Published by Programme B
The best way to show someone that you love them is by loving them in their own way. To master the art of gift-giving, start by asking yourself, “What do they like?”. From there, it’s easy to get a gift. However, if they’re into trading cards, then things might be a little harder for you. Luckily, we’ve found the way out of this one: customized gifts. Here are some ideas we guarantee they’ll like.
Custom T-Shirts
Personalized T-shirts make up a really good gift for a friend for many reasons. Our clothes are parts of our social identity, and while for some, it’s easy to find clothes that match their taste and interests, it’s quite hard for those interested in trading cards. It’s the same way with fans of unpopular shows and bands, as well. By taking your friend’s favorite card, character, or monster, from their favorite game and printing that on a shirt, you’d be allowing them to outwardly celebrate their interests. All you need to do is find a high-quality picture, download it, and send it to a shirt printing service. Don’t forget to ask about the material of the shirt, too.
Card Binder
This is a gift for the dedicated collectors who are well-known in their circles for having the rarest of cards, in the best of conditions. Did you know you could make money off of buying and selling rare cards? If you know the game enough, and the market, you can anticipate which cards are going to increase or decrease in value. Just like the stocks! Regardless of what your friend intends to do with their rare cards or even the ones they don’t use much, they will appreciate a card binder. Picture a large padded binder full of many pages’ worth of card slots with a picture of their beloved game on the cover. It’s the best way to keep your cards organized and in top shape.
Playmat
For avid, highly competitive players, a customized playmat is just the thing they need. In any movie or show, there are always some characters that stand out. They’re often known by the one item that sets them apart. For your trading game enthusiast, a customized playmat is going to do exactly that. As for the size, according to the folks at YourPlayMat, there is a huge variety out there, from the standard regulation size to oversized ones and two-player regulation size. There are other benefits to a playing mat aside from its exceptional looks. In certain games like Yu-Gi-Oh!, the zones on the mat mark where the various types of cards (monsters, spells, traps, the Graveyard, and so on) should be placed. In addition, the soft mat surface prevents the cards from getting scratched, which is always appreciated in the TCG world.
Deck Box
Yet another great gift idea is a deck box for your frequent flying players. If your friend is the type of social butterfly who carries their deck with them on the go and often manages to strike up impromptu matches or trades with other fanatics, a deck box is what you need to get them. Especially if participating in trading card game tournaments is one of their interests. Think of a customized deck box as a gun holster. It’s not just enough to have protection for your weapon. If you want to shake your opponent’s confidence from the get-go, you want the holster to be as intimidating as the gun.
Card Sleeves
When it comes to card sleeves, you really need to know your crowd. A card sleeve is a transparent plastic protector in which you can place a card. Customized card sleeves are transparent on one side, allowing you to use the cards without removing them from the protective packaging. However, the other side of the sleeve is where you get to select your own design, and if you’re buying several for a friend, you don’t want to pick the wrong design. Aside from that, sleeves are an effective way to protect your most valuable cards while still being able to enjoy them.
Now that you have the options all laid out in front of you, and our guarantee that your gift will be met with nothing but love, it’s time for you to make a choice. Before you start picking though, make sure that they will like the picture or design you chose and that the one you choose has a high resolution. Once expanded beyond its pixel limits, a crisp clear design can turn into a pixelated blur, so it wouldn’t hurt to double-check the resolution.