A retired decorator from Woking has become a millionaire after his collection of Pokémon trading cards sold for £1.56m at auction on 21 October. According to BBC News, the sale at Ewbank's auction house in Surrey has been declared the UK's most valuable trading cards auction ever, and the auction house suggested it could represent a European record.
The seller, who requested anonymity, had no awareness of the collection's value until he read in his local newspaper about a single Pokémon card fetching more than £6,000. His discovery prompted him to investigate further, leading to the decision to put his accumulated cards up for sale.
"I know people always talk about finding treasure in the attic, but in my case that is literally true,"the man explained.
"When my son was young, in the late 1990s, he started getting cards and swapping them at school. 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."
How did the collection accumulate such value?
The seller had purchased 42 complete sets of Pokémon cards from a seller in Malaysia via eBay, viewing them as a potential investment. One set that cost him £300 at the time realised £75,000 at the auction. The cards remained sealed in bespoke Pokémon binders and were stored in his attic for 15 years after his son lost interest in the Japanese gaming and film franchise.
Before the sale, Ewbank's estimated the collection at approximately £250,000, with its trading-card specialist suggesting it might reach around £270,000 at hammer. The final result dramatically exceeded these projections.
What made this auction exceptional?
James Spooner, Ewbank's head of trading cards, described the moment the collection was presented to the auction house.
"When we saw what he had – all in mint condition – we couldn't believe it,"he said. The auction house confirmed this was their most successful sale in more than 30 years of business.
The top lot was the Legendary Collection Complete Master Set, which included a Charizard card in near-mint condition. Originally pitched at £15,000 to £20,000, it ultimately sold for £100,000. The sale, titled *Pokémon: A Decade of Masters (1999–2009)*, attracted bidders from across the globe.
Andrew Ewbank, who runs the auction house and conducted the sale from the rostrum himself, reflected on the event's intensity.
"The build-up to this... has been phenomenal, and on the day it did not disappoint. We had bidders from all over 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 told bidders he was
"going for a lie down"afterwards.
How does this compare to previous records?
The £1.56m result surpassed the previous record for trading cards in the UK. According to Ewbank's, the previous best was set on 9 October when a sale at Stanley Gibbons in London achieved £872,000. This Woking collection's final hammer price represents a significant leap in the market for vintage Pokémon cards.
The surge in Pokémon card values reflects broader market trends. In April, teacher Andrew Braund sold three rare Charizard cards through Ewbank's for a combined £32,800, which he planned to put toward his wedding. The sustained interest in vintage collections demonstrates the enduring appeal of cards from the franchise's earliest years.
Pokémon, a Japanese franchise best known for its trading cards, video games and animated television series, has experienced renewed collector interest in recent years. The cards, particularly those from the late 1990s and early 2000s, have become increasingly sought after by both nostalgic adults and new generations of enthusiasts.
