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A collection of Pokemon trading cards stored in a British attic for 15 years sold at auction for £1.56 million ($2.09 million), more than six times its pre-sale estimate of £250,000, according to British media reports.
The collection belonged to an anonymous retired decorator from Woking in Surrey, a town southwest of London. He accumulated 42 sets of Pokemon cards between 1999 and 2009, kept one set and offered the remaining 41 for sale.
The auction took place Wednesday and was organized by Ewbank’s, an auction house in Surrey. Bidders took part from around the world.
The most valuable lot was a Legendary Collection master set that includes a rare Charizard card. It sold for £130,000 including buyer’s fees.
Another set, Skyridge, which the collector originally bought for around £300, sold for £97,500, including fees.
The man began collecting in the late 1990s after his son became interested in trading Pokemon cards at school. He bought complete sets from a seller in Malaysia on eBay and stored them in his attic after his son lost interest.
He learned of their potential value only after reading a newspaper report about a single Pokemon card selling for more than £6,000.
Ewbank’s described the sale as the most valuable trading-card auction in the U.K. and suggested it could also be a European record. James Spooner, head of trading cards at Ewbank’s, said advance bids had already reached £825,000 the day before the sale.
Andrew Ewbank, who conducted the auction, said international interest was exceptional. He said collectors were surprised by the quality of the collection, which he described as extensive, untouched and complete, with nearly every rarity a collector could seek.
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