A retired decorator from Woking, England, has become a millionaire after auctioning off a forgotten collection of Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) cards. The collection, which had been stored in the man's attic for years, sold for £1.56 million (approximately $2 million) at Ewbank’s Auctions, a sale the auction house described as the UK’s most valuable trading card auction to date.
The man, who chose to remain anonymous, told the BBC that he began collecting the cards in the late 1990s when his son was young, believing they might be a good investment. He kept these particular cards untouched, while his son traded his own. One set the man purchased for £300 on eBay later sold for £75,000 at the auction.
Auctioneers expressed surprise at the condition and completeness of the collection. James Spooner, Ewbank’s head of trading cards, stated that the condition of the cards was unbelievable. Andrew Ewbank, the owner, added that the collection was extensive, untouched, complete, and contained numerous rare items, creating significant excitement among collectors.
The highest individual sale from the collection was the Legendary Collection Complete Master Set, which alone sold for £100,000. The Legendary Collection, released in 2002, is known for containing many of the most sought-after cards in the TCG, and a Master Set includes every card within the set, including holographic and promotional variants.
This significant sale comes amidst a surge in the value of rare Pokémon cards. In a notable instance earlier this year, content creator Logan Paul sold a PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card for $16.49 million, setting a record for the most expensive trading card ever sold. The Pikachu Illustrator card is exceptionally rare, with only 39 to 41 copies believed to have been printed, and Paul’s card was the only one to achieve a perfect PSA 10 grade.