Pokémon Cards Found in Attic Could Fetch £270,000

A retired decorator has been informed that a collection of Pokémon cards he stored in his attic might achieve a sale price of £270,000. Auctioneers described their astonishment upon seeing the 42 sets of collectibles, noting they were "all in mint condition."

The man, who chose to remain anonymous and resides in Woking, brought a selection of his cards to Ewbank's Auctions in Surrey after hearing about individual cards selling for as much as £6,000.

James Spooner, head of trading cards at Ewbank's, described the sets as "highly valuable" and estimated that they could surpass £250,000 at auction later this month. "When we saw what he had - all in mint condition - we couldn't believe it, or the fact that he had no idea what they were worth. When we then discovered that he had 42 such sets, our jaws hit the floor," Spooner stated.

The collector explained that his son began collecting and trading Pokémon cards in the late 1990s. He purchased complete sets from a seller in Malaysia via eBay, opting for full sets over purchasing sealed packs in the hope of completing them.

"The first set I bought cost me around £300. It's the Sky Ridge Charizard set and Ewbank's have estimated it for the sale at £20,000 to £40,000," the collector said.

Ewbank's has conducted trading card auctions for five years, with total sales exceeding £1.1 million. However, Spooner indicated that this collection is the most valuable they have handled, with potential hammer prices reaching approximately £270,000.

The cards were reportedly stored in bespoke Pokémon binders from new and have remained in mint condition, having been kept in the attic after the owner's son lost interest in Pokémon. "He had his own cards, but he never got to touch these, I'm glad to say," the collector added.

In a similar find earlier this year, Andrew Braund, a teacher, brought a 20-year-old collection of Pokémon cards to Ewbank's. Three of the rarest cards from his collection sold for £32,800 on April 16, with Braund using the proceeds to fund his wedding.

The current collection, titled "Pokémon: A Decade of Masters (1999-2009)," is now open for bidding and will be offered on October 21.