3 min readNew DelhiFeb 18, 2026 11:04 AM IST
Influencer-turned-wrestler Logan Paul has taken the internet by storm after selling his Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card for a whopping Rs 16.492 million (Rs 1,495 crore) on February 16. The sale sets a new benchmark for trading cards, smashing the previous record, which Paul himself achieved in 2021.
The buyer was A J Scaramucci, son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci and founder of venture capital firm Solari Capital. After being declared the winning bidder by Goldin Auctions, AJ Scaramucci joined Paul for a livestream to celebrate the purchase.
According to CNN, a Guinness World Records officer verified that Paul had completed the most expensive trading card sale ever conducted at auction. Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions, told CNN, “This is the most coveted trading card in the world.”
The Pikachu Illustrator card is extraordinarily scarce. Only 39 were produced as prizes for a Pokémon illustration contest in the late 1990s, CNN reported. Goldin described the Illustrator as “the holy grail of all Pokémon cards.”
The report stated that it is the only Pikachu Illustrator card to receive a Grade 10 from the authentication agency Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the highest rating possible. Among the 20 Illustrator cards graded by PSA, only eight have earned a Grade 9.
Paul initially purchased the same card in July 2021 for $5.275 million (approximately Rs 45 crore), setting a record at the time. Goldin Auctions noted that the deal also included a diamond-studded chain valued at $75,000 (around Rs 68 lakh), which Paul wore during his WWE debut at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, the report added.
Paul shared a heartwarming post on Instagram, reflecting on the sale. “Goodbye my friend. What a privilege it’s been to be the owner of the greatest collectible in the world. From Guinness World Records to WWE debuts, Netflix to National News, this card and I have been on a generational run.”
Who is Logan Paul?
Logan Alexander Paul shot to fame with his wrestling career and content on his social media. Paul has also been an actor and entrepreneur, making guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Bizaardvark, and went on to appear in films, including The Thinning (2016) and its sequel, The Thinning: New World Order (2018).
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He was ranked among Forbes’ highest-paid YouTubers in 2017, 2018, and 2021 and enjoys over 23 million subscribers.
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