What changed hands?
Pokémon Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10. One of only 39 cards ever produced for a 1998 illustration contest. Only PSA 10 in existence. Sold by Logan Paul to AJ Scaramucci.
Thirty-nine cards, one perfect grade
Only 39 Pikachu Illustrator cards were ever produced, created as prizes for a 1998 illustration contest in CoroCoro Comic. The cards were never sold in stores. This particular copy, graded PSA 10 Gem Mint, is the only perfect-grade example known to exist, making it the rarest and most desirable Pokémon card in the world.
A Guinness World Record
The card was sold by Logan Paul at Goldin Auctions in February 2026 for $16.49 million, setting a Guinness World Record for the most expensive trading card ever sold. The buyer was AJ Scaramucci. The result surpassed every previous trading card record and signaled the arrival of collectible cards as a legitimate asset class alongside art, watches, and gems.
Read the number carefully
An auction result captures a particular object, a particular sale and the buyers competing on that occasion. It does not establish the value of every similar object, or what this one would sell for today.
Our selection keeps historical results separate from asking prices and estimates. Where the cited report does not break out fees, we say so rather than inventing a hammer price.
Sale documentation: Goldin Auctions — Pikachu Illustrator ↗
What does “source reviewed” mean?
We checked the published report against the amount and object listed here. That does not independently authenticate the object or confirm settlement of the transaction.