Prepare for a Pokémon card show

A useful card-show list answers three questions quickly: which card, which printing and how many copies? Prepare that list before you leave, check your physical extras separately and reconcile what changed afterward. You can do this with House of Holos’ wishlist, extras view and printable lists.

Make the want list specific

Start with a small priority list instead of every card you might eventually collect. For each entry, check the set, full number, language and finish. “Golbat 042/165, English, reverse holo” is more useful at a table than “Golbat.” The number guide and foil guide help with those details.

On your wishlist, set the remaining quantity you want. If you need three copies, a single wishlist entry can carry that quantity. A target price is your own per-copy target, not a current market valuation or a guarantee that a seller will accept it.

For a set goal, review its Base or Master scope before adding missing printings to the wishlist. Where the set controls offer several eligible printings, choose the ones you want or add all of them deliberately. An older “any printing” wish can remain alongside a specific-printing wish, so check for overlap before printing your list.

Prepare the version you will carry

Choose what to bring and what each list includes

List	Check before leaving
Wishlist PDF	Includes wanted quantities. The default leaves out target prices; include them only if you want them on the paper. Notes are not printed.
Shared want list	A read-only list of wants. Private notes, target prices and purchase costs are not included.
Extras printout	Prints the current filtered page. If there are several pages, review and print each page you need.
Set checklist	Useful for checking a chosen Base or Master set goal against the cards you physically bring.

Use the wishlist’s Print menu and open the PDF before the event. Check quantities, page breaks and whether you included targets. Keep a copy available without relying on the venue’s connection. If you use a shared link, open that link yourself once to see exactly what another person will see.

Your personal wishlist and extras view require sign-in. A shared want list is a separate, read-only view for anyone with its link. Pick the format intentionally before handing over a phone or a sheet.

Review extras against your actual keepers

The extras view groups raw cards by exact printing and condition. It keeps one copy in each group and shows the rest as extras; graded cards and sealed products are excluded.

That is a useful sorting aid, but it does not decide what you are willing to part with. You might want four playable copies, a spare for a second collection or a sentimental copy. Lay the physical cards beside the list and remove anything you intend to keep before packing.

Search or filter the extras view to match the stack you are preparing. When results are paged, Print this page covers that page, not the whole collection. Check every relevant page rather than assuming the first printout includes everything.

Keep this physical stack separate from your main binder. A card shown in two digital binders can still represent one owned holding; displaying it twice does not create a second copy to bring.

At the table: confirm before marking it acquired

Compare the offered card with the exact want: set and number first, then language, finish, stamp and condition. Use consistent light to inspect the front and back. If it is a slab, check the grading company, label and cert details using the grading guide.

Keep a simple note of completed acquisitions and cards that left your collection. Record the copy count and any purchase amount you want to retain. A target price expresses your plan; it should not be presented as a live price check.

Use Got it on the wishlist for the number of copies you acquired. A partial acquisition leaves the remaining quantity wanted. Review the confirmation, and use the offered Undo if you recorded it by mistake. Check your collection before adding the same copies a second time through another flow.

Reconcile once you are home

Unpack the physical cards and compare them with your notes. Confirm each new holding’s printing, quantity and condition; update the copies that left your collection; then check the wishlist’s remaining quantities. Refresh your extras list after those changes so the next event starts from current counts.

Finally, put the cards into the physical binder or storage layout you planned. Binder organization covers pocket counts and placeholders; the wishlist guide explains keeping the next round of wants together.