Social media star, entertainer and WWE personality Logan Paul has made trading-card history, selling his ultra-rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card for a staggering $16.49 million at auction, the highest price ever paid for a Pokémon card — and now the most valuable trading card of all time.
The sale took place at a Goldin Auctions event in New Jersey on February 16, 2026, following an extended bidding period that saw intense global interest before closing at a final bid of $16,492,000 — including buyer’s fees — for the card graded PSA Gem Mint 10, the highest possible condition rating from Professional Sports Authenticator. Guinness World Records officials were present to confirm the result as a new record for the most expensive trading card ever sold.
The Pikachu Illustrator card is frequently described as the “Holy Grail” of Pokémon collecting. Created in 1998 as a prize for winners of an illustration contest in Japan, only around 39 copies of this card are believed to exist, and Paul’s copy is the only one ever graded at PSA 10 — a key reason it fetched such a historic price.
Paul originally acquired the card in 2021 in a private deal worth $5.275 million, which at the time set a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon card private sale. He became an unlikely figurehead in the collectibles world by wearing the card inside a diamond-encrusted custom case and Cuban chain at major public appearances, including WWE WrestleMania 38 — a spectacle that helped the card enter mainstream pop-culture lore.
The winning bidder was A.J. Scaramucci, a venture capitalist and son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who received the card at the auction when Paul placed it around his neck attached to a diamond necklace worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Scaramucci has publicly described the purchase as part of a larger personal quest — what he calls a “planetary treasure hunt,” in which he plans to collect historically significant and rare artifacts. His acquisition underscores how high-end collecting has evolved into both a passion project and alternative investment strategy for well-heeled buyers.
The sale of Paul’s Pikachu Illustrator card comes amid sustained growth and attention in trading-card markets, where nostalgia, rarity and community engagement continue to fuel strong demand. While standard Pokémon booster packs still retail for around $5, the absurd price achieved for this one card highlights how collectible assets, pop culture heritage and status converge in the modern era of alternative asset classes — pushing Pokémon from playground pastime into the stratosphere of high-end memorabilia.
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