didn’t come with a Pokémon card, but it did come with a sticker sheet!

Pokémon 4Ever (VHS)

Pokémon 4Ever was the last Pokémon VHS I purchased, due to DVD’s becoming cheaper and more popular. This was the first movie to be distributed by Miramax, away from 4Kids Entertainment. The yellow cases were gone, and so were the promo Pokémon cards, which was kind of disappointing. Sadly, 4 Ever wasn’t overly memorable for me, but I did enjoy the twist towards the end where we discover who the character of Sam turns out to be!

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Pocket Pikachu Color

This little device played an important role in my Pokémon Crystal days. As a pretty active kid, this pedometer racked up about 32,000 steps on a good day. It would generate 'watts', which would be transferred to Pokémon Crystal via the infrared port to obtain cool items. I bought it from my local Gamestation (a gaming store in the UK that has since closed down), I think it's the only one I've ever seen at retail, and I rarely see a box online.

Pokémon Mini

Another niche product I bought back in 2001 is the Pokémon Mini (Wooper blue edition), the smallest Nintendo console ever. Only a handful of games released for it, and I remember being the only one in my group of friends to own it. It came with Pokémon Party Mini and was purchased at a UK store called Woolworths. I also bought the games Pokémon Zany Cards and Pokémon Puzzle Collection at the same time. Years later, I managed to obtain a factory sealed copy of Pokémon Pinball Mini from a gaming event and a copy of Pokémon Tetris on eBay.

Pokémon Mini English language games (complete)

You can’t have a Pokémon Mini without some games, right? Well, here’s all English released Pokémon Mini games, including the very rare Pokémon Mini Tetris, which I was able to import from Portugal. I had a lot of fun with all of these games throughout the years, especially the mini-game compilation title that came with the system (Pokémon Party Mini). Several Pokémon Mini titles were only ever released in Japan, but it would be outside my budget to purchase them.

Pokémon Battling Coin Game

Here's my coins from the Pokémon Battling Coin Game, released in 1999, but I believe I picked these up later from a pound shop, likely sold on to the store in an attempt to clear old stock. The coins are made of brass and originally came inside a plastic case, very similar to a CD. I also have some Pokéball Pouches that I bought separately that were meant to hold six of the coins.

Blastoise trading card (Base set)

As I mentioned in my previous collection post, I have a huge number of classic Pokémon cards, but this one is rather special. Blastoise belonged to an online friend called Jesse, who sadly passed away a few years ago. He would sometimes send me cool Pokémon related gifts from the US, or I would buy items from him. Years later, after inspecting my cards more closely, I realised it was a shadowless Blastoise from an early print of the base set, without the usual shadows present in later print runs. While this may make the card more desirable, I would never betray Jesse's memories by parting with it.

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Pokémon stickers

The very first Pokémon related merchandise I bought were stickers, part of a set published by Merlin in 1999. I wasn’t able to complete the set, and I didn’t use any of them as I never bought the album to put them in. Unfortunately, I do have a memory of some kid from my school laughing at me for only being able to afford stickers and not cards, but I still thought my stickers were pretty cool. Maybe someday I'll find and buy the original sticker album online to stick them to!

Pokémon cards

Since around 2001 I’ve amassed a huge collection of Pokémon cards. But until around 2019, they had remained inside a cardboard box. In recent years I have worked hard to complete a few sets, such as the Base, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket collections. Each card is now sleeved and inside a zip locked folder, where they will be safe from damage. Each time I look at them, I am reminded of some very fond memories, and a few select cards are very personal to me. I hope to share some of these individual cards in the future.

Pokémon Blue and The Game Boy Color

Despite coming from a low income family, I was finally able to own my first Pokémon game in August 2001. Finally, I was playing the game I had been eager to try for around three years, and loved it! Some of my favourite Pokémon from back then were Articuno, Exeggutor and Charizard. I don't remember my original team, only that I used Charizard and I caught Moltres in a Master Ball. I am forever grateful to my mum for purchasing the Game Boy Color (£39.99) and a copy of Pokémon Blue (£12.99) from my local Gamestation for me, especially because of how much of a financial cost that must have been for her at the time. It has been a treasured possession ever since.

Pokémon Crystal

This game was incredibly special to me growing up. Despite loving Pokémon Blue, the latest games at the time, Gold & Silver, were already the most talked about games. Eventually, I saved up enough money to purchase it. The opening cutscene flashed before my eyes, and I was taken by surprise at how colourful it was. I saw some colour when playing Blue, but this was completely different. I remember seeing the word CRYSTAL appear on-screen, and I distinctly remember thinking to myself that "This was going to be the greatest Pokémon game ever" I didn't realise at the time just how correct I was. Crystal is still my favourite Pokémon game to this day, I love it so much!

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