Logan Paul’s bejeweled PSA 10-graded Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon trading card has been sold at auction for a staggering $16,492,000, setting a new record.
The amount makes it, by far, the most expensive trading card ever sold — a record the same card also held when Paul bought it back in 2021 for $5.27 million. In this new sale, venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci placed the winning bid of $13 million to secure the card, with the further $3.49 million added in auction fees. (If that name sounds familiar, AJ is the son of Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as White House communications director and now co-hosts The Rest is Politics US podcast.)
Why has it sold for such a huge amount? Well, at a base level, the Pikachu Illustrator is one of the rarest Pokémon cards out there, and its eyebrow-raising PSA 10 grading makes it truly unique and technically flawless. But Paul himself has done a lot to personally try and raise the card’s value — and very successfully so. Minus the auction fees, Paul likely stands to make more than $7 million in profit.
Paul has mounted the card in a $70,000 jewel-encrusted necklace (also included in the auction) that he then wore for his WWE debut at WrestleMania 38. Announcing the auction last month, Paul then promised to hand-deliver the card — which he billed as “the Mona Lisa of collectibles” — to its eventual owner.
Over the course of the auction, several other incidents ensured the card (and Paul) remained in the public eye. A brief, bizarre drama involving OnlyFans content creator Emmie Bunni — including a phantom $10.2 million bid and an AI photo of her holding the card — prompted a claim by Paul that her actions had put off further interest. Last week, the influencer-wrestler also got involved in the controversy surrounding Super Bowl LX half time show artist Bad Bunny, and at loggerheads on the issue with his brother Jake Paul. Just days later, the auction reached its climax with a flurry of late bids.
And in general, there’s the fact that Pokémon cards have rarely been hotter. This auction has been well-timed, in the run-up to Pokémon’s big 30th anniversary celebrations. (Fans are expecting the future of the franchise to be announced on the series’ actual anniversary next week, on February 27, alongside more details of the promising-looking Pokémon life simulation spin-off Pokémon Pokopia.)
Image credit: Logan Paul.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
