Logan Paul has parted with one of the most sought-after Pokémon trading cards, the Pikachu Illustrator, which fetched $16.492m at auction including the buyer’s premium. The sale, overseen by auction house Goldin, represents one of the highest prices ever paid for a single trading card.

The winning bidder was venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci, who described the acquisition as the opening move in a larger collecting project. He told those present: “I’m on a quest to buy a T-Rex dinosaur fossil, I’m going to buy the Declaration of Independence, and I’m not stopping there,” adding: “This was only the beginning.”

During the event, Paul reacted to the final price on a live stream as confetti fell, calling the outcome “absolutely insane”. A Guinness World Records representative, Sarah Casson, then appeared and indicated the sale had set a new benchmark for trading cards sold at auction.

The Pikachu Illustrator was issued in 1998 as a prize for an illustration contest; roughly four dozen examples are thought to survive. Paul’s copy was notable because it was the only known example to receive a grade of 10 from PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), a grading that denotes a “virtually perfect card”.

Cards tied to the Pokémon franchise have seen steep increases in value in recent years, with high-grade, rare items commanding particularly strong interest from collectors and investors.

Paul purchased the same Pikachu Illustrator in 2021 for a sum reported at about $5.275m, a record at that time. The card later appeared as the centrepiece of a Goldin auction focused on Pokémon and trading card game material. Goldin reportedly offered Paul a $2.5m advance plus a share of proceeds from the wider auction catalogue to secure the lot for sale.

On the Netflix series documenting Goldin’s business, the auctioneer encouraged Paul to place the card on the block. Paul explained his decision on the show, saying: “I’m not a reseller. I’m a collector,” and adding, “But, candidly, I could use the liquidity. I’m good at making money. I’m better at spending money.”

• Paul had previously displayed the card publicly, notably wearing it in a jewelled case on a chain during his WrestleMania 38 appearance. He included the diamond necklace he used for that event as part of the transfer to the buyer, placing it around Scaramucci’s neck at the auction.
• The auction house reported the final figure as $16.492m including buyer’s premium, commonly cited in coverage as roughly $16.5m.
• Paul married Danish model Nina Agdal in a ceremony at Lake Como in August 2025; he has said the proceeds would be useful to cover personal expenses such as his “expensive wedding”.

The sale demonstrates the continuing strength of the market for high-end collectibles and the premium buyers are willing to pay for items with documented rarity and top condition grades.