A rare Pokémon card, a Pikachu Illustrator, has sold for a record-breaking $16.492 million at Goldin Auctions, confirmed by Guinness World Records adjudicator Sarah Casson on Monday.
The card, owned by social media personality and wrestler Logan Paul, is one of only 39 created in 1998 for a Pokémon illustration competition, according to CNN. Paul originally purchased the card in 2021 for $5.275 million, a Guinness World Record at the time for a Pokémon card private sale. He subsequently displayed the card, graded a perfect 10 by PSA, at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, accessorizing it with a diamond necklace and a custom case.
The auction, livestreamed on YouTube, concluded with venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci, son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, as the winning bidder. Paul placed the card around Scaramucci’s neck following the sale, according to CNN.
Designed by Atsuko Nishida, the Pikachu Illustrator card is considered the “Holy Grail” of Pokémon collecting. According to reports, Paul’s card is the only one to achieve a PSA grade of 10. The sale price surpasses any previous auction record for a trading card, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
The Value reported in early February that bidding had already reached $6.3 million, including buyer’s premium, setting the stage for a record-breaking sale. The card was consigned to Goldin Auctions nearly five years after Paul’s initial purchase.
