A retired painter and decorator in England discovered that the Pokémon cards he had stored in his attic for about 15 years could be worth a fortune after reading about a teacher who sold rare cards to help pay for his wedding.
His own collection brought £1.56 million, approximately $2.1 million, at an October 21, 2026, auction in Surrey. Ewbank’s Auctioneers called it the most valuable trading card auction held in the United Kingdom, although a possible European record remains unconfirmed.
The anonymous seller, a retiree from Woking, had assembled 42 complete master sets while his son was interested in Pokémon during the late 1990s and 2000s. He sold 41 and kept one, with bidders competing for some of the game’s rarest older releases.
The reported £1.56 million includes fees charged to buyers, not just bids for the cards. The collection’s combined hammer prices were approximately £1.2 million.
A Teacher’s Wedding Sale Sent Him Looking Through His Attic
Teacher Andrew Braund’s three rare Pokémon cards sold for £32,800 at Ewbank’s on April 16. Braund used the money to help fund his August wedding to Rachel Moseley.
The retired decorator saw a story reporting that one of Braund’s cards had sold for more than £6,000. Realizing he owned several similar cards, he took a sample of his own collection to the same auction house for an assessment.
James Spooner, Ewbank’s head of trading cards, said specialists were surprised by the condition of the cards and even more so when they learned there were 42 complete sets. In the auction house’s earlier announcement, Spooner described the discovery by saying their “jaws hit the floor.”
He Bought Complete Sets on eBay and Kept Them Away From His Son’s Cards
The owner began collecting when his young son was swapping Pokémon cards with classmates. Rather than buy booster packs and hope to assemble complete sets one card at a time, he contacted a seller in Malaysia through eBay who could provide them already assembled.
He kept the purchases separate from the cards his son played with and stored them in specially made Pokémon binders. When the boy moved on from the hobby, the collection was placed in the attic, where it stayed for roughly 15 years.
The October 21 catalogue, titled Pokémon: A Decade of Masters (1999–2009), contained 160 lots encompassing the sets and other trading card material.
A Set Bought for £300 Sold for £75,000
The owner said the Skyridge Complete Master Set was the first master set he purchased from the Malaysian seller, for approximately £300. Ewbank’s had expected it to sell for £20,000 to £40,000, but the bidding reached £75,000 at the hammer, or £97,500 with buyer fees included.
The auction’s top lot was a Legendary Collection Complete Master Set featuring a near-mint Charizard. Its 110 standard cards, 110 reverse holographic variants and four Box Toppers attracted a £100,000 winning bid against an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000. The official result lists £130,000 including buyer fees.
An EX Holon Phantoms master set reached £91,000 including fees, while EX Deoxys and EX Team Rocket Returns master sets each reached £84,500, according to published auction results.
Advance Bids Already Exceeded the Original Collection Estimate
Ewbank’s initially estimated the collection would bring about £250,000 to £270,000. The auction house said that by the day before the event, it had already received £825,000 in commission bids, more than three times the higher end of its early valuation.
International collectors, investors and online personalities participated in the October 21 sale. Ewbank’s said the result topped its previous record for any single auction in more than 30 years of business. For comparison, Ewbank’s identified a March 2026 trading-card sale at Stanley Gibbons in London that totaled just over £986,000 including buyer fees.
The $2.1 Million Auction Total Is Not the Retiree’s Take-Home Profit
Ewbank’s published terms set a buyer’s premium of 25% of the hammer price, with VAT added to that premium, resulting in an additional 30% paid by buyers.
The retiree’s original investment, seller commission and other expenses have not been disclosed, so his actual net proceeds are unknown.
How to Tell Whether Old Pokémon Cards Might Be Valuable
Anyone considering selling old trading cards should first identify the exact set, card number, edition, language and condition, then compare completed auctions for similar cards or collections rather than relying on asking prices.
Cards with damaged edges, scratches or creases can be worth far less than similar examples in excellent condition. Before paying for professional grading or consigning a collection, owners should consider the likely sale value alongside grading costs, seller commissions, shipping and insurance.