Pokemoncards

An unopened Pokémon Trading Card Game booster box has just been sold on an online auction, with the final bid reaching a staggering $68,880 (around £54,000).

If you're seriously into your Pokémon cards, you'll no doubt be aware that some of the earliest designs - especially when they are first editions - can fetch a pretty penny from the right bidder. Just last year, we spoke to a UK collector who made a life-changing sale, lovingly sacrificing his collection for his family, and adding to the many tales of Pokémon card success stories in the process.

This new auction featured a particularly rare find: a 1999 Pokémon First Limited Edition Printing (English) unopened booster box of the trading card game's 'Base Set' - the very first expansion of the series. The box contains 36 eleven-card packs, all unopened, and even had a slight "ding" on one of the corners. This little dent didn't seem to be of any concern for eager customers, however, with 15 bids being placed in total before the auction's end.

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These first edition boxes are rarely seen on the market, although a similar sale was made in September last year, that time resulting in a $54,200 (or £42,500) winning bid.

If you have a box tucked away in a cupboard somewhere, or even just the famous shiny Charizard Base Set card, you might want to consider popping it online for some easy money. That's if you can bear to part with it, of course.