A RARE box of Pokémon cards sold for a whopping £19,500 at auction.
The unopened first-edition cards were bagged by a collector for the insane amount at auction in Woking, Surrey.
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Neo Genesis is the first main expansion of the Neo Series of the Pokémon Trading Card game.
It is based on Pokémon Gold and Silver, featuring popular Generation II Pokémon such as Lugia and Typhlosion and were released in English on December 16, 2000.
Stephen Wilks, former Managing Director of Wizards of the Coast in the UK, retained the collection and scooped the life-changing sum.
The box sold at Ewbank auctioneers in Woking for 3,900 times the price of a regular pack of £5 Pokemon cards.
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Pokémon is a series of video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo.
The first games were released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy hand-held console.
Pokemon cards have become collectibles, with fans splashing out thousands and even millions of pounds for the rarest.
Back in the day a set of cards would set you back around £4. So if you have old ones lurking around you could find they are now worth a small fortune – if it’s the right one.
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The most expensive Pokemon cards in the world
- Pikachu Illustrator – Sold for $5.275 million in July 2021
- 1999 First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4 – Sold for $420,000 in March 2022
- Pokémon Blastoise #009/165R Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram – Sold for $360,000 in January 2021
- Black Star Ishihara Signed GX Promo Card – Sold for $247,230 in April 2021
- Kangaskhan-Holo #115 Family Event Trophy Card – Sold for $150,100 in October 2020
- 2000 Pokémon Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 – Sold for $144,300 in May 2021
- 2006 Pokémon World Championships Promo No. 2 Trainer – Sold for $110,100 in February 2021
- 1999 Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer – Sold for $90,000 in July 2020
The pandemic lockdowns when people had more time on their hands even fuelled a new surge of interest in Pokemon trading cards.
Enthusiasts can send their cards to be graded, valued and sealed by an organisation in America called The Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).
It will give cards a rating out of 10, with the highest being the most valuable.
The record for the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold was the Pikachu Illustrator card that was PSA grade 10.
It was snapped up by YouTuber Logan Paul for a whopping £3,862,424 in 2021.
The Maverick donned the plastic-covered card as a necklace as he made his way to the ring for his exhibition bout with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in June of the same year.
Richard Page, owner of NeoCards and Collectibles, previously told The Sun that the most valuable cards are those that are older, harder to find (so rare) and are in the best condition.
How to make money from your Pokemon cards
THE Sun asked collectables expert Tracy Martin for her best tips. Here’s what she said:
Collect your holographic cards first: They’re the most value and there are three different types: some cards have just the Pokemon image holographic, there are some where the edges are holos, while some cards are holos as a whole.
Sit on the cards for a while: It could be worth just holding on to the cards for ten years to (hopefully) see them increase in value.
Keep them in mint condition: You can buy Pokemon books with sleeves that you can keep them in, so they don’t get damaged.
Get them PSA rated: The Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) grades cards and verifies their authenticity, but you have to pay for its service. The PSA is an American organisation, but you can also get cards graded using services in the UK such as Ludkins Collectables and Vintage Trading Cards. Just make sure to double-check the prices in advance so you’re not spending more than your card might be worth.
If you want to sell your cards:
Find out how much your card is worth to a collector by checking the same or similar Pokemon cards under “sold listings” on eBay.
Compare your Pokemon card to other higher selling auctions and ask yourself if it’s in a similar condition.
Look at things such as conditions, release date and whether or not it is still in its original packaging.
If it’s in mint condition then it might be worth selling it through an auction house or directly to a collectables website. If it’s not, it’s probably worth sticking it on eBay for a moderate sum.
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