Dad's Pokémon cards sat untouched for 15 years. He sold 41 of 42 sets for $2 million but kept one
'I know people always talk about finding treasure in the attic, but in my case that is literally true'
When a father from Woking, UK, started collecting Pokémon cards for his son in 1999, he never thought they would one day make him a multi-millionaire. For 15 years, the cards were tucked away in a quiet attic, sitting inside laminated binders. It wasn’t until he saw a couple sponsor their wedding by auctioning just three of these rare Pokémon cards. Curious, he set off to auction some of his cards and instantly became a millionaire. While the man chose to keep one of his sets, the remaining 41 sets brought him £1.56 million ($2.10 million), according to an October 21, 2026 press release from the auction house Ewbank’s.
A hidden fortune
He started collecting cards in the late 1990s because his son started swapping them at school. Later, he continued collecting, believing it was a good investment. Over time, both lost interest and locked the cards away in the attic. Years later, the father read news about Ewbank’s taking over £6,000 ($8,095.74) for a single card. He also read about a teacher, Andrew Braund, whose 20-year-old collection made £32,800 ($44,256.71) and helped him sponsor his wedding. “[My son] had his own cards, but he never got to touch these, I’m glad to say,” the dad, a retired decorator, said. “I know people always talk about finding treasure in the attic, but in my case that is literally true. I had no idea what I had until the team at Ewbank’s explained it to me.”
Mind-blowing card collection
James Spooner, the head of trading cards at Ewbank’s Auctions, which assessed the man’s card collection, said the cards were all in “mint condition.” Their jaws hit the floor, and they couldn’t believe that he had 42 complete sets. Various buyers, including collectors, YouTubers, and other bidders, bought his collections. “Collectors could not believe how good this collection was — extensive, untouched, complete, and with just about every rarity you could hope for,” Ewbank’s partner Andrew Ewbank described in the press release.
'Best Pokémon collection we've ever seen'
Titled “Pokémon: A Decade of Masters (1999-2009),” the collection included the Legendary Collection Complete Master Set, with all 110 cards, the 110 Reverse Holo Firework cards, and four Box Toppers. The father explained that he had found a seller in Malaysia, and he often bought cards from them on eBay. When the seller offered to sell a complete master set of Pokémon cards, the dad bought it. He thought it was best to buy complete sets rather than random packets. “The first set I bought cost me around [$400]. It’s the Sky Ridge Charizard set,” he explained. This rare set sold for £75,000 ($100,400) at the Ewbank’s Auctions sale. According to the auctioneers, this was the “best Pokémon card collection" they had ever seen.
Exceeding expectations
In its 36 years of business, Ewbank enjoyed their strongest sale in 2025, with a £6.1 million ($8.23 million) hammer amount, a 31% increase from 2024. This dad’s captivating sale made up for its highest-grossing single-person card auction in UK history, per PolkaStarter. By bringing in £1.56 million ($2.10 million), it even shattered the original expectations of £270,000 ($364,266.45). Remarking on this particular sale, Andrew Ewbank said, “This is the biggest total Ewbank’s have taken for a single sale ever. That record was held previously by the Robertson Collection of items from the Studio of Francis Bacon — including oil portraits, dog sketches, mutilated face studies, and personal papers—which grossed over £1 million in 2007.”
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