Logan Paul just turned nostalgia into a jaw-dropping payday.
The YouTube star-turned-WWE personality has officially shattered auction records after his ultra-rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card sold for a staggering $16.5 million. The 42-day online bidding war wrapped early Monday, and the final number—including buyer’s premium—clocked in at $16.492 million, according to auction house Goldin.
Guinness World Records confirmed the sale as the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction, cementing the PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator as the undisputed king of collectibles. For context, a PSA 10 grade means the card is in flawless condition—razor-sharp corners, pristine surface, perfect focus, and original gloss intact.
Paul originally snagged the card in 2021 for $5.3 million, which at the time already made headlines. Now, he’s flipped it for more than triple that amount, proving once again that the Pokémon market is no child’s play.
The Pikachu Illustrator card is widely considered the holy grail of Pokémon collectibles. It was awarded to winners of a 1998 illustration contest in Japan, and only a handful are believed to exist in such pristine condition.
Even GameStop got in on the joke, posting on X, “We won’t even offer $4. We don’t want to go anywhere near this card.”
Love him or hate him, Logan Paul just made Pokémon history—and pocketed one of the biggest collectible wins ever recorded.
