Woking:A collection of rare Pokemon trading cards stored in an attic in Woking, Surrey, has been sold at auction for £1.56 million ($2.09 million), significantly surpassing its estimated value of £250,000.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the collection belonged to an anonymous retired decorator who acquired 42 sets of Pokemon cards between 1999 and 2009. He retained one set and offered the remaining 41 for sale. The auction, organized by Ewbank's in Surrey, took place on Wednesday and attracted global bidders.

The most valuable lot from the collection was a Legendary Collection master set, which included a rare Charizard card, and sold for £130,000, inclusive of buyer's fees. Another notable set, Skyridge, initially purchased for approximately £300, fetched £97,500 at the auction.

The collector started this venture in the late 1990s after his son developed an interest in trading Pokemon cards at school. He bought complete sets on eBay from a Malaysian seller and stored them away after his son lost interest. It wasn't until the man read about a single Pokemon card selling for over £6,000 in a newspaper that he realized the potential value of his collection.

Ewbank's highlighted the auction as the most valuable trading-card sale in UK history, with suggestions that it might also be a European record. James Spooner, head of trading cards at Ewbank's, noted that advance bids had reached £825,000 the day before the event. Andrew Ewbank, the auctioneer, remarked on the exceptional international interest the sale garnered.