Pikachu? More like Pi-ka-ching.
A rare Pokemon card owned by wrestler and social media personality Logan Paul sold for US$16.5mil (RM64.49mil) on Feb 16, setting a new record for the auction price of a trading card.
Paul had acquired the Pikachu Illustrator card in a trade worth US$5.275mil (RM20.63mil) in 2021 – the most expensive Pokemon trading card sold at a private sale at the time.
The retail price for a standard pack of Pokemon cards is usually around US$5 (RM19.55) for 10 cards – though, much like hunting for shiny Pokemon, successfully purchasing a new pack may require some luck, strategy and patience as the cards have exploded in value in recent years.
Paul, who began unboxing Pokemon cards on video during the Covid-19 pandemic, is often credited with helping propel the boom.
Described as an "unimaginable Holy Grail piece," the card Paul sold features beloved Pokemon mascot Pikachu holding a pen and feather sweeper.
The art on the card is by Atsuko Nishida – the graphic artist who designed a number of popular Pokemon, including Pikachu. It is believed only around 40 were ever printed, and they were given out as prizes for an illustration contest in the late 1990s.
Paul's card was graded 10 by Professional Sports Authenticators, or PSA, a third-party service that authenticates and grades trading cards and other collectibles. According to Goldin, the auction house that organised the trading card auction, Paul's is the only Pikachu Illustrator card to achieve that "virtually perfect" PSA grading.
On top of its rarity and quality, this Pikachu Illustrator card had been placed in a bejewelled case on a diamond necklace and was worn by Paul at WWE WrestleMania 38 in 2022. The card was also featured in Season 3 of Netflix's King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch.
The winning bid for the rare card was placed by venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci, the son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
According to People, AJ Scaramucci is on a quest of "collecting the uncollectable." He reportedly also hopes to eventually buy "a T-Rex dinosaur fossil" and the Declaration of Independence on his "planetary treasure hunt." – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
