A retired decorator in the United Kingdom has made more than $2 million after selling a collection of Pokemon cards that had been sitting in his attic for 15 years.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, sold his collection at Ewbank's auction house in Surrey on Wednesday.
The auction house described the sale as the most valuable trading card auction in UK history, with the total potentially setting a new European record.
Pokemon Auction Turns Forgotten Collection Into $2 Million Fortune
The retired decorator, from Woking, revealed that he only discovered the potential value of his collection after reading an article in his local newspaper.
He spotted a Pokemon card that had sold for £6,000 ($8,000), prompting him to retrieve his own collection from the attic.
"I know people always talk about finding treasure in the attic, but in my case that is literally true," the man said. "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. He had his own cards, but he never got to touch these, I'm glad to say."
The man also recalled purchasing a complete set of cards from a seller in Malaysia on eBay for just £300 ($400).
That same set reportedly fetched approximately $100,000 at Wednesday's auction, marking an extraordinary return on his original investment.
Rare Pokemon Cards Smash Previous Auction Record
According to Ewbank's, the sale surpassed the previous UK trading card auction record, which Stanley Gibbons set in London on October 9 with a total of £872,000 ($1.16 million).
The auction house recalled that "jaws hit the floor" when the retired decorator first presented his collection of 42 card sets.
Among the highlights was a Legendary Collection Complete Master Set, featuring a near-mint Charizard card.
Auctioneers initially valued the set at between £15,000 and £20,000, but intense bidding drove the final price to £100,000.
"When we saw what he had - all in mint condition - we couldn't believe it," said head of trading cards James Spooner.
Andrew Ewbank, owner of the auction house, revealed that collectors from around the world participated in the sale.
"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," Ewbank said.
Following the record-breaking auction, Ewbank encouraged anyone who suspects they may have valuable collectibles tucked away at home to "get it down and looked at".
