She's Gathered Hundreds of Pokémon Hole Cards, and You Can't Stop Her.
The Pokémon Company released the world to the trading card game DP edition back in 2007, featuring a Bonsly trading card. Within this depiction, the fourth generation stone creature is portrayed by designer Harada-san in a somewhat awkward pose. Here, this pre-evolution can be seen fallen and crying. Don't be fooled, yet. As its move Fake Tears, this Pokémon attempts to influence their opponent's emotions in the hopes of lowering their offensive power. Memorable card, no? Electroacoustic harpist Hopkins is a firm believer. She possesses an album filled with 305 Bonsly illustrations as evidence.
Her Complete Set and Its Highlights
However, that's not the full extent also. She has acquired twenty holo reverse copies of this particular card, showing the little guy with metallic accents all over except the main image. The prized possession, however, proves to be the professionally graded PSA 6 holo reverse Bonsly card. Sure, it's not a top-graded original Charizard card. But do you have an amusing, nearly pristine Bonsly illustration maintained forever immortalized? Probably not.
Origins of the Collection
Emily dedicated a large part of this year stockpiling all available Bonsly cards from that year available on the market. She discovered of this rare card in recent months, while talking about the notoriously odd cards in the Pokémon TCG with a worker at a local shop. Crying Omanyte was in the running, along with Cubone by itself on a park ride. Yet it was Crying Bonsly, aka Bonsly #17, which captured her interest.
The Concept of Bonsly
Bonsly draws clear inspiration on bonsai trees, which are typically planted in planters with holes at the bottom. These are meant to support healthy development, in fact enthusiasts suggest to peers to drill holes into their pots if they don't already have one. They can also be positioned in shallow containers hole-free, referred to as suiban, where the water stays could aid growers arrange their bonsai to look like outdoor scenes. Bonsly is the former, thus the hole exists.
The Infamous Hole Card
Despite this logical explanation, however, The Pokémon Company appears somewhat excessively attentive with Bonsly's hole. Also, products such as Bonsly plush toys always incorporate a cavity at the bottom of the tree-like Pokémon. It doesn't matter if the depiction of Bonsly in question is weeping or at ease: It features the hole. The hole is an intrinsic part of Bonsly's design. Card number 71 turned into an internet joke in collector circles both due to its distinctive hole, and also because of its status. Up until last year, Bonsly #71 remained the sole iteration of Bonsly available released in the TCG where numerous creatures are commonly shown in dozens of different ways. For 16 years, if you wanted a card of Bonsly, you needed to accept with the hole version.
The Collector's Passion
"Upon noticing Bonsly among the selections of infamous cards, I felt I located my favorite one," she explains over email, noting that she was surprised that she hadn't encountered it earlier. She is quick to tell you her love of this particular card is completely useless, yet that didn't stop her. The appreciation became a full-blown obsession, as Hopkins bought all copies of this card available to her. She adopted a practice of stopping by her favorite shop on a weekly basis, and earned the nickname among the staff as "Bonsly Girl". The shop started reserving all incoming Bonsly #71 cards that came in exclusively for Emily. The majority of these are priced at one to three dollars, she says, estimating that she has invested somewhere around $400 only on the album itself.
Rising Prices
Currently, mint-condition Bonsly #71 cards can cost up to $14.99. Although that is expensive, run-of-the-mill Bonsly #71 cards are often priced at four dollars or more. This rise in cost roughly aligns with the time Emily began collecting seriously, but it's possible that multiple reasons. Although this card is famous with enthusiasts, her online content regarding the card have also garnered countless views. With information regarding Bonsly #71 continues to spread to new fans, there's a chance the price of Bonsly #71 cards might increase even more. At the very least, collectors say that card market costs are soaring currently overall.
Her Relentless Pursuit
Nothing can halt her, though.
"What's incredible is that some supporters and enthusiasts of the YouTube channel have mailed their Bonsly cards to me to add to my collection, and she is preserving these Bonsly safe forever," Emily states. Rather than recoil in horror, fans are impressed and inspired by this project.
"I've long desired to do this," one commenter says. "Purchase all of a common card|every copy of a common card