Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10 sets $16.5M record at Goldin

Logan Paul sold a PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator for $16.5M

Logan Paul sold his rare Pikachu Illustrator card graded PSA 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator at Goldin Auctions for $16,492,000 on February 16, with the winning bidder identified as Solari Capital founder AJ Scaramucci, according to USA Today. The sale elevates the already scarce Illustrator card, long considered a grail of Pokémon TCG collecting, into a new price tier for pop-culture memorabilia.

The PSA 10 designation signifies a gem mint assessment by the grading service, a status that can materially impact auction outcomes. Coupled with the card’s limited population and public provenance, the auction outcome establishes a fresh benchmark for top-end trading cards.

Why this sale sets a trading-card world record and matters

The result set a new world record for a trading card and follows Paul’s prior acquisition of the card about four years ago for $5.3 million, according to People. That timeline underscores how quickly premier pop-culture assets can reprice when authenticity, grading, and high-visibility marketing converge.

Record-level outcomes tend to ripple beyond a single lot. They reset seller expectations, attract institutional and high-net-worth buyers to similar assets, and concentrate attention on the mechanics of grading, provenance, and auction liquidity.

Immediate impact: buyer, PSA 10 scrutiny, and fractional-ownership questions

With Scaramucci emerging as the buyer, the transaction puts a spotlight on how top-condition examples are sourced, insured, and custodied before they reach an auction block. Market participants will parse the grade, prior holders, and public disclosures to evaluate durability of the achieved price.

As reported by Polygon, the record has reignited allegations surrounding the card’s PSA 10 grade and its past linkage to Liquid Marketplace, where fractional ownership had previously been marketed. The discussion centers on authentication trails and what fractional investors were told about rights, withdrawal mechanics, and sale decision-making; these remain allegations and are not adjudicated findings.

According to the Ontario Securities Commission, enforcement allegations tied to Liquid Marketplace have included claims of selling unregistered securities, operating an unregistered marketplace, misrepresentations about ownership and insurance, and mishandling investor funds. Those are regulatory allegations, not judicial conclusions, and any ultimate outcomes would depend on ongoing legal processes and evidence.

Paul has publicly framed restitution as a priority in other ventures connected to digital assets. “I am personally committing more than $2.3 million to buy back Base Eggs and Base Animals from every person who intended to play CryptoZoo,” said Logan Paul in January 2024.

Auction economics: hammer, buyer’s premium, and $75,000 necklace included

In auction practice, the hammer price is the final bid at the close, while the buyer’s premium is an additional fee charged by the auction house and added to the invoice total. In this case, the reported figure encompassed the all-in amount for the lot, and a custom diamond necklace valued at $75,000 was included with the sale, as reported by Man of Many.

At the time of this writing, Nintendo Co., Ltd.’s ADR (NTDOY) traded at 14.18, up 2.53% on the day, while Ethereum (ETH) was around $2,003 with a bearish sentiment, 18.57% volatility, and a 14-day RSI near 33.67. These benchmarks provide context for broader risk appetite and liquidity conditions without implying any link to the specific auction outcome.