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The Rarest Pokémon Card in History Just Sold for Another Record-Breaking Amount (& Logan Paul Sold It)
The most expensive Pokémon card in history just broke its own record – tripling its value in just five years. While Pokémon is marketed with the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” theme, very few fans actually have the time or financial means to collect every single variant, chase, and promo card in the franchise and if there’s one card that serves as the biggest hurdle to being the ultimate Pokémon collector, it’s the “Pikachu Illustrator” card. Only 39 copies of the card were ever printed and the premium collectible was tied to an illustration contest sponsored by Japanese children’s magazine CoroCoro Comic all the way back in 1998. As a result, the card was doubly near-impossible to get – as it had an extremely limited run and was never available at retail.
Now, YouTuber-turned boxer, Logan Paul, just sold a one-of-a-kind copy of that already impossibly rare Pokémon card – one that he, himself, bought just five years ago for a record-breaking price. What makes Paul’s Pikachu Illustrator the most-expensive? It’s the only copy of the card to be graded with a flawless GEM Mint 10/10 grading by PSA. No Pokemon card is rarer, harder to get, and in better condition than the record-setting collectible.
What Makes Paul’s Pikachu Card So Valuable
Paul purchased the Pikachu Illustrator card back in 2021 for $5.2 million – at the time setting an official new high for Most Expensive Pokémon card, as certified by a Guinness World Record – before selling the “holy grail” collectible this year for $16.49 million. High-end auction purveyor Goldin Auctions oversaw the sale and reported the new Guinness Record via press release.
How did Paul’s card triple in value over just five years? Pokémon’s continued dominance in pop culture and collectible markets certainly helped but Paul’s tenure over the card has only added to its notoriety (and subsequent value). Paul spent $75,000 to house the card in a hilariously gaudy diamond-encrusted casing set on a 10-karat gold chain and even wore the card/diamond/chain accessory around his neck during his 2022 WWE Wrestlemania debut. So, on top of being the rarest Pokémon card, in the best condition, this particular Pikachu Illustrator card also got a boost from its growing legend.
Check out the Pikachu Illustrator card’s Wrestlemania 38 entrance (forgive the quality, but this video is one of the better looks at the actual card):
Who Purchased Logan Paul’s Pikachu Illustrator Card
As for who shelled out $16 million to purchase the grail card, the answer is fitting for a card with such a unique (and absurd) journey. The winner of the auction, and new owner of the record-setting card is A.J. Scaramucci. If the Scaramucci name sounds familiar, readers might recall the short-lived tenure of Anthony Scaramucci (A.J.’s father) who narrowly-avoided setting his own World Record for shortest time as White House Communications Director in Donald Trump’s first term. Scaramucci lasted 10 days in the role – the second-shortest stint in history behind John O. Koehler, who served for roughly one week under Ronald Reagan.
While it’s unlikely the junior Scaramucci will add to the card’s notoriety in the same way as Paul, it’s hard to imagine this is the last time fans will see the 10/10 Pikachu Illustrator break a world record.
