A father-of-three was stunned to discover a set of Pokemon cards he was given more than 20 years ago is now a ‘Holy Grail’ for collectors worth £35,000.
Nigel Brookes, 34, from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, was gifted the complete set in 1999 after he defended his seven-year-old brother Jeremy from children who were trying to con him out of his best cards.
His mother bought Mr Brookes the collector’s edition pack to reward him – even though the teenager wasn’t a fan of Pokemon at the time.
Begrudging the £300 pack of cards as a ‘waste’ of a birthday present, then-13-year-old Mr Brookes set them aside hoping they would be worth something one day.
He was shocked when the 103-card collection was estimated to be worth £35,000 by an auctioneer who described the lot as a ‘Holy Grail for serious Pokemon aficionados’.
Nigel Brookes, 34, from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, was gifted the complete set in 1999 after he defended his seven-year-old brother Jeremy from children who were trying to con him out of his best cards
Mr Brookes said: ‘Jeremy ran into the house showing off this new Pokémon card he had traded with the kids on the street.
‘I knew straight away that what these kids had done is told Jeremy their cards were better and traded them with him for his cards, which were really rare.
‘My brother was really sad about it and when our mum found out, being the big brother, she wanted me to sort it out.
‘I found the kids and got my brothers card back, so as a present, my mum brought me this rare collection direct from the Pokémon creators in the US for about £300.
‘I wasn’t actually that interested in Pokémon.
‘I was disappointed at the time because the collection was one of my birthday presents so to me it was waste of a present.’
The ‘pristine’ cards, which have been in the family for more than 20 years, will now be sold to a collector ‘who will take care of them,’ Mr Brookes said.
His mother bought Mr Brookes the collector’s edition pack to reward him – even though the teenager wasn’t a fan of Pokemon at the time
Begrudging the £300 pack of cards as a ‘waste’ of a birthday present, then-13-year-old Mr Brookes (pictured with Jeremy) set them aside hoping they would be worth something one day
‘There are 103 cards in total, they are all in pristine condition and were bought direct from creators “Wizards Of The Coast” in the US, and are all first edition,’ he added.
‘My daughter Layla loves Pokémon and did try to buy them all of me for £6, unfortunately that won’t cut it, and I’m sure she’ll appreciate why I said no in the future!’
Mr Brookes decided to part ways with the rare collection so he can take his children on holiday together.
He said: ‘It was a difficult decision to part ways because I’m sure in 20 years they’ll be worth double.
‘My kids are growing up and I want to be able to give them a really special childhood, with this money we can really set ourselves up for the future.
He was shocked when the 103-card collection was estimated to be worth £35,000 by an auctioneer who described the lot as a ‘Holy Grail for serious Pokemon aficionados’
The ‘pristine’ cards, which have been in the family for more than 20 years, will now be sold to a collector ‘who will take care of them,’ Mr Brookes said
‘It is also scary having this collection, if there was a flood, they got damaged, lost, or ruined in some way, they wouldn’t be worth anything.
‘Now I think it’s time to get our moneys worth and enjoy ourselves.’
The collection features two editions of the first generation character Pikachu, arguably the most popular Pokemon of its generation.
Mr Brookes said: ‘The 102-card shadowless set has actually 103 cards as there are two different versions of the iconic Pikachu, numbered 58a for “Red Cheek Pikachu” and 58b for “Yellow Cheek Pikachu”‘.
Richard Winterton Auctioneers will be selling the set live from The Lichfield Auction Centre as Lot 1600 at 4pm on July 27.
Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: ‘The collection is estimated to fetch in the region of at least £25,000 and £35,000 and is viewed as something of a Holy Grail for serious Pokemon aficionados all over the world.’