World record holder is auctioning off the largest Pokémon collection in the world for over $300,000

The largest Pokémon collection the world has seen—consisting of more than 20,000 varied pieces of Pokémon merchandise—is set to be auctioned off in a single lot later this month by Hansons Auctioneers, on Oct. 18, 2022.

The woman to whom this otherworldly collection belongs lives in Hertfordshire, U.K., but has decided to keep any other details anonymous.

The Pokémon collection is made up of an array of Pokémon merchandise such as trading cards, video games, manga, posters, toys, films, action figures, books, and even toilet paper, with the items hailing from places all around the globe such as Japan, France, U.S., and the U.K.

The highlights from the lot include a signed Japanese Mew purse, three German first-edition sealed base set packs, and a number of copies of rarer cards such as Charizard shinies.

The anonymous woman disclosed—in a report to BBC—the fact that she began collecting various Pokémon paraphernalia when she was a child, spending a lot of money on the franchise’s goods. But due to recent financial issues, she decided to make the heart-wrenching choice of parting ways with her extraordinary collection, albeit for a massive projected remuneration.

The Pokémon superfan has decided to keep a couple of the items, however, as they hold great sentimental value to her, and according to the auction house, one of these items is the Guinness World Record certificate for the largest Pokémon merchandise collection being displayed at Hertford Museum, calling it an “important keepsake.”

David Wilson-Turner, head of the Toy Department at Hansons Auctioneers, mentioned in a statement that “this is a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own the single largest collection of Pokémon memorabilia that has ever come to the market. It is currently being stored in a secure lock-up.

Turner went on to add that Pokémon has been “soaring in value” in the collectors market for the past six years now, and according to him, wealthy children in their 20s and 30s who liked Pokémon have begun purchasing it, causing prices to soar upwards. Turner closed by saying that this auction is a “fantastic investment opportunity for a wealthy Pokémon collector or any wise investor.”

While the woman auctioning the collection chooses to remain anonymous, more than a decade ago, in January 2010, a 21-year-old English Pokémon superfan named Lisa Courtney made headlines as she entered the Guinness Book of Records for being the biggest Pokémon collector in the world, making it not too difficult for the public to connect the dots.

A local auction firm believes the collection could bank up to £300,000 (around $340,000).