Meet Gordon White: the former Pokemon League judge who has made almost £200,000 selling Pokemon cards at auction

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The innocuous card collecting by Gordon White has netted his collection nearly £200,000 at a recent auction

A former Pokemon League judge from Livingston has made £194,990 at auction from selling a collection of rare Pokemon cards he started collecting 16 years ago. Gordon White, 58, was expecting to only make £75,000 from the auction at Richard Winterton Auctioneers and was shocked as the estimate doubled in price after the bidding was completed.

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White’s Pokemon collection began when his two children asked if they could join a Pokemon League, in which participants would challenge each other with the cards they’ve amassed with Pokemon characters “levelled up” with other cards to strengthen their attack. White caught the collecting bug as he started amassing sets of the hit Nintendo franchise from 1998 through to 2014.

“My kids got really good at the game and, as I was the only parent turning up there all the time and I’d started playing the card game too, I was delegated” he revealed. “So I ended up running that league for 16 years and every time a new set came out it cost me in the region of £1,000. Some of the cards were then passed back to the kids for various events and tournaments; others ended up in my collection. It just went up and up and up.”

“It’s like playing chess with cards,” White explains regarding his obsession with the game. “It’s so complicated a game. It used to be simpler but it isn’t anymore – there are more cards and more things to affect other cards.” But there came a point when White decided that he had finished with the franchise; "For me, the fun is the completing, not the collecting. And as far as I’m concerned, I’ve completed it so it’s time to pass it all on."

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The auction lot contained two sets that were given estimates of £4,000 themselves and cards so rare only 96 are still available today.  They included the Skyridge set, Neo Destiny set, Legendary Collection Reverse Holo set including Charizard 3/111, EX Team Rocket Returns set, Aquapolis set and Sykridge Reverse Holo set.

“I don’t play the trading card game at all anymore – I do still play the video game but I’d like the cards to go to a good home. My grandchildren love Pokémon, play the video games and watch the cartoons but they don’t play the cards" he added.

What are the most expensive Pokemon cards of 2022?

Board and table-top games website Dicebreaker revealed the list of the most expensive Pokemon cards earlier this year, which included a 24kt Gold Pikachu card to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the series and a 2002 No. 1 Trainer card, which was personalised with the name of the tournament’s winner making each card entirely unique.

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Logan Paul, seen here wearing a Charizard Pokemon Card, is the current owner of the most expensive Pokemon card to be soldLogan Paul, seen here wearing a Charizard Pokemon Card, is the current owner of the most expensive Pokemon card to be sold
Logan Paul, seen here wearing a Charizard Pokemon Card, is the current owner of the most expensive Pokemon card to be sold | Getty Images

Do you or anyone you know own any of the following Pokemon cards that are currently fetching a high value?

  1. Pikachu Illustrator PS10 - £4.29 million
  2. 1999 First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4 - £342,000
  3. Pokémon Blastoise #009/165R Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram - £293,166
  4. Black Star Ishihara Signed GX Promo Card - £201,331
  5. Kangaskhan-Holo #115 Family Event Trophy Card - £122,242
  6. 2000 Pokémon Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 - £117,518
  7. 2006 Pokémon World Championships Promo No. 2 Trainer - £89,671
  8. 1999 Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer - £73,300
  9. 1999 Pokémon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind - £53,016
  10. 1996 Pokémon Japanese Base Set No Rarity Symbol Holo Venusaur - £44,785
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