pokemon card logan paul

YouTuber Logan Paul (USA) has recently acquired a coveted PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card following a record-breaking trade worth $5,275,000 (£3,862,424 / €4,477,146).

The card was purchased by Paul from Marwan Dubsy in Dubai on 22 July 2021, breaking the record for most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale.

paul trading holding up grade 9 pokemon trading card small

To obtain the PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card, Paul exchanged a PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card worth $1,275,000 that he had purchased from renowned sports card collector Matt Allen in Como, Italy. 

This Grade 9 card plus $4,000,000 equalled the cost of the pristine Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. 

Logan Paul purchasing the Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card from Matt Allen

"The Pikachu Illustrator is one of the rarest and most highly coveted Pokémon cards in the world," said Paul. 

"Only 39 were given out to Illustration contest winners in 1998, and this was a purchase for the only one in the world that has been graded a perfect "10.""

logan paul in dubai with pokemon trading card in box

However, simply owning the card wasn’t enough Paul – he decided to show it off on one of the largest stages in the world. 

The social media personality made his WWE wrestling debut this evening (2 April 2022) at WrestleMania 38 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA. 

He teamed up with The Miz for a tag team match against Rey and Dominik Mysterio.

The Pokémon trading card could be seen swinging from his neck as he entered the arena, striding in alongside The Miz.

During the match, Paul landed some impressive moves for a rookie, including a frog splash and three amigos (an ode to former WWE star Eddie Guerrero).

Paul also hit a running power slam and a neck breaker from the middle rope, as well as doing the splits! 

After an epic fight, The Miz and Paul were triumphant over The Mysterios. 

While Paul held his arms aloft and took in the cheers from the crowd, The Miz decided to give him an official WWE induction by slamming his face in the mat.

However, the excitement didn't end there for Paul. 

After leaving the ring and heading backstage, Paul was presented with his official Guinness World Records certificate for the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale by Adjudicator Mike Marcotte.

Logan Paul with his Guinness World Records certificate backstage at WrestleMania 38

When asked how it felt to break this record, Paul said he'd been trying to do this his "whole life".

"I applied for so many records and the fact that I finally got one after my first [WWE] win ever? I come back to the locker room and I get a second win right away?"

"I love Pokémon and the fact that it’s been validated with Guinness World Records – this is crazy. Tonight’s a wild night. This does not feel real!" – Logan Paul

logan paul with adjudicator mike marcotte

The most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at auction was also a Pikachu Illustrator card. 

It was a PSA Grade 7 card that fetched a value of $900,000 (£662,634 / €794,648) at an auction run by Goldin Auctions on 23 February 2022.

Alternatively, the most expensive Pokémon trading card (retail) ever was a solid gold reissue of the first Pikachu card, released for Pokémon's 20th anniversary in October 2016. The 24 karat gold card, which weighed 11 grams, was priced at 216,000 ¥ (£1,699).