Talk about dedication! UK brothers Conner and Owen Gray have officially snagged a Guinness World Record for the "Largest Collection of Pokémon Trading Card Game Items." After more than two decades of relentless effort, these two Pokémon masters have amassed an astounding collection of over 45,000 cards, proving their deep love and incredible patience for all things Pokémon.
The Gray brothers first dove into the Pokémon Trading Card Game back in 1999. Right from the start, they set an ambitious goal: to collect every single version of Pokémon cards ever released – and we're not just talking TCG here, but other Pokémon-themed cards like playing cards too! As students, they tirelessly expanded their hoard through buying, trading, and hitting up every event they could.
Their epic 45,000+ card haul includes every English first edition card ever printed from 1999 to 2024, plus a treasure trove of rare Japanese cards, like those iconic 1995 promos from the famous Japanese gum brand "TOP SUN."
But wait, there's more! Beyond English, the Gray brothers' collection boasts Pokémon cards in a dizzying array of languages, including Italian, French, German, Spanish, Korean, and even Chinese. And even with all that, their quest isn't over! They're still on the hunt for those elusive rare Dutch first edition cards and are putting out a call to anyone who can help them complete this truly world-class collection.
In a cool throwback, the brothers even showed off a Blastoise card they managed to trade for back in their student days. That single card is now valued at a hefty £3,000 to £4,000 (roughly NT$580,000 to NT$780,000)! And if it were part of a complete set, the total value could skyrocket to an incredible £30,000 (around NT$5.8 million).
All these precious cards are housed in a specially designed display room, meticulously organized in binders that chronicle their decades of dedication. The sheer scale of the setup is breathtaking – it's like stepping into a mini Pokémon museum!
When the video was filmed, their collection had already swelled to an astonishing 48,339 cards! The brothers are hoping to hold onto this record for as long as possible and keep expanding their incredible hoard. For them, it's not just about their passion for Pokémon; it's a way of preserving a piece of pop culture history.