Retired Decorator Becomes Millionaire After Unearthing £1.56 Million Pokémon Card Collection

A retired decorator has become an overnight millionaire after selling a collection of Pokémon cards, stored in his attic for 15 years, for a staggering £1.56 million at auction. The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, was unaware of the immense value of the cards until he read a newspaper article about a single Pokémon card selling for over £6,000.

Prompted by the article, he took a sample of his collection to Ewbank's Auctions in Guildford. Auctioneers were astonished by the 42 sets of cards, all described as being in mint condition. While the initial estimate for the collection was up to £270,000, the cards far exceeded expectations, with bidders, including YouTubers, collectors, and investors, driving the final sale price significantly higher. On the day of the auction, pre-sale bids had already reached £825,000.

James Spooner, head of trading cards at Ewbank's, described the find as the most valuable collection the auction house has handled, noting that 41 of the 42 sets were sold, with the owner keeping one.

The collection, titled "Pokémon: A Decade of Masters (1999-2009)", proved to be the auction house's most successful sale in its over 30-year history. A single lot, the Legendary Collection Complete Master Set, which included all 110 cards, 110 Reverse Holo 'Firework' cards, and four Box Toppers, saw its Charizard card alone hammer for £100,000, having been pitched between £15,000 and £20,000.

The collector, from Woking, Surrey, explained that he began acquiring the cards in the late 1990s when his son started collecting them. He purchased complete sets from a seller in Malaysia via eBay, viewing them as a potential investment. One set he bought for £300 sold at auction for £75,000.

"I thought that it would be cheaper to buy the full set rather than keep buying sealed packs of random cards in hope that when you opened them you could complete a set," he stated. The cards were stored in the attic after his son lost interest in the franchise, and he confirmed that his son never handled the valuable sets.

Andrew Ewbank, who conducted the auction, commented on the phenomenal build-up and the incredible buzz on the auction day, noting the presence of bidders from around the world. "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.

Pokémon cards, which originated in Japan in 1996 and reached North America and Europe in 1999, have seen a surge in popularity and value in recent years, becoming a significant investment market. This trend has also led to an increase in robberies targeting valuable card collections. Notable sales in the market include American YouTuber Logan Paul's $16.492 million sale of a PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card in February, which set a Guinness World Record for the most expensive trading card sold at auction.