A title on a listing is a lead. The object and its supporting evidence are where the research begins.
This is the checklist I want beside any unfamiliar find, whether it is a card, a game, a toy, or a piece of promotional history.
Photograph the whole object
Record the front, reverse, edges, markings, and any packaging. Keep an uncropped photograph alongside close details so someone else can understand what they are looking at. Preserve the original files and note where the object or image came from.
Separate the questions
| Question | What to look for |
|---|---|
| What is it? | Maker, product family, catalog number, physical construction |
| How does this example differ? | Printing, wording, finish, dimensions, reverse design |
| When was it distributed? | Dated advertising, contemporary reporting, packaging, documented campaigns |
| How did people receive it? | Retail sale, magazine insert, promotion, award, or another documented channel |
| What remains unresolved? | Missing sources, conflicting accounts, unavailable comparison specimens |
An answer to one question does not automatically answer the others. A photograph can document a physical difference without establishing when that difference first appeared.
Keep the source beside the claim
Save the full citation and access date. If the source is a photograph, identify the object and photographer where possible. If it is an account from a collector, preserve what the person actually knows and how they know it.
When sources disagree, describe the disagreement. Do not quietly turn a convenient estimate into an exact date.
Make uncertainty readable
Labels such as “printing date unknown,” “announcement date,” and “shared-front reference” help readers understand the limits of an image or a timeline. They also make it easier for the next researcher to see what evidence would resolve the question.
The goal is a record that someone else can inspect, question, and improve.
See these distinctions in the Pikachu archive or send a source for future research.