YouTube star and wrestler Logan Paul has turned his Pokémon card obsession into a massive payday, selling his prized “holy grail” Pikachu Illustrator card for a staggering $16.49 million (approximately RM75 million).
Originally created in the late 1990s, the ultra-rare card was first purchased by Paul five years ago for $5.27 million (around RM24 million). The sale, which took place on Monday, 16 February, came after a 42-day auction that saw intense last-minute bidding.
The Pikachu Illustrator card is one of only 39 ever made, and its flawless condition earned it a Grade 10 rating, making it especially valuable to collectors. Paul’s sale shattered the Guinness World Record for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.
During the livestream of the auction on his YouTube channel, which boasts more than 23.6 million subscribers, Paul witnessed the dramatic price surge. Hours before the auction closed, the card was valued at $6.88 million (around RM31 million), until final bids pushed the price to the eye-watering $16.49 million mark. “Oh my gosh, this is crazy,” he exclaimed as the sale concluded.
The card had been kept inside a diamond-encrusted necklace that Paul famously wore during his WWE debut at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, and he promised to deliver it personally to the winning bidder.
Paul, 30, estimated he made an $8 million (RM36 million) profit on the card, calling it “absolutely insane.” Before the final sale, he bid farewell to the collectible in a post to his 26.8 million Instagram followers, writing:
“Goodbye my friend [cry emoji] 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.
This sorta feels like that moment when you beat the Elite Four, get inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the game restarts. As this Grail changes hands, I’m excited to go on my next Pokémon journey.”
The sale highlights the soaring value of rare Pokémon trading cards, which have become one of the most lucrative collectibles in recent years, with top-grade cards fetching tens of millions worldwide.
