KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — Letting go of something you love is never easy, especially when it carries memories and has sentimental value.
But it was different for Sabah-born Ayesha Assilla Watuna, who was willing to sell her personal collection of rare, limited-edition and hard-to-find Pokémon cards to raise funds to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is expected to conduct its next humanitarian mission to Gaza early next year.
(Pokémon is a popular Japanese media franchise centred around creatures called Pokémon. The franchise includes anime, a trading card game, movies and other merchandise.)
With more than 3,000 cards featuring the cute animated characters that coloured her childhood, the 30-year-old homemaker said the idea to part with her Pokemon trading card game collection came after seeing many Malaysian women step forward and make sacrifices to help the people of Palestine.
“I want to show that I’m able to contribute something meaningful to society, and that makes everything worthwhile. Not only that, I’ll also be able to tell my children a meaningful story when they grow up… that I once sold my Pokémon cards so I could set foot in Palestine to help those in need,” she told Bernama recently.
Ayesha began selling the cards online and at a weekend night market stall in Taman Melawati here in late October. She has so far raised more than RM15,000 from the sales, with her card prices ranging from RM2 to several thousand ringgit each.
“I am determined to channel 100 percent of the proceeds to the Global Sumud Flotilla fund. I don’t mind selling every card I own, even the ones I’m reluctant to part with,” she said, adding that she also has in her collection a Pokemon edition that is only sold in Japan, acquired for her by a friend.
The mother of three, who started collecting Pokemon cards in June this year, said the hobby initially began as a way to fill her free time, but she never expected the cards to be valuable.
Spending around RM2,000 a month to get the cards she wanted, Ayesha said card prices fluctuate based on the market, which collectors track using an app widely used by Pokemon fans and buyers.
“It’s quite similar to gold, the longer you hold onto a card, the higher the value can climb. Collectors usually sell their cards based on the market price shown in the Shiny app, where we just scan the card and the price appears.
“Some card bundles I bought for only RM400 earlier are now worth double, and may continue to increase in value. As long as the original plastic seal is intact, the price can rise higher,” she said.
Ayesha Assilla, who finds card collecting therapeutic during stressful times, said her favourite characters include Charizard, while her preferred illustrator is Tomokazu Komiya. — Bernama
