A British pensioner sold his Pokémon collection, forgotten in an attic for 15 years, for £1.56 million

A pensioner from the United Kingdom earned £1.56 million, approximately €1.79 million, after his collection of Pokémon cards, kept in an attic for 15 years, was sold at auction by Ewbank’s auction house in Surrey.

The man, who chose to remain anonymous, had bought the 42 sets on eBay in the 1990s, after his son began collecting cards. After the child lost interest, the albums were stored in the attic, with many of the sets remaining sealed and in pristine condition.

The owner discovered the collection’s value after reading about a Pokémon card that had sold for £6,000 and requested a valuation. Experts initially estimated that the items could sell for more than £250,000, later raising the estimate to £270,000.

However, buyer interest exceeded expectations. Before the auction, bids had reached £825,000, while some lots sold for as much as £100,000. The auction house sold 41 of the 42 sets, with one retained by the owner. According to the company, the transaction was the most valuable individual sale in its history.