Logan Paul’s Pokémon Card Sale Hits $16.49M and Breaks All-Time Record

Online celebrity and WWE star Logan Paul’s ultra-rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card has sold for a world record $16,492,000. 

The card was sold on February 16 via Goldin Auctions and set a new record for any trading card sold at auction. A Guiness World Records adjudicator was on-site to recognize the event. 

TMZ reported that the event played out like a competition win more-so than an auction sale. It included confetti and a presentation where Paul placed the card around the neck of the buyer. The card was in a jewelry display that Paul had been wearing at publicity events for a while. 

As a long-time collector, I’ve watched pop culture reshape the card collecting landscape, from private cool finds to big public events. This whole sale summed up that evolution perfectly.

The winning buyer, A.J. Scaramucci, the son of Anthony Scaramucci, the financier who briefly served as White House communications director in 2017, described the purchase as part of a wider “planetary treasure hunt.” So expect to see his name pop up at future big-hitting sales.

What makes this card different?

In the late ’90s, CoroCoro Comic ran an illustration contest, and the Pikachu Illustrator card was part of the prize story. Fox Business reported that roughly 41 were officially awarded and distributed, which is why it sits in that trophy card tier. The fact that it never hit retail makes it a coveted treasure among collectors.

According to Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the Illustrator card Logan Paul sold was the only one in GEM MT 10. The other Pikachu Illustrator cards all sit at lower grades, and that’s a big reason why big money was spent on this card.

The combination of celebrity promotion, rarity, condition, and Goldin’s secret sauce when it comes to pushing big sales all came together to achieve the record-high price.

The collector market behind the headline

For some, the prices that rare collectible cards go for might be surprising. However, major brands back up the huge market behind the hobby.

For example, Licensing International reported big retail and platform signals, including Target citing a major jump in trading-card sales, Walmart seeing marketplace growth, and eBay logging 10 straight quarters of trading-card sales increases, with Pokémon called out as a driver.

A report by Sports Illustrated highlighted just how professional the hobby has become: 26.8 million cards graded across major graders in 2025, with PSA handling the bulk of that volume.

Start a card collection without getting burned

Card collecting can be great fun. I have previously dabbled, mostly with sports cards, but the principles are the same. If you’re thinking about starting a card collection, consider the following:

• Don’t go for everything on day one. Instead, focus on one team, era, or character. Get familiar and become an expert just on that one focus point. 
• Don’t overspend. Set yourself a budget and treat it like a hobby, not an investment strategy.
• Learn about condition and understand what collectors look for when it comes to centering, corners, surface, and edges.
• When buying a card, do so based on real-world value, not the story the seller is trying to push. If it doesn’t have provenance to back that story up, walk away. 
• Don’t commit to big prices too quickly. Instead, check prices on recent sold listings, not asking prices. You can do this via your smartphone and visiting eBay. 
• When you start your collection, make sure you store them correctly. Use sleeves and keep them in a cool, dry space.
• Don’t spend on grading cards. Only do this as and when it makes sense.

Most importantly of all, don’t let one record-making $16.49M sale rewrite your expectations. Collect what you like as you never know how the market might be 10-20 years from now.