A groom-to-be auctioned off his vintage Pokémon card collection in hopes it would reel in a couple hundred bucks — but wound up selling for enough to cover his entire dream wedding.
Andrew Braund, a teaching assistant in England, and his fiancée Rachel Moseley have spent months tirelessly planning their picture-perfect wedding.
Braund, 37, dusted off his old Pokémon card collection and explored selling it to help ease the financial burden of the bash.
He estimated it would be worth a measly £500, or $673, which would’ve been accurate, were it not for three rogue Charizard cards.
Charizard is a popular fire type from the first generation of Pokémon whose cards sell for anywhere from a couple hundred to tens of thousands of dollars a piece.
“When my friend told me how much the Charizard cards might be worth, I got quite lightheaded. I almost had a panic attack, quite frankly,” Braund told the Daily Journal.
All three of the cards were from the 2003 “Skyridge” series, hailed as one of the best ever produced in the company’s 30-year history. The holographic Charizard is the unofficial “chase” card and, in a perfect condition, can sell for upwards of $40,000.
Braund had the cards graded by PSA, a professional authenticating company. One holographic Charizard was somehow rated a nine, despite decades of poor storage, and sold for a whopping $21,250.
Another near-mint of the same card sold for $16,250. The third, a reverse-holographic Charizard from the same series, sold for $3,500, the outlet reported.
Each sold for at least $1,000 more than originally estimated, raking in a a potluck that crept over $40,000.
Braund was eager to part with the cards, noting that they had “the lowest sentimental value” compared to the favorites from his collection.
“The ones I loved as a kid look worn from being in my pockets all the time,” he said.
“I’ve absolutely lucked out,” he added.
He said he’ll be putting the profits towards his and Moseley’s wedding, set for August. He is relieved that he doesn’t have “to worry about where the money for the wedding is going to come from now.”
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