YEA! HOORAY! DIGIMON TRADING CARDS!

I have Birdramon in a holographic. It shines if I put it in the light and if I keep on turning it, it gets even lighter. I have a MetalGreymon holographic.

—Ameer

I collected all thirty-four Digimon cards, plus one ultimate card. There are eight ultimates and I only have one. I’m going to try to get the rest of them. You keep on collecting until you have every single card made. That’s the fun of it … There’s not too many people who have the Digimon cards … I have some doubles, triples and quadruples of the cards, so I’m going to give my friend Zane the doubles, triples and quadruples.”

—John

A lot of my friends don’t have the cards yet because they’re new. I would trade my Palamon for another Gomamon though.

—Reilly

Oh, boy, here we go again!

If you’re a kid who survived The Great Pokémon Trading Card Frenzy of ’99, then congratulations.

If you don’t remember it, then let me give you a brief review. It was ugly. Kids were going crazy-nuts for Pokémon cards and there was no stopping them. Kids were throwing tantrums in hobby stores and shopping malls. They were crying and whining and begging and pleading. They’d do anything for Pokémon cards … even clean their rooms and clear the table after dinner.

The cards were banned from schools. Kids were trading just about anything they could to get their hands on the cards they needed. Comic book stores were charging insane prices—hundreds of dollars—for some cards. All civilization was one step away from total and complete chaos.

So, what have we learned from this?

Probably nothing. Because just when you thought it was safe to go back into the comic book store … here come Digimon collecting cards!

But let’s try to keep calm for this one, okay? Let’s review the rules of card collecting again.

Rule #1

It’s not a good idea to trade with someone much younger than yourself. A little kid might trade a rare card for a not-so-rare card. It’s just not fair. You wouldn’t be very proud of yourself if you beat a little kid in soccer or baseball. So why would you be proud of yourself for getting the better deal on a trade with a little kid. The best trades are done with someone your own age who understand the cards as well as you do.

Rule #2

If someone doesn’t want to trade, don’t bully them into it.

Rule #3

Both people should exchange the card or cards they want to trade at the same time.

Rule #4

Trade only cards. Don’t trade your baseball glove or your little sister or the family microwave for a card.

Rule #5

I like the idea of two types of trades: Forever and For a Little While. However, whenever you trade, everyone involved should understand the rules of the trade.

Rule #6

If something is wrong with the card you are trading, don’t try to hide it. If a card is ripped or written on by a little brother, then the person you are trading with should understand that fact.

Rule #7

If one of the cards in the trade turns out to be fake, then the trade should be called off immediately.

*   *   *

I mentioned some of these rules in my last Pokémon book. But I do think they are important. Trading is a game and like all games, everyone should have fun.

Digimon do have holographics like Pokémon and they’re pretty expensive also, but not as expensive as Pokémon cards because they’re not as popular as Pokémon.

—Nina

MegaKabuterimon confused me at first. I thought his move was called “thornbuster,” but when I got the card it turned out to be “hornbuster.” We were confused because it sounds like he says “thornbuster” on the TV show. He has a very deep voice so it’s hard to keep up with what he says. I like the card because it is a hologram. He only comes in hologram and he was very rare to get. Very rarely do you get an ultimate Digimon in a pack. I had luck with MegaKabuterimon. Some people say that ultimate Digimon cards are supposed to be lucky.”

—John