Roy Raftery has been Head of the Trading Card department since he joined the company in July 2023. He holds a Philosophy & History Major and Certificate in Education, which he used in his 7 years as an A-level teacher prior to working at SGB. Roy has also worked as Head of Entertainment at Ewbank’s Auctions, has been a consultant for Heritage Auctions, and has worked for a number of regional auction houses across the UK.
Since 2008, Roy has been professionally buying, selling and valuing cards and has run his own business, working alongside some of the largest trading card companies in Europe. Roy has an extensive knowledge of the ‘big three’ trading card games (Pokémon Magic the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!), and his other strengths include video games, comic books, and the collectible toy and figures market.
Roy’s expertise have meant that he has been instrumental in selling items including the No.2 Trainer card from the 2023 Pokémon World Championship in a PSA 10 (£84,000), and a Beta Black Lotus Artist proof (CGC 8) from Magic the Gathering, the final price for which was £43,200.
Roy has appeared in various newspaper articles, most recently in the Financial Times, and has also contributed to four YouTube videos with Tech Insider.