Logan Paul bought a Pikachu Illustrator card for $5.275 million in 2021, setting a world record for the most expensive Pokemon card sold in a private sale.
2003 Pokemon card sells for $30,000 at GameStop
GameStop received $30,000 worth of trade-ins after accepting 2003 Pokemon cards, according to the retailer. This is the highest trade-in value ever for GameStop.
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How much would you pay for a super rare Pokemon card?
On Monday, February 16, YouTube creator turned WWE personality Logan Paul sold a 1998 Pokémon Pikachu Illustrator card wrapped in a custom diamond necklace for $16.492 million at Goldin’s online auction. Bidding for this unique card and accessory began on February 15th for $13.3 million.
The lucky buyer is AJ Scaramucci, founder of Solari Capital, according to a Goldin news release. Paul had promised to hand over the cards to the winning bidder, but Scaramucci had already come to the company’s headquarters in person, surprising the auction house. All sales and handovers were completed on the same day.
This sale broke the Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokemon card sold at auction, and is the second time Paul and this particular card have broken the world record. Paul purchased the card in Dubai in 2021 for $5.275 million, setting a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokemon card sold in a private sale, according to a Guinness news release.
Paul then wore the card inside a custom-made diamond necklace during his WWE debut at WrestleMania 38 in 2022. The card will appear ringside again in 2025, when Goldin CEO Ken Goldin wore the accessory during the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua match, generally considered Judgment Day, according to the Pokémon card listing on Goldin’s website. This card also appeared in season 3 of the Netflix series King of Collectors: The Goldin Touch.
Pikachu’s illustrator card is in “almost perfect” condition
The Pokemon Pikachu Illustrator card is rated Gem Mint 10 by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), an award given to “virtually perfect” cards. According to Goldin’s website, of the 53 examples of Pokemon Pikachu illustrator cards documented by PSA, Paul’s is the only one to earn a Gem Mint 10 grade.
The jewelry alone is worth $75,000.
Aside from the rarity of Pokemon cards, the accessories that contain them are also worth a lot of money. The necklace, created by jeweler Sunny, is made from solid Italian gold and set with approximately 35 carats of natural diamonds, according to Goldin’s website. The Pokeball pendant on the necklace on top of the card is made from approximately 6.5 carats of natural diamonds, and the holder itself is a 10 carat pure Italian yellow gold chain set with approximately 27.5 carats of baguette diamonds. Oxford Diamonds valued the necklace at $75,000, according to Goldin’s website.
Several other records were broken at the Pokemon auction.
Paul’s Pikachu Illustrator wasn’t the only collectible Pokemon card for sale. This special card was part of a broader Pokemon and TCG auction held by Goldin in partnership with Paul. According to a Goldin news release, the auction featured 300 items and broke several other records, including:
- Best-selling Charizard of all time: 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Holo #4 Charizard, $954,808
- Best-selling uncut sheet of all time: 1996 Pokemon Japanese Base Set Holo Uncut Sheets (64 Cards) $613,801
- Best-selling Pokemon boxes of all time: 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Factory Sealed Booster Box (36 Card Sets) $496,000
Greta Cross is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Story ideas? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
