Retiree Becomes Millionaire After Selling His Pokémon Cards For RM8.57 Million At Auction

The seller, an unnamed resident of Woking in Surrey, began building his collection in the late 1990s when his young son developed a keen interest in trading them with schoolmates, according to the BBC.

Intrigued by the artwork and speculating that the cards might appreciate over time, he began buying complete card sets via eBay, including several rare acquisitions from a seller in Malaysia.

While his son played with regular decks, the father stored the pristine collectables in custom binders, eventually storing them in the attic once the fad faded.

The retiree realised his collection's value after reading a local newspaper article about a Pokémon card that fetched over USD8,000 (RM32,672).

Suspecting his long-dormant binders may fetch a substantial price, he brought the sets to Ewbank's auction house in Surrey.

Staff were stunned after seeing 42 complete, immaculately preserved sets. All sets were put up for auction but one.

The star lot of the afternoon, an ultra-rare Legendary Collection Complete Master Set featuring a near-mint Charizard card, fetched about USD134,000 (RM547,256), surpassing its pre-auction estimate of USD20,000 to USD27,000 (RM81,680 to RM110,268).

Ewbank's described the auction as its most successful single sale in over 30 years, setting a UK national record and likely a European benchmark for a trading card auction.

The total eclipsed the previous British high of USD1.17 million (RM4.78 million), which was recorded at Stanley Gibbons in London on 9 October.

Fans who grew up with the Japanese franchise now enjoy disposable income to acquire cherished childhood memories.

He encouraged families not to discard unwanted toys or collectables, noting that forgotten items packed away in storage can sometimes yield life-changing fortunes.