What looked like an old tin of childhood cards could now cover a wedding bill.
Andrew Braund, a 37-year-old teaching assistant from Wimborne, Dorset, found three rare Pokémon cards in the attic of his childhood home after 20 years, and they have been estimated to sell for a combined $31,250.
Braund, a former collector, came across the cards while clearing out old belongings from the loft after his parents asked him to sort through some of his things. He later took the collection to a friend’s trading card store, thinking the whole lot might only be worth a few hundred dollars.
Instead, his friend picked out three Charizard cards that had not been stored in his organised binders and told him they were worth tens of thousands.
The timing matters for Braund, who is due to marry his fiancée, Rachel Moseley, in August. He now hopes the cards, which are being sold by Ewbank’s Auctions, could go some way toward paying for the wedding.
His mint-condition Skyridge Charizard Holo Pokémon card is expected to sell for between $10,000 and $15,000. Another near-mint copy of the same card has been given an estimate of up to $12,500. A third card, a Reverse-Holo version of the same Charizard, is estimated at between $2,000 and $2,750.
“When my friend told me how much the Charizard cards might be worth, I got quite lightheaded,” Braund said.
Braund said he had been heavily into Pokémon cards as a child.
“I was very big into Pokémon cards as a child… I remember them being banned at boarding school.
“When they were unbanned, everyone just pulled them out of their pockets.
“Ironically, the three Charizard cards must have been from one of the last packs I ever bought.
“They have the highest monetary value, but the lowest sentimental value. The ones I loved as a kid look worn from being in my pockets all the time.”
He said he had no idea the cards would be worth much when he found them in the loft.
“I didn’t think they would be worth anything,” he admitted.
“I was helping out at a friend’s trading card shop a few days later and took my collection down.
“I was expecting the entire collection to be worth $625 or so.
“My friend told me how much these Charizards were worth and I almost had a panic attack, quite frankly.
“Those three weren’t even in the binder, they were in a separate tin.
“I wasn’t expecting them to be worth anything like that.
“I’m hoping the sale of these cards might contribute toward the cost of my wedding.”
Braund got engaged to Moseley at last year’s Chalke Valley History Festival.
The three Charizard cards are part of a wider Ewbank’s sale later this month that also includes other Pokémon lots.
Among them is a factory-sealed display of the first preconstructed theme decks, released alongside the Base Set in 1999. The decks were intended to teach people how to play the game and are estimated at between $3,125 and $4,375 each.
The display contains eight decks in total, made up of two Zap!, two Overgrowth, two Blackout and two Brushfire decks. Each deck comes with 60 cards, for a total of 480 cards in the display.
The cards carry copyright years of 1999 to 2000, unlike the unlimited version, which only has 1999.
Also included in the sale is a Team Rocket complete 1st Edition set of Pokémon cards, including the Dark Raichu secret rare and an additional Mew Black Star Promo Card. That set is expected to sell for between $3,750 and $5,000.
A near-complete 1st Edition Fossil Set, with only two cards missing, is estimated to sell for as much as $2,000.
Ewbank’s sale takes place on April 16.
