The Journal.

Plain guides to what things are worth and why. Written for people who collect, and for anyone about to buy or sell something they would rather not get wrong.

Trading cards

October 9, 2026
1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited: telling Base Set apart
The three English printings of the Pokémon Base Set look alike at a glance and are priced far apart. Here is how to tell them apart in under a minute, without a loupe.
October 6, 2026
Raw or graded: what a grade changes about a card
A graded card and a raw card can be the same piece of cardboard at very different prices. What graders look at, what a slab proves, and when grading is worth the fee.

Watches

October 2, 2026
Box and papers: what a watch’s paperwork is worth
Why a full set sells for more than the watch alone, what counts as papers, and where to find the reference and serial numbers that tie a watch to them.

Cars and trucks

September 29, 2026
What actually moves a used car’s price
Two cars of the same model and year can be thousands apart. The handful of facts that explain the gap, in rough order of weight, and which of them a photo can show.

Houses

September 25, 2026
What a photo can and can’t tell you about a house’s value
A picture from the street shows the style, the era and the upkeep of a house. It hides the three things that price it. How to read one, and what to ask next.

Wine and spirits

September 22, 2026
Fill level and storage: how a bottle keeps its value
A wine’s label says what it was. The fill level, the cork and the storage history say what it is now. How buyers read an old bottle from the outside.

Trading cards

1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited: telling Base Set apart

Raw or graded: what a grade changes about a card

Watches

Box and papers: what a watch’s paperwork is worth

Cars and trucks

What actually moves a used car’s price

Houses

What a photo can and can’t tell you about a house’s value

Wine and spirits

Fill level and storage: how a bottle keeps its value