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The card is called Pikachu Illustrator, one of the rarest items in the history of Pokémon collecting.
It features Pikachu holding a paintbrush, surrounded by colorful artwork. The design was created by Atsuko Nishida, the artist credited with creating the original appearance of Pikachu.
Unlike ordinary Pokémon cards, Pikachu Illustrator was never available in regular booster packs. It was created as a prize for a Japanese illustration competition.
Paul owned an especially valuable example because it had received a PSA Gem Mint 10 grade, the highest condition rating awarded by the grading company Professional Sports Authenticator.
According to Guinness World Records, his card remains the only known Pikachu Illustrator example awarded that grade.
That combination of rarity, condition and history made it one of the most desirable objects in the trading card market.
The Card Was Originally Given Away in a Japanese Drawing Contest
Long before people were spending millions on Pokémon cards, the Japanese magazine CoroCoro Comic organized an illustration competition for Pokémon fans.
Entrants were invited to submit their own Pokémon artwork. Winners received a special card recognizing their achievement.
Only 39 Pikachu Illustrator cards were awarded to competition winners in 1998.
Imagine winning a drawing competition, receiving a Pokémon card and putting it away with your other childhood possessions. At the time, few people could have imagined that one of those prizes would eventually become a multimillion-dollar collectible.
The card also has an unusual design. Instead of following the format of a regular Pokémon battle card, it celebrates the winner as an illustrator.
For collectors, that original purpose is part of its appeal. Pikachu Illustrator represents an early moment in Pokémon history when the franchise was still developing into the global entertainment phenomenon it would become.
Its limited distribution also means collectors cannot simply open an old booster pack and hope to find one.
Why the PSA 10 Grade Made It Even More Valuable
Finding a Pikachu Illustrator card is already difficult. Finding one in exceptional condition is another challenge entirely.
Professional Sports Authenticator examines trading cards and assigns grades based on their physical condition. The company looks at the corners, edges, surface and alignment of the printed design.
Under the official PSA grading standards, a Gem Mint 10 card must be virtually perfect, with sharp corners, original gloss and extremely limited printing imperfections.
A small scratch or a slightly damaged corner can be enough to lower the grade.
For a card produced in the late 1990s, surviving in that condition is remarkable. Many older cards were handled, traded or stored without the protective cases collectors commonly use today.
Several Pikachu Illustrator cards have been authenticated over the years, but Paul’s example is the only known copy graded PSA 10.
That does not mean every other surviving card is in poor condition. It means none has received the same top grade from PSA.
For a wealthy collector determined to own the finest known example, that difference can be worth millions.
How Did Logan Paul Get His Hands on the Card?
Paul spent years building a Pokémon collection before making his record-breaking purchase.
His search for the Pikachu Illustrator led him to collector Matt Allen, who owned a PSA 9 version of the card.
Paul purchased that example for $1.275 million in 2021. It was already an extraordinary amount to spend on a trading card, but he had a bigger target in mind.
He then traveled to Dubai to negotiate with Marwan Dubsy, who owned the PSA 10 example.
The final agreement involved trading the PSA 9 card, valued at $1.275 million, plus an additional $4 million in cash.
The total transaction was valued at $5.275 million.
Guinness World Records documented the purchase, which became the most expensive Pokémon card private sale at that time.
Paul had spent an enormous amount on a card that could fit inside his wallet. Naturally, he decided to make the purchase as public as possible.
Wearing a $5 Million Pokémon Card at WrestleMania Was Quite a Marketing Move
In April 2022, Logan Paul made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania 38, teaming with The Miz.
He arrived wearing the Pikachu Illustrator card around his neck.
The card was secured inside a custom protective case attached to a diamond necklace reportedly worth $75,000.
It was an unforgettable entrance, even by WWE standards.
Millions of people who had little interest in rare Pokémon cards suddenly saw one being worn as an expensive piece of jewelry.
Paul also featured the card in social media content and discussed its value publicly. His celebrity status brought attention to a collectible that had previously been known mainly among serious trading card enthusiasts.
The publicity did not create the card’s rarity. Its history and condition were already established. However, Paul turned it into a recognizable object with its own story.
A similar effect can be seen in valuable pop star memorabilia, where items associated with famous performances often attract greater attention from collectors.
When the card eventually went up for sale, buyers were competing for an exceptionally rare Pokémon collectible that had also appeared at one of the biggest wrestling events in the world.
Who Actually Paid $16.5 Million for the Card?
The winning buyer was A.J. Scaramucci, a venture capitalist and the son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
The auction took place through Goldin, a company specializing in valuable sports memorabilia and collectibles.
It attracted considerable attention over more than a month of bidding, with collectors competing for ownership of the famous card.
The final winning bid was $13.3 million. After adding the auction house’s buyer premium, the total reached $16,492,000.
The official Goldin auction listing recorded 97 bids.
The purchase included the diamond necklace Paul had worn at WrestleMania, and Paul personally presented the card to Scaramucci.
With the sale, Pikachu Illustrator surpassed previous trading card auction records, including the $12.9 million paid for a rare Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant basketball card in 2025.
Collectibles from other industries have also attracted enormous bids, including some of the most expensive guitars ever sold.
Even a 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card, which sold for $12.6 million in 2022, had been overtaken.
A Pokémon illustration had become more expensive than some of the most famous pieces of American sports memorabilia.
Could Another Pokémon Card Become Worth Millions?
After a sale like this, it is tempting to dig out every old Pokémon card hiding in a drawer.
Some vintage cards genuinely are valuable. Early promotional releases, rare first editions and cards preserved in exceptional condition can attract substantial prices.
Collectors also pay attention to unusual printing errors, limited tournament prizes and unopened products that have become scarce.
Finding something unexpectedly valuable is part of what makes collecting exciting. People still search garage sales for forgotten card collections and open sealed packs hoping to uncover something special.
The same curiosity has encouraged other ways of discovering collectibles. A mystery box site can turn the reveal itself into an experience, with Pokémon cards, sealed packs or other surprises hidden inside until the box is opened.
Of course, a surprise collectible and a PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator are very different purchases. The latter had a documented history and an established reputation among collectors long before Paul bought it.
For anyone who enjoys searching for rare items, a little research can make collecting more interesting.
Look at completed auction sales rather than advertised prices. A seller asking $10,000 for a card does not mean another collector has paid that amount.
Condition is also crucial. Two cards printed in the same year can have very different values if one is heavily worn and the other receives a high professional grade.
Most Pokémon cards will never sell for extraordinary sums, but finding an unusual collectible can still be a memorable experience.
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Did Logan Paul Really Make an $11 Million Profit?
The headline numbers make the calculation look straightforward.
Paul acquired the card for $5.275 million and sold it for $16.492 million. Subtracting those figures produces a difference of $11.217 million.
However, the full auction price included the buyer premium paid to Goldin.
The actual winning bid was $13.3 million, which means the difference between that amount and Paul’s original purchase price was $8.025 million before any applicable selling expenses, taxes and other financial arrangements.
His exact personal profit has not been independently established.
Even so, the increase in value was extraordinary. Paul had purchased the most expensive Pokémon card in the world and later sold it for a price that set a record across the entire trading card industry.
What Made a Small Pokémon Card Worth $16.5 Million?
Collectors were paying for an object with several qualities that rarely come together.
Only a small number of Pikachu Illustrator cards were originally awarded. The artwork came from the artist who helped create one of the world’s most recognizable fictional characters. Paul’s example carried the highest possible PSA grade, with no other known copy receiving the same rating.
Then came the celebrity connection, the WrestleMania appearance and the publicity surrounding the auction.
By the time the bidding ended in February 2026, the card had become a trophy for the entire Pokémon collecting community.
Somewhere in Japan, nearly three decades earlier, a competition winner had received a little card showing Pikachu with a paintbrush.
That prize eventually became the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction. Few childhood collectibles have traveled quite so far.
