Pokémon Card Collection Sells for $2 Million
A retired English decorator's 15-year-stored collection of 42 complete Pokémon card sets was auctioned by Ewbank's Auctions.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Collecting
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Ewbank's Auctions sold 41 of 42 complete Pokémon card sets from a collection kept in an attic for 15 years, bringing in more than $2 million (£1.56 million). The collection was assembled by a retired decorator from Woking, England, who kept one set.
Why it matters
The sale shows how sealed, mint-condition trading card sets from the late 1990s can reach high auction prices. It also highlights growing collector and investor interest in vintage Pokémon products.
The Legendary Collection Complete Master Set included all 110 cards, and the collection contained four Box Toppers and 110 Reverse Holo Firework cards. The Sky Ridge Charizard set sold for about $100,400 (£75,000), while the collector originally paid about $400 for his first set.
The players
Ewbank's Auctions
An auction house that assessed the collection and sold 41 of the 42 Pokémon card sets to collectors, YouTubers, and other bidders.
The details
The collector bought sets from a seller in Malaysia and on eBay, keeping them sealed in Pokémon binders. Ewbank's Auctions assessed the collection and sold 41 of the 42 sets to collectors, YouTubers, and other bidders, and the collector was reportedly inspired after reading about a couple who paid for their wedding by auctioning three rare Pokémon cards.
Timeline
Pokémon cards were first released in England in 1999, the year the collector began collecting.
Ewbank's Auctions issued a news release about the collection on October 21.
Culture Shift
The sale reflects the broader rise of nostalgia-driven collecting, in which adults who grew up with the 1999 English release of Pokémon cards now treat childhood products as serious investments. The auction results position sealed late-1990s sets as a recognized collectible category.
Collectors holding sealed vintage Pokémon sets may find that auction results offer a benchmark for valuing their own collections. Keeping cards sealed in binders and in mint condition appears to be central to the high prices these sets achieved.
The takeaway
Sealed, well-preserved collectibles can hold substantial value for decades, so storage conditions and condition documentation matter for anyone holding vintage trading cards.
Further reading
Explore more about Collecting to see how vintage trading card sets are valued and sold.
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