He Spent £300 On Pokémon Cards Decades Ago, And His Forgotten Attic Collection Just Made Him A Millionaire

A retired decorator has discovered that the Pokémon cards he stored in his attic for 15 years were worth an astonishing £1.56 million ($2.1 million). The man, who lives in Woking, Surrey, had no idea his collection could fetch such an extraordinary sum until a newspaper story about a Pokémon card selling for more than £6,000 caught his attention. What began as a simple decision to have his old cards assessed turned into a remarkable auction, with collectors and investors competing to get their hands on some of the rarest cards from the franchise.

The collection had originally been purchased during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Pokémon cards were becoming a popular hobby among children and collectors. After his son eventually lost interest in the cards, the father carefully stored them away, leaving them untouched for years. When auctioneers at Ewbank’s examined the collection, they discovered 42 complete master sets in exceptional condition. The auction house had initially estimated that the cards could sell for up to £270,000, but the final result was almost six times that amount, making it the most successful sale in the company’s history.

Guy’s Pokémon sets sat in his attic and just sold for £1.56M 🤯 Auction house guessed £270K. One set he paid £300 for went for £75,000 Be honest, what’s in your closet? https://t.co/SPajsTQGcq

— Tokyo (@getm0ney) October 22, 2026

A Newspaper Article Led To An Unexpected Fortune

The retired decorator had kept his Pokémon collection safely stored in his attic for approximately 15 years, never imagining that the cards could eventually be worth millions. His interest in their potential value was reignited when he came across a local newspaper article about a Pokémon card selling for more than £6,000. Curious about whether his own collection might be worth something, he contacted Ewbank’s Auctioneers in Guildford, Surrey, to arrange an assessment. The decision proved extraordinary when specialists discovered the scale and condition of the cards he had preserved.

James Spooner, head of trading cards at Ewbank’s, explained that the auction team was stunned by what they found. “When we saw what he had, all in mint condition, we couldn’t believe it, or the fact that he had no idea what they were worth,” Spooner said. The discovery became even more remarkable when the team realised the collection contained 42 complete master sets

. “When we then discovered that he had 42 such sets, our jaws hit the floor. We got to sell 41 of them, and he kept one,” Spooner added. The owner ultimately decided to part with 41 sets while keeping one for himself, ensuring that a piece of his original collection would remain in his possession.

The Auction Price Left The Original Estimate Behind

Ewbank’s initially estimated that the collection could achieve up to £270,000, equivalent to approximately $361,800. However, the auction house soon realised that the cards were attracting much stronger interest than anticipated. By the day before the sale, commission bids had already reached £825,000, or roughly $1.1 million. That figure was more than three times the original upper estimate, and bidding continued to intensify as the auction approached. When the collection finally went under the hammer on October 21, 2026, the overall sale reached £1.56 million, approximately $2.1 million.

Spooner described the result as unprecedented for the business, explaining that the auction house had never handled a collection of comparable value. The sale, titled Pokémon: A Decade of Masters (1999-2009), became the most successful auction in Ewbank’s more than 30 years of business. Collectors, investors and YouTubers participated in the bidding, with individual lots attracting substantial competition. The final result demonstrated just how far the value of certain collectible cards can rise when rarity, condition and demand come together. For the seller, the outcome transformed a collection that had sat forgotten in his attic into a seven-figure fortune.

One Rare Pokémon Set Sold For £100,000 Alone

The highest-selling lot was the Legendary Collection Complete Master Set, which included all 110 cards, 110 reverse holo “Firework” cards and four box toppers. Among its prized contents was a Charizard card in near-mint condition, featuring one of the most recognisable Pokémon characters. Ewbank’s had estimated that the complete set would sell for between £15,000 and £20,000, but the bidding pushed the hammer price to £100,000, approximately $134,000. That result was five times the upper end of the original estimate, making the set the standout lot of the entire sale.

Another example showed just how dramatically the collection’s value had increased since the owner first purchased it. The retired decorator revealed that he had paid approximately £300, or around $400, for the Sky Ridge Charizard set. That same set later sold for £75,000, equivalent to approximately $100,500. The sale price was 250 times what he originally paid, although that comparison does not account for inflation, auction fees or other costs. The result illustrates why certain older Pokémon cards have attracted serious interest from collectors, particularly when complete sets have been preserved in excellent condition for decades.

His Son’s Childhood Hobby Started The Collection

The story began in the late 1990s, when the man’s son started collecting Pokémon cards and swapping them with classmates at school. The father became interested in the cards himself because he liked their appearance and wondered whether they might prove to be a worthwhile investment. Rather than continually buying sealed booster packs and hoping to find the cards needed to complete a set, he decided to search for complete collections. He eventually found a seller in Malaysia who offered master sets through eBay, giving him the opportunity to acquire substantial collections without relying on the uncertainty of opening individual packs.

“When my son was young, in the late 1990s, he started getting cards and swapping them at school. I thought they looked nice and wondered whether they might be a good investment,” the collector explained. The seller later offered him complete master sets, including multiple sets from individual releases. The arrangement appealed to him because buying a full collection seemed more practical than purchasing random packs and hoping to find every required card. He recalled that his first set cost around £300, an amount that would seem modest compared with the prices achieved at the auction decades later.

After his son eventually lost interest in Pokémon, the collection was put away in the attic. The cards had been carefully placed in bespoke Pokémon binders while still sealed, helping preserve their condition over the years. Unlike cards that had been repeatedly handled, traded or stored loosely, these sets remained largely untouched. That careful preservation became one of the collection’s most important advantages when specialists assessed its value. The owner had originally kept the cards because he thought they might be a good investment, but he had no idea that the decision would eventually lead to a sale worth £1.56 million.

Why Collectors Were Willing To Pay So Much

The value of Pokémon cards depends on several factors, and simply owning cards from the 1990s does not automatically make someone wealthy. Rarity, authenticity, condition and collector demand can all influence how much a particular card or set sells for. In this case, the collection contained 42 complete master sets from releases spanning 1999 to 2009, giving buyers access to extensive groups of cards that could be difficult to assemble individually. The preservation of the cards also made the collection particularly attractive to collectors seeking examples in excellent condition.

Several features helped distinguish the collection from an ordinary box of childhood cards:

• Exceptional condition: The cards had been carefully stored, with many described as being in mint condition.
• Complete master sets: The collection included 42 sets, offering buyers much more than a selection of individual cards.
• Rare collectibles: The Legendary Collection included a near-mint Charizard card and other sought-after items.
• Careful storage: Bespoke binders helped preserve the cards and their condition over many years.
• Strong bidding demand: Collectors and investors competed for the lots, pushing prices well beyond the original estimates.

The combination of these factors helps explain why the collection achieved such a substantial result. Complete sets can be especially appealing because assembling them individually may require considerable time, money and effort. A collection that has already been preserved together can therefore attract buyers who value its completeness as well as its rare individual cards. However, the auction should not be taken as proof that every old Pokémon collection is worth thousands or millions of pounds. The value of any collection depends on what it contains and what buyers are willing to pay for those specific items.

Auctioneers Described An Extraordinary Day

The auction attracted bidders from around the world, creating an atmosphere that impressed the team at Ewbank’s. Andrew Ewbank, who runs the business established by his late father Chris, conducted the sale himself. After the bidding concluded, he thanked those who had participated before joking that he was “going for a lie down.” The remark reflected the intensity of an auction that had dramatically exceeded expectations and established a new milestone for the company.

“The build-up to this sale has been phenomenal, and on the day it did not disappoint,” Ewbank said. He also noted that the auction had attracted more bidders in the saleroom than the business had seen at any point since before the COVID pandemic. “The buzz was incredible, especially because the collectors could not believe how good this collection was, extensive, untouched, complete, and with just about every rarity you could hope for,” he added. The scale of the sale made it a landmark event for the auction house, while the final result demonstrated the extraordinary prices that exceptionally preserved collectibles can sometimes achieve.

The Retired Decorator Is Keeping One Set

Despite selling 41 of his 42 complete master sets, the collector has decided to keep one for himself. The decision means he will retain a piece of the collection that began with an interest sparked by his son’s childhood hobby. What once seemed like a forgotten collection in the attic has now become a remarkable financial success, while the remaining set preserves a connection to the years when he first started buying Pokémon cards. He has also described the experience as a literal example of finding treasure at home.

“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,” the collector said. His experience also shows why specialist assessments can be useful for people who have kept old trading cards, toys or other collectibles for years without knowing their current market value. Most forgotten collections will not produce a result anywhere near this one, but the difference between an ordinary keepsake and a valuable collectible may not be obvious to its owner.

For this retired decorator, the discovery began with a newspaper story and ended with £1.56 million in auction sales. The cards had remained untouched for years, and their condition helped make them attractive to serious collectors. He originally spent around £300 on one of the sets, never expecting it to sell for £75,000 decades later. Now, after turning a long-forgotten hobby into a multimillion-dollar result, he has one set left to keep and an extraordinary story about what was waiting in his attic.