Pokémon has proved itself to be the most consistently collectable of the three main trading-card games, based on the results of an auction staged by Ewbank’s this month.
The Pokémon trading-card sale at the Burnt Common Auction Rooms in Send on Friday, October 13 produced a premium-inclusive total of £55,000, which was £10,000 up on expectations.
With a pedigree spanning three decades, Pokémon has built up enough variables among rare cards, sets and limited editions to attract an extensive and devoted collecting base.
The perishable nature of the cards and packs – paper, card and cellophane wrappings – together with their heavy use over the years by young players means that examples in untouched, factory-sealed condition are becoming increasingly rare and desirable.
Where these do exist, long-standing collectors might decide to capitalise on their valuable assets.
And the pedigree offered by Ewbank’s in this field – complete with their bespoke guide to collecting Pokémon – provides the firm with the reassurance they need that a dedicated sale will attract the right bidders.
The results from the October 13 auction reinforce that message.
The top lot was a Pokémon Crossing the Ruins sealed booster box from Japan.
Released in 2000, the Japanese version of the English Neo Discovery Set is one of the rarer vintage booster boxes to find still sealed and contains 60 packs.
The box that went under the hammer at Ewbank’s was in excellent condition with the colours still vibrant.
Estimated at £5,000 to £7,000, it sold for a premium-inclusive £10,400.
A sealed Pokémon Team Rocket Unlimited booster box rose easily above its top estimate of £4,500 to sell for £6,240, despite the box showing some minor damage.
This is the fifth expansion set for the trading-card game. It includes 36 packs and was released in 2000.
The 83-card set features the popular Dark Charizard and also includes Dark Raichu, numbered 83/82, which made this set the first to include a secret rare card.
The box is in overall good condition, with crisp corners and vibrant colours.
As Ewbank’s have also shown, individual trading cards can make serious money, often several thousand pounds.
On October 13, a Mega Charizard Y Poncho-Wearing Pikachu #208/XY-P, with a PSA grading of ten, excited bidders.
As a Japanese exclusive release and merging two of the most popular characters in Pokémon, this has become one of the most desirable modern cards in the game.
Released in 2016, the card auctioned by Ewbank’s realised £2,470.
All results can be viewed on the Ewbank’s website, www.ewbanks.co.uk
If you are interested in consigning items for future trading-card auctions, contact Chris Fresson, trading-cards specialist at Ewbank’s, on 01483 223101.
Valuations can be obtained between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. There is no need for appointments.