Logan Paul has made the headlines for a variety of weird reasons but setting a world record by purchasing a Pokémon card is simply amazing. The WWE Superstar and YouTube sensation used a small chunk of his over $200 million dollar net worth to buy a Pikachu card in an auction last year. The result was that he broke the previously set Guinness Book World Record.
During the proceedings of WrestleMania 38 in April, Logan Paul was handed the record for being the holder of the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale. He was presented with the certificate by adjudicator Mike Marcotte. It was a brief yet momentous ceremony that couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as Paul won in his debut WWE match.
The Maverick bought the Pokémon card at a whopping total price of $5,275,000 (£3,862,424). He paid $4,000,000 in cash and also traded a Professional Sports Authenticator grade 9 card for a PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. Illustrator cards are rare because these are limited in number. In 1998, only 39 such cards were distributed to winners of an illustration contest, and now only 20 are certified with eight of them being PSA 9.
Logan Paul also holds a 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard for which he spent $150,000, while someone sold its replica for $420,000 in early 2022.
Why are Professional Sports Authenticated Pokemon cards so costly?
PSA-graded cards are like a stamp of originality and a mark of quality. The higher the PSA, the more rare and priceless the trading card becomes. The Guinness Book of World Records mentioned that Logan Paul is the only owner of a Professional Sports Authenticator grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. The five million price is somewhat justified.
Once a Pokémon card is checked for its quality and approved by the PSA, it is encased in a thin rectangular plastic box. Logan wore the cases as a locket on his neck during his fight with Floyd Mayweather (1st Edition Shadowless Charizard) and during his entrance with The Miz at WrestleMania last year (PSA grade 10 Illustrator Pikachu).
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Logan Paul’s journey in obtaining the most expensive Pokémon card
Prior to being duped by an anonymous owner for over $3 million, Logan Paul struck a deal with Matt Allen and purchased a PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card for $1,275,000. He then booked a flight to Dubai with the purpose of meeting infamous collector Dubsy after consulting with collectibles expert Jeremy Padawer.
Paul purchased the PSA 10 Pikachu from Dubsy by trading the card given to him by Matt Allen and an additional $4,000,000. The trade was made in Burj Al Arab without any pomp or show.
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During an interview with The National News, Dubsy revealed that he had sentimental values attached to the card but parted ways with it anyway:
“With this card, I had a number in mind. I was offered $300,000 in 2018; a year after, $1.5m. I still said no because I was ok financially and knew this was the Pokemon card. Most people would sell, make multiple times your investment in a short period, but collectors have huge sentimental attachment.”
It remains to be seen if anyone breaks Paul’s record by surpassing the five million price or buying the PSA 10 Illustrator Pikachu at a higher price from him.
