Former £2 Woolworths Pokémon Pack Produces Mint Charizard Treasure Expected to Command Massive £40,000 Sale in Etwall

Rummage through enough old toy boxes and you might just stumble on a retirement fund.

That’s the kind of buzz building around a single Pokémon card that’s about to go under the hammer in Derbyshire — and it once cost less than a takeaway coffee.

A rare 1st Edition Shadowless Base Set Charizard, often described by collectors as the “holy grail,” is tipped to fetch as much as £40,000 at an anniversary auction hosted by Hansons Auctioneers.

The sale marks 30 years of Pokémon — and the nostalgia-fuelled market is hotter than ever.

From Pocket Monsters to a Global Phenomenon

Long before it became a playground obsession in Britain, Pokémon started life in Japan as a Nintendo video game called Pocket Monsters.

The name was later shortened to Pokémon, and what followed was a cultural explosion.

After the video games took off, Media Factory launched the Pokémon Trading Card Game in 1996.

The first set — released on October 20 that year — featured 102 cards.

Fast forward to today, and more than 30 billion Pokémon cards have been printed worldwide.

That’s a staggering number.

Yet somehow, it’s the early print runs — especially first editions — that have become prized artefacts.

Why This Charizard Is So Special

Charizard has always had star power.

In the original Base Set, it was the rarest holographic card.

Pulling one from a pack back in 1999 felt like hitting a mini jackpot.

But this isn’t just any Charizard.

It’s a 1st Edition, Shadowless Base Set version — meaning it comes from the earliest English print run, without the drop shadow around the image box that appeared in later prints.

Even more importantly, it’s graded 9 out of 10 for condition — considered “mint.”

Experts estimate that between 4,000 and 10,000 of these cards were produced.

Most were handled by children, shuffled, traded, and played to death.

Finding one today in near-perfect condition is extremely rare.

And to think, you could once buy a pack of 11 Pokémon cards at Woolworths for £1.50 to £2.

More Than Just One Big Hit

The Charizard may be the headline act, but it’s not alone.

Also featured in the sale is a complete Jungle 1st Edition set — 64 cards originally released in June 1999.

Back then, you could assemble the collection for around £200.

Today? It carries a guide price of £15,000 to £20,000.

There’s also a sealed booster box from the very first English Pokémon set, containing 36 unopened packs from a low print run Unlimited edition.

Originally sold for about £100, it’s now expected to fetch between £12,500 and £15,000.

The box is preserved in an acrylic display case, a nod to how seriously collectors now treat these once-humble items.

Lockdown Nostalgia Sparked a Boom

According to specialists at Hansons, the Pokémon memorabilia market exploded during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Adults stuck at home began revisiting childhood hobbies.

What started as a nostalgic trip quickly became serious collecting.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson — familiar to many viewers from Bargain Hunt — says the market is stronger than it has ever been.

Many buyers are now in their 20s and 30s — people who grew up with Pokémon and now have the disposable income to chase the rarest pieces.

Specialist David Wilson-Turner believes Pokémon Day celebrations and the 30th anniversary will only stir up the craze again.

Record-Breaking Sales Raise the Stakes

If £40,000 sounds dramatic, it’s actually modest by today’s upper-end Pokémon standards.

Earlier this month, YouTuber Logan Paul made headlines for selling an ultra-rare Pokémon card for a jaw-dropping £12 million.

Paul had previously purchased the Pikachu Illustrator card — considered one of the rarest Pokémon cards ever — for £3.9 million in 2021, setting a record at the time.

The recent £12m sale reportedly involved venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci, son of financier and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.

Those kinds of numbers have sent ripples through the collecting world, reinforcing Pokémon cards as serious alternative investments.

Impact and Consequences

The rise in value has changed the Pokémon landscape in several ways:

• Childhood collections are being treated like financial assets.
• Professional grading services have become crucial in determining value.
• Fraud and counterfeiting have increased alongside rising prices.
• Investors — not just hobbyists — are entering the market.

There’s also a generational shift happening.

Wealthy millennials who once traded cards in school playgrounds are now competing internationally for rare, graded examples.

That competition pushes prices even higher.

At the same time, the surge has priced many younger fans out of the rare-card market, creating a divide between casual collectors and serious investors.

What’s Next?

The upcoming auction at Hansons’ saleroom in Etwall, Derbyshire, is expected to draw international attention.

Online bidding means collectors from around the world can participate.

If the Charizard reaches its £40,000 estimate — or exceeds it — it could further cement early Pokémon cards as blue-chip collectibles.

Prices may continue climbing, particularly for:

• 1st Edition Base Set holos
• Sealed early booster boxes
• Professionally graded high-condition cards

Auctioneers are even encouraging people to search their attics and toy boxes for forgotten treasures.

The next record-breaker could be sitting in a dusty binder somewhere.

Summary

What began as a £2 purchase from Woolworths in 1999 has become a potential £40,000 windfall.

A mint-condition 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard stands at the centre of a booming nostalgia market powered by millennials with spending power.

With record-breaking sales like Logan Paul’s £12m deal raising global interest, Pokémon cards have evolved from playground swaps to high-stakes investments.

The 30th anniversary auction could mark another milestone in a collecting craze that shows no signs of slowing down.

Bulleted Takeaways

• A 1st Edition Shadowless Base Set Charizard could fetch up to £40,000 at auction.
• Originally sold in £2 packs at Woolworths in 1999.
• Only 4,000–10,000 were produced, with very few surviving in mint condition.
• A full Jungle 1st Edition set may reach £20,000.
• A sealed early booster box could sell for up to £15,000.
• Pokémon card values surged during lockdown due to nostalgia buying.
• Logan Paul recently sold a rare Pokémon card for £12 million.
• The 30th anniversary auction is expected to attract global bidders.