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<\/p>\nFive years ago, Logan Paul set a world record when he purchased a Pok\u00e9mon card for $5.275 million. It proved a sound investment \u2013 the influencer and wrestler sold that card for a jaw-dropping $16.492 million, with a diamond encrusted necklace thrown in.<\/p>\n
The rare Pikachu Illustrator card \u2013\u2013 one of just 39 created for a Pok\u00e9mon illustration competition in the late 90s \u2013\u2013 went under the hammer on Goldin auctions on Monday.<\/p>\n
It is believed to have earned the WWE star more than $8 million in profit after auction fees, a sale he called \u201cabsolutely insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
The auction had been running for 42 days but came to an end after hours of extended bidding Monday, with Paul saying \u201cwe may have tired someone out\u201d during a YouTube live stream.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my gosh, this is crazy,\u201d he added once the auction closed and confetti rained down.<\/p>\n
Moments later, a Guinness World Records official appeared onscreen and confirmed Paul had sold the most expensive trading card ever at auction.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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The Pikachu Illustrator card was auctioned along with the custom diamond necklace Logan Paul famously wore at WrestleMania38. – Instagram\/loganpaul<\/p>\n
Pok\u00e9mon is the world\u2019s 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<\/a> in December after Logan confirmed he would be auctioning off the card.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the most coveted trading card in the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Goldin said the Illustrator is considered \u201cthe holy grail of all Pok\u00e9mon cards\u201d and Paul\u2019s card was what everybody wants because it\u2019s virtually flawless \u2013 the only Illustrator card considered a Grade 10 card by authentication agency PSA.<\/p>\n As Monday\u2019s bidding drew to a close, the price initially held at $6.882 million until a flurry of last-minute offers during an extended bidding period lasting several hours drove the final auction total to $16.492 million from 97 total bids.<\/p>\n Paul has a reputation for taking collectibles to extreme levels and has spent millions to secure some of the rarest items ever produced, including NFTs<\/a> – unique, verifiable digital assets traded on the blockchain.<\/p>\n The WWE wrestling star bid farewell to the card on Saturday in an Instagram post, saying \u201cgoodbye my friend. What a privilege it\u2019s been to be the owner of the greatest collectible in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The card is just one of 20 Illustrator cards graded by PSA.<\/p>\n Paul got his hands on the ultra-rare Grade 10 card by swapping a PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card he previously owned \u2013 worth $1.275 \u2013 and $4 million in cash for it in July 2021.<\/p>\n Only eight of the Pikachu Illustrator cards have been awarded a PSA Grade 9 and Paul\u2019s sale is the only PSA Grade 10, the highest and most desirable grade assigned by PSA.<\/p>\n