It’s the dream of every collector, and it became a reality for Andrew Braund when he went through the attic and found rare Pokémon cards.The Pokémon franchise officially celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, with the original Game Boy games released in Japan in February 1996. Since then, the franchise has gone from strength to strength, and the rarest Pokémon cards are almost impossible to find. Unless, that is, you hit lucky and find some in your attic.
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That’s what happened when Andrew Braund, a teaching assistant and former Pokémon collector, cleared out the attic of his childhood home. According to People, he took the collection to a friend’s trading card store, thinking he might make about £500 ($673). In reality, it turned out he’d uncovered three rare Charizard cards initially estimated to be worth $20,000 – and, through working with Ewbank’s Auctions, he more than doubled that. Braund made $41,000 after the auction ended on April 16, and he and his fiancée, Rachel Moseley, are using the proceeds to pay for their wedding.
Why Were These Pokémon Cards Worth So Much?
Braund made the money through just three cards:
- A mint-condition Skyridge Charizard Holo Pokémon, which broke an auction record after selling for $21,250.
- A near-mind copy of the same card sold for $16,250.
- A Reverse-Holo Charizard cardsold for $3,500.
Charizard is one of the most popular Pokémon, seen as the face of collecting. Not only is Charizard the most popular card, he’s also consistently one of the hardest to pull in any set. This gives Charizard the perfect combination of attractiveness and scarcity, and high-grade versions sell particularly well. While other Pokémon cards tends to see value spike, Charizard is consistent, and he’s seen as the foundation for the entire market. Braund couldn’t have made a better discovery.
It’s quite amusing to imagine Braund taking an old collection along to a friend’s store, hoping to make a few hundred pounds. The binders weren’t organized, and he had absolutely no idea what was in them, meaning his friend must have had quite a shock too. “I don’t have to worry about where the money for the wedding is going to come from now,” Braund said. “Back when I was collecting, nobody knew Pokémon would still be around 25 years later. I’ve absolutely lucked out.”
“I was very big into Pokémon cards as a child,” he recalled, speaking to SWNS. “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.”
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