A forgotten Pokémon card collection discovered in a loft in Woking, UK, sold for £1.56 million (roughly $2 million) at auction last week, according to reporting by the BBC and auction house Ewbanks.
The anonymous seller told the BBC he only realised his binders might be valuable after a local newspaper reported that a single card had recently sold for more than £6,000, prompting a loft search that revealed a long-stored trove of cards.
The collection dates back to the late 1990s, when the seller’s son began collecting Pokémon trading cards.
The seller said he bought several complete sets from an eBay seller in Malaysia years ago as a speculative purchase; one of those sets, initially purchased for about £300, later sold at the Ewbanks auction for £75,000.
A standout lot was a Legendary Collection Complete Master Set that included an iconic Charizard card, which fetched £100,000.
Ewbanks has described the sale as the most valuable trading card auction ever held in the UK and indicated it could establish a new record for Europe.
Auctioneer Andrew Ewbank said collectors reacted with surprise and excitement because the grouping was unusually comprehensive and had remained untouched for years, with many of the rare cards collectors seek.
This sale highlights the sustained collector demand for Pokémon Trading Card Game (Pokémon TCG) material decades after the series’ initial release.
The Pokémon franchise, operated by The Pokémon Company and closely associated with Nintendo, continues to be a central property for Nintendo platforms, including video-game releases on Nintendo Switch and announcements frequently made via Nintendo Direct and other digital channels.
While this auction concerns physical collectibles rather than digital or console releases, it underscores the long-term commercial strength of the Pokémon brand.
Trading-card auctions such as this one have become headline-makers as high-grade and complete sets draw significant bids from global collectors.
For fans and collectors, the Woking sale is a reminder to check attics and lofts for long-forgotten collections; for the broader gaming and collectibles market, it reinforces how legacy Pokémon items continue to command substantial value.
The anonymous seller told the BBC he only realised his binders might be valuable after a local newspaper reported that a single card had recently sold for more than £6,000, prompting a loft search that revealed a long-stored trove of cards.
The collection dates back to the late 1990s, when the seller’s son began collecting Pokémon trading cards.
The seller said he bought several complete sets from an eBay seller in Malaysia years ago as a speculative purchase; one of those sets, initially purchased for about £300, later sold at the Ewbanks auction for £75,000.
A standout lot was a Legendary Collection Complete Master Set that included an iconic Charizard card, which fetched £100,000.
Ewbanks has described the sale as the most valuable trading card auction ever held in the UK and indicated it could establish a new record for Europe.
Auctioneer Andrew Ewbank said collectors reacted with surprise and excitement because the grouping was unusually comprehensive and had remained untouched for years, with many of the rare cards collectors seek.
This sale highlights the sustained collector demand for Pokémon Trading Card Game (Pokémon TCG) material decades after the series’ initial release.
The Pokémon franchise, operated by The Pokémon Company and closely associated with Nintendo, continues to be a central property for Nintendo platforms, including video-game releases on Nintendo Switch and announcements frequently made via Nintendo Direct and other digital channels.
While this auction concerns physical collectibles rather than digital or console releases, it underscores the long-term commercial strength of the Pokémon brand.
Trading-card auctions such as this one have become headline-makers as high-grade and complete sets draw significant bids from global collectors.
For fans and collectors, the Woking sale is a reminder to check attics and lofts for long-forgotten collections; for the broader gaming and collectibles market, it reinforces how legacy Pokémon items continue to command substantial value.
