OMM Newsroom
A collection of rare Pokemon trading cards kept in a British attic for 15 years has sold for £1.56 million ($2.09 million), far above its estimated value of £250,000, Anadolu Agency reported, citing British media.
The cards belonged to an anonymous retired decorator from Woking, Surrey, who collected 42 sets between 1999 and 2009. He kept one set and put the remaining 41 up for sale.
The auction was held on Wednesday and organized by “Ewbank’s” in Surrey, drawing bidders from around the world.
The highest-priced lot was a Legendary Collection master set featuring a rare Charizard card. It sold for £130,000, including buyer’s fees.
A Skyridge set, which the collector had originally bought for about £300, fetched £97,500, including fees.
The man began collecting the cards in the late 1990s after his son became interested in trading them at school. He bought complete sets from a seller in Malaysia on “eBay” and stored them in the attic after his son lost interest.
He realized the cards might be valuable after reading a newspaper report about a single Pokemon card selling for more than £6,000.
“Ewbank’s” called the sale the most valuable trading-card auction in UK history and said it could also be a European record.
James Spooner, head of trading cards at “Ewbank’s”, said advance bids had reached £825,000 on the day before the auction.
Andrew Ewbank, who conducted the sale, described international interest as exceptional.
“The buzz was incredible, especially because the collectors could not believe how good this collection was – extensive, untouched, complete, and with just about every rarity you could hope for,” he said.
