Logan Paul has made history by selling a single Pokemon trading card for a whopping $16.5million.
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The YouTuber and WWE star, 30, sold the ultra-rare Pikachu illustrator card in a tense 42-day auction for the eye-watering sum, setting a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive trading card sold at auction.
The winning bidder was venture capitalist A.J. Scaramucci, who some may remember as the son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who served during President Trump's first term in 2017 for just 11 days.
The card came with a $75,000 diamond-encrusted chain and custom case, which Paul had previously worn to Wrestlemania.
According to the New York Post, the card was designed by legendary Japanese graphic artist Atsuko Nishida for a 1998 contest and only a few dozen are believed to exist.
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Nishida is best known for designing some of the most iconic characters from the Pokemon franchise, including franchise mascot Pikachu.
Influencer and WWE star Logan Paul has made history by selling a single Pokemon trading card for a whopping $16.5million
Paul's card was in perfect condition and received a 10/10 quality rating from the 'King of Collectables' Ken Goldin.
Goldin described the card as, 'one of the Holy Grails of the collectibles industry'.
Paul first bought the rare card in 2022 for almost $5.3million, which has now earned the former WWE United States Champion millions in profit.
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'Last night will be a night I'll remember forever. I sold my PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator for $16,492,000, officially making it the most valuable Trading Card in the world,' Paul wrote on Instagram after the sale.
'Having bought this card in 2021 for $5,275,000, I'm obviously happy with the return from a financial standpoint, but I'm happier that it's proven and cemented itself as the greatest collectible in the world,' he continued.
'Congratulations to @treasuretrove for buying a piece of history and beginning your journey to gather the greatest treasures around. I'm glad this card is going to someone who loves Pokémon as much as I do.'
Scaramucci, who purchased the card, did so as part of a pricey treasure hunt that he's embarking on.
Explaining his motivation for buying the collectable card, Scaramucci said, 'The real story is that I'm on a planetary treasure hunt.
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The winning bidder was venture capitalist A.J. Scaramucci (right), who some may remember as the son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci
Scaramucci served during President Trump's first term in 2017 for just 11 days
'I'm planning to buy a T. rex dinosaur fossil, the Declaration of Independence, and I'm not stopping there. This is only the beginning.'
Paul got his start on the now-defunct social media app Vine before transitioning over to YouTube, where he quickly amassed a huge following.
He launched his acting career in 2015 with a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and then appeared in several movies and TV shows.
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In 2022, he made his in-ring debut as a professional wrestler at WWE's WrestleMania 38.
He later won the WWE United States Championship from Rey Mysterio.
The rare card, which was designed by Atsuko Nishida, was first purchased by Paul in 2022 for almost $5.3million
The 30-year-old currently performs on WWE's Raw, which airs weekly on Netflix.
Outside of wrestling, Paul is the host of the Impaulsive podcast, which is one of the biggest podcasts in the world.
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Former guests on the show have included President Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, and Tom Brady.
Paul is also the co-founder of the energy drink Prime, which had sales of $1.2billion in 2023.
