She's Collected Countless of Pokemon Hole Cards, and Nothing Can Halt Her.
The Pokémon Company introduced the world to the card series Diamond & Pearl expansion in the year 2007, including a Bonsly trading card. On this artwork, the fourth generation Rock Pokémon appears by illustrator Harada-san in a somewhat awkward pose. Here, this pre-evolution can be seen fallen and weeping. But don't misunderstand, however. As its move the move Fake Tears, this Pokémon aims to manipulate the foe's feelings in the hopes of decreasing their offensive power. Iconic piece, right? Electroacoustic harpist Emily is a firm believer. And she's got an album filled with 305 cards of Bonsly to show for it.
The Full Collection Including Rare Finds
However, that's not the whole collection also. She's got 20 reverse holographic copies of this particular card, which depicts the small Pokémon with shiny foil everywhere but the main image. The crown jewel, yet, proves to be the PSA 6-graded holo reverse Bonsly edition. Sure, it's far from a top-graded Charizard illustration. But do you have a quirky, close to mint Bonsly card kept in all its splendor? I didn't think so.
How It All Began
She invested a large part of this year gathering every 2007 Bonsly card she can possibly find. She first heard regarding this discontinued card earlier this year, while debating the most infamous cards in the Pokémon TCG with an employee at a local shop. Omanyte in tears was considered, just like Cubone by itself at the theme park. But it was The sobbing Bonsly, also known as Bonsly #17, that caught her interest.
The Concept of Bonsly
The design of Bonsly is based by bonsai plants, which are often grown in pots that have drainage holes. They are designed to aid growth, so much so that enthusiasts encourage each other to add holes in their containers when none are present. Additionally, bonsai may sit on low dishes lacking drainage, called suiban, and the collected moisture could aid caretakers arrange their bonsai to look like natural landscapes. Bonsly is the former, thus the hole exists.
A Memorable and Notorious Card
Even with this reasonable background, yet, The Pokémon Company appears somewhat overly focused about the drainage feature. Even merch including stuffed Bonsly ensure they feature a hollow cavern below of this plant Pokémon. It makes no difference whether the portrayal of the Pokémon is crying or calm: It features the hole. The hole is a fundamental aspect in Bonsly's appearance. This specific Bonsly card turned into an internet joke among fans because of that drainage hole, in addition to its unique position. Up until last year, the card was the single type of Bonsly card included in the series in which most Pokémon usually appear in dozens of different ways. Over a decade and a half, if you wanted this Pokémon card, you were stuck for hole Bonsly.
The Collector's Passion
"Upon noticing Bonsly in the list of these cursed cards, I felt I located my favorite one," Emily states via email, mentioning how she felt astonished that she hadn't encountered it earlier. She'll be the first to inform you her passion for Bonsly #71 serves no practical purpose, but she didn't care. The initial interest evolved into a major fixation, as Hopkins bought every Bonsly #71 card she could possibly find. She soon developed a routine of stopping by the nearby card store every week, and earned the nickname to the employees as "Bonsly Girl". The shop started reserving all incoming this specific card that came in aside just for Hopkins. Most of these cards cost between $1 and $3, she mentions, calculating that her total expenditure is approximately four hundred dollars only on the album itself.
Rising Prices
Nowadays, pristine Bonsly #71 cards might be valued at $14.99. While that's on the higher end, standard versions tend to cost starting at $4. The upward trend roughly aligns with her starting point her collection in earnest, though there are likely multiple reasons. While it's true that the card is notorious in the community, Emily's social media updates about it have attracted millions of views. As news of its existence continues to spread to new fans, there's a chance their market price could keep rising. At the very least, investors say that TCG prices are skyrocketing this year across the board.
No Signs of Stopping
Hopkins cannot be stopped, though.
"The wonderful part remains that some supporters and fans on social media have shipped copies of Bonsly to me to expand the set, and I am keeping them secure indefinitely," Emily states. Instead of being put off, viewers are amazed and encouraged by her collection.
"I've actually always wanted to do this," one commenter says. "Buy up all of a common card|every copy of a common card
