Five years ago, Logan Paul set a world record when he purchased a Pokémon card for $5.275 million. It proved a sound investment – the influencer and wrestler sold that card for a jaw-dropping $16.492 million, with a diamond encrusted necklace thrown in.
The rare Pikachu Illustrator card –– one of just 39 created for a Pokémon illustration competition in the late 90s –– went under the hammer on Goldin auctions on Monday.
It is believed to have earned the WWE star more than $8 million in profit after auction fees, a sale he called “absolutely insane.”
The auction had been running for 42 days but came to an end after hours of extended bidding Monday, with Paul saying “we may have tired someone out” during a YouTube live stream.
“Oh my gosh, this is crazy,” he added once the auction closed and confetti rained down.
Moments later, a Guinness World Records official appeared onscreen and confirmed Paul had sold the most expensive trading card ever at auction.
This time around the card was sold inside a custom necklace worn by Paul at WrestleMania 38 and with his promise to hand-deliver it to the winning bidder.
Pokémon is the world’s highest-grossing media franchise, surpassing even Disney and Star Wars. Cards have rocketed in value, outpacing sports cards and beating the S&P stock market by 3,000% in the past 20 years, Goldin founder and CEO Ken Goldin told CNN in December after Logan confirmed he would be auctioning off the card.
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