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International bidders battle it out as rare Pokémon cards realise £200,000 at Lichfield auction
December 5th, 2022
International bidders battle it out as rare Pokémon cards realise £200,000 at Lichfield auction
A DAD’S collection of rare Pokémon cards has realised in excess of £200,000 at auction in Lichfield.Bidders from countries including China, the USA, Indonesia, Switzerland and the Netherlands joined Richard Winterton Auctioneers’ online auction to battle each other and numerous UK collectors.
Prices rocketed as the minutes ticked down to the sale’s closure on November 27, with spectacular lots including the Complete Pokémon EX Deoxys set and the Complete Pokémon EX Team Rocket Returns set, each achieving a huge hammer price of £10,500.
Catalogued across 137 lots, the entire collection of thousands of TCG cards comprised more than 100 complete sets from the Base Set to Legendary Treasures, sealed booster boxes, first editions, promotional cards and cards showing rare errors.
There were also super-rare cards given out to staff during Pokémon world championships plus Top 16 and Top 32 cards awarded to players who reached those stages.
It was all collected by Gordon White, a father-of-two from Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland, pictured above.
Gordan has run a Pokémon league, acted as a judge in UK events and rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s most powerful Pokémon players and executives.
A page from Lot 36, a Complete EX Team Rocket Returns set, which sold at £10,500.
“Gordon chose to sell his collection through us as he saw how we had marketed other important Pokémon collections,” said auctioneer Richard Winterton.
“We were delighted to help and our team pulled out all the stops to painstakingly catalogue these incredible cards.
“All that hard work paid off with this stunning result which demonstrates the perpetuating power of Pokémon!”
Other sets that stood out in the timed sale from The Lichfield Auction Centre, Fradley Park, Staffordshire, included the Complete Pokémon Skyridge set – sold at £9,000 – and the Complete Pokémon Legendary Collection Reverse Holo set, which made £6,600.
Single cards included the rare Tropical Winds DP48 Staff Variant card, selling for £420.
Before the sale, 58-year-old delivery driver Gordon revealed that he was selling his collection after deciding to quit playing the card game after 15 years.
Some of the Complete Pokemon EX Deoxys set, which achieved a hammer price of £10,500.
“I was very well known in the Pokémon TCG community and I’ve had a lot of enjoyment out of the game,” he said.
“But I don’t play the trading card game at all anymore.
“For me, the fun is the completing – not the collecting, it’s the completion.
“And as far as I’m concerned, I’ve completed it so it’s time to pass it all on.”
Another large collection of Gordon’s trading cards – this time focussing on Magic The Gathering and including Marvel vs DC, The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter – will go on sale through Richard Winterton Auctioneers in 2023.
For auction and valuation enquiries, contact Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 01543 251081, email office@richardwinterton.co.uk.