A collection of Pokémon cards could realise £25,000 at auction next Tuesday.
And that’s a low estimate says auctioneer Richard Winterton, who sold a set of cards for over £200,000 in 2022.
The cards will be auctioned in 16 lots in Lichfield, Staffordshire, and could attract bidders from around the world.
These cards, collected by a single enthusiast, are very rare.
Most were produced by US publishers Wizards of the Coast.
There are 15 sets, all either complete or master sets, of cards in the collection.
In the world of Pokémon cards a complete set contains every official issue in an expansion.
A master set has one of every existing variant of every card.
The master sets are from the Skyridge, Aquapolis, Expedition, Legendary Collection and EX Ruby and Sapphire expansions.
Complete sets for Neo Destiny, Neo Revelation, Neo Discovery, Neo Genesis, Gym Challenge, Gym Heroes, Team Rocket, Base Set 2, Fossil and Jungle are also being sold.
A standout rarity is a Lugia #149/147 in the Aquapolis set, a secret card.
Wizard of the Coast stopped producing the cards after the Aquapolis, Expedition and Skyridge expansions.
Richard Winterton told Staffordshire Live: “Some of these cards are so sought after that collectors would potentially acquire the whole set just to secure that one card.
“My team of Pokémon experts highlight the Skyridge master set, the last set by Wizards Of The Coast, and one which will especially excite the Pokémon world.
“We’re expecting the whole total for the collection to be around £25,000 but they could far exceed this on the day.”
This card, a Pikachu Illustrator, was sold for $2 million in 2024.
Pokémon is an unusual phenomenon, especially to those who do not follow it.
It is a Japanese media project taking in video games, cartoons, and these trading cards.
The card game was launched in Japan in 1996, and by the early 2000s it was big enough to prompt something of a media storm about America’s “Pokemania”.
Cards can go for huge sums.
YouTuber and fighter Logan Paul is the owner of a $5.275 million Pokémon card that he traded privately for.
Earlier this year a very rare Pikachu card was auctioned for $2 million online.
The cards are graded by sports trading card companies and are starting to have a similar value to the rarest baseball cards.
