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No auction takers for rare Pokémon card

Richard Winterton Auctioneers Jon Free, with dark short hair and wearing a white t-shirt, is pictured holding three of his own Pokémon cards while smiling at the cameraRichard Winterton Auctioneers
Jon free hoped demand for his rare Pokémon card would have sparked a bidding war at auction

A rare Pokémon card which was expected to fetch more than £8,000 has failed to reach its reserve and secure a sale at auction.

Owner Jon Free, from Great Blakenham in Suffolk, had hoped the card would spark a bidding war at the auction on Monday.

His fourth print Charizard card has been the highest graded of its kind in the world by Beckett Grading Services (BGS).

Mr Free said: "It just didn't get the attention it needed on the day and that's the nature of auctions - sometimes they go in your favour, sometimes they don't."

Richard Winterton Auctioneers A rare Charizard Pokémon card which is inside a protective, clear case with a sticker detailing the BGA grade of 'mint'. The Pokémon can be seen on the card with information about the creature and its skills from the show.Richard Winterton Auctioneers
The rare Charizard Pokémon card has a sticker detailing the BGA grade of "mint"

The 32-year-old has one of the world's largest collectors of fourth print Pokémon cards.

The card was given a grade 9 by BGS with three sub-grades at 9.5 for its centering, corners and surface - which is higher than any other fourth print Charizard in the world.

Grade 9 means it is in "mint" condition, with 9.5 meaning "gem mint", and 10 meaning "pristine", according to BGS.

Mr Free said he "would have liked the money obviously", but he was "not too disappointed" because he ended up selling a similar card online.

He now believes selling online might be a more successful option for him, but he has also been "overwhelmed" by interest following publicity about the Richard Winterton Auctions sale.

"I've had a couple of TV interviews, it's clear that Pokémon is very popular right now, there's a lot of interest in it," Mr Free said.

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