A retired decorator from the UK has become a millionaire after selling a collection of Pokémon cards stored in his loft for $2 million.
The man, from Woking, UK, reportedly learned about the potential value of his cards after reading about a single card fetching approximately $8,000. The collection was subsequently auctioned at Ewbank's, a Surrey-based auction house, for £1.56 million, equivalent to about $2 million USD.
"When my son was young, in the late 1990s, he started getting cards and swapping them at school," the anonymous seller told the BBC. "I thought they looked nice and wondered whether they might be a good investment. He had his own cards, but he never got to touch these, I'm glad to say."
After his son lost interest in collecting, the cards were stored away. Notably, one set purchased by the seller from a Malaysian eBay seller for around $400 achieved a price of $100,000 at auction.
An auction official described the moment the seller presented his collection as one where "jaws hit the floor." James Spooner, head of trading cards at Ewbank’s, stated that the condition of the cards was unbelievable. The sale marked the most successful auction for Ewbank's in over three decades. The Legendary Collection Complete Master Set alone sold for $133,000.
The auction generated global interest, with bidders participating from around the world. The collection's appeal was amplified by its pristine, complete condition, featuring numerous rare cards.
This event follows a trend of high-value Pokémon card sales. In April, a teacher named Andrew Braund sold three rare cards from his 20-year-old collection for £32,800, using the proceeds for his wedding. However, these sales fall short of the record set by Logan Paul's Pikachu Illustrator card, which sold for $16.49 million. Despite the immense volume of Pokémon cards produced, estimated at over 10 billion last year alone, the rarity and condition of certain sets continue to drive significant market value, occasionally leading to high-profile heists.