Logan Paul has successfully sold a rare Pokémon card he initially acquired for $5 million, achieving a remarkable selling price.
The YouTuber-turned-wrestler reached a historic milestone as the bidding for the Pikachu Illustrator card concluded on Monday, February 16.
Paul, who bought the card in July 2021, had set a Guinness World Record for the highest price ever paid for a Pokémon card.
This card is one of only 39 that were produced for a Pokémon illustration contest in the late 1990s, according to CNN. It is the sole card graded with a perfect score of 10 by the authentication agency PSA.
The auction house Goldin labeled it as ‘the holy grail of all Pokémon cards’ during its sale, with bidding culminating on Monday after a 41-day period.
The bidding officially started on January 5, after Goldin moved the date earlier due to ‘overwhelming global interest,’ as reported by Polygon.
During the first week, bids surged from $500,000 to $4.3 million. The bidding stabilized for a time at $5.1 million, but a last-minute flurry of offers surged in before the February 15 deadline, with extended bidding continuing into the early hours.
Paul successfully sold the card for an impressive $16.492 million, marking it as the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.
After accounting for fees, Paul is believed to have made over $8 million in profit, a figure he described as ‘absolutely insane.’
While this amount would be life-changing for most people, the card’s $16 million value represents just 11 percent of Paul’s reported net worth.
As of October, Paul is reportedly worth $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Paul promised to personally deliver the prestigious card, known as the ‘Mona Lisa of collectibles,’ to its new owner, whose identity remains undisclosed.
The Pikachu Illustrator card was originally awarded to winners of a 1998 illustration contest organized by Japan’s CoroCoro Comic and was designed by Atsuko Nishida, the original illustrator of Pikachu.
Previously, Paul disclosed that he upgraded to this pristine copy by trading in a PSA 9 version of the same card, along with $4 million in cash. He also spent $70,000 on a custom protective case and diamond-encrusted necklace to display it, famously wearing the card to the ring at WrestleMania 38.
“From Guinness World Records to WWE debuts, Netflix to National News, this card and I have been on a generational run,” Paul shared in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“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,” he concluded.
As for what’s next for Paul, he quickly introduced a new venture called Ripit, which seemingly provides ‘VIP early service’ to open packs that represent ‘real, physical graded cards.’