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The Pokémon Company introduced fans to the Pokémon TCG Diamond and Pearl edition during 2007, featuring a Bonsly trading card. In this card, Gen IV Rock Pokémon is shown by designer Midori Harada in an unusual situation. Here, this pre-evolution can be seen fallen and shedding tears. But don't misunderstand, though. Like its ability the move Fake Tears, Bonsly attempts to sway the other player's mood to decreasing their damage output. Iconic piece, isn't it? Harp player Hopkins certainly thinks so. She possesses a collection book with 305 Bonsly illustrations as evidence.

Her Complete Set with Key Pieces

But that isn't the whole collection as well. She obtained twenty reverse foil versions of this particular card, portraying the tyke with metallic accents everywhere but the central artwork. The crown jewel, yet, proves to be the PSA 6-graded reverse holo of Bonsly. Admittedly, it isn't a mint-condition original Charizard card. Yet, do you possess an amusing, close to mint Bonsly illustration maintained forever immortalized? I thought as much.

How It All Began

She invested most of the current year accumulating each Bonsly card from 2007 that she could locate. She initially learned about the out-of-print card in recent months, while debating the notoriously odd cards among collectors with a staff member at a local shop. Omanyte in tears was considered, as was the forever alone Cubone in an amusement park. Yet it was The sobbing Bonsly, aka the seventeenth card, which captured Emily's focus.

The Concept of Bonsly

Bonsly is obviously influenced by bonsai plants, which are often grown in planters featuring holes for drainage. These holes are intended to help the plant grow, so much so that enthusiasts encourage each other to create openings into their pots if holes are missing. Additionally, bonsai may sit in shallow containers lacking drainage, called suiban, and the retained water may assist caretakers arrange their bonsai to resemble outdoor scenes. Bonsly is the former, which explains the hole.

The Infamous Hole Card

Even with this reasonable background, though, Pokémon's creators seems almost overly focused regarding the hole in Bonsly. Even merchandise including stuffed Bonsly make sure to include an empty space on the underside of this plant Pokémon. It makes no difference whether the portrayal of this particular Bonsly is weeping or content: It will display hole. The opening is a fundamental aspect of Bonsly's design. Card number 71 turned into an internet joke among fans both due to its distinctive hole, as well as its status. Up until last year, the card was the single type featuring Bonsly released in the TCG where numerous creatures are commonly shown in multiple editions. Over a decade and a half, were you seeking this Pokémon card, you needed to accept for hole Bonsly.

Emily's Dedication

"Upon noticing Bonsly among the selections of these cursed cards, I realized I discovered the one for me," Emily states over email, adding that she felt astonished to have missed it until then. She is quick to inform you her love of the Bonsly card serves no practical purpose, yet that didn't stop her. The liking became an all-consuming hobby, as she acquired each available Bonsly card that she could get her hands on. She soon developed a practice of visiting her local card shop on a weekly basis, and was dubbed to the employees as the Bonsly fan. The shop started setting aside any recently acquired Bonsly #71 cards that came in exclusively for Emily. Most of these cards cost between $1 and $3, she says, estimating that her total expenditure is about $400 just on the binder alone.

Rising Prices

Nowadays, mint-condition this Bonsly card might be valued at around fifteen dollars. Although that is expensive, run-of-the-mill versions usually go for $4 and above. This rise in cost roughly aligns with when Hopkins started collecting seriously, although there are probably multiple reasons. Even though this card is famous with enthusiasts, Hopkins's posts on it have received countless views. As awareness of its existence keeps growing to new fans, there's a chance their market price could keep rising. Regardless, enthusiasts say that trading card game values are climbing in 2025 across the board.

Unstoppable Determination

Hopkins cannot be stopped, yet.

"What's incredible remains that some supporters and fans from her channel have mailed copies of Bonsly her way to expand the set, and she is preserving these cards protected always," Hopkins says. Instead of being put off, fans are amazed and encouraged by this project.

"For years, I wished to do this," one commenter says. "Purchase all of a common card|every copy of a common card