The Discovery
A retired decorator from the UK has sold a collection of Pokémon cards stored in his loft for $2 million.
The resident from Woking realized the potential value after reading about a single card selling for thousands of pounds.
The collection went under the hammer at Surrey-based auction house Ewbank's, fetching £1.56 million. The anonymous seller noted that finding treasure in the attic proved to be a literal reality in his case.
Having started collecting during the late 1990s when his son began trading them at school, the owner decided to keep the investment separate and untouched by children.
Auction Success
After his son lost interest, the cards were packed away. One set purchased from an online seller years prior for £300 ultimately commanded £75,000 at the auction.
Auction officials expressed astonishment upon inspecting the pristine condition of the items.
The event marked the most successful sale for the auction house in over three decades of operation, aided heavily by the Legendary Collection Complete Master Set.
Global interest drove telephone bidding from around the world due to the rare combination of completeness and condition.
Earlier in the year, another seller successfully consigned rare pieces to fund a wedding.
Market Context
Despite the multi-million dollar total, the sale remains far below record-breaking individual transactions, such as the Pikachu Illustrator card.
Billions of cards have been printed globally, making complete vintage sets exceptionally scarce and heavily targeted by collectors.
Image credit: Ewbank's.
