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It started at $500,000.
The live stream built steadily throughout the night, swelling into the tens of thousands as the clock crept toward 1 a.m. Even in the final minute, more than 30,000 viewers were still watching.
Ninety-seven bids later, the screen read $16,492,000.
“Thirty-one thousand people just witnessed history,” Logan Paul said as the countdown hit zero. “The most expensive trading card of all time.”
The sale, conducted through Ken Goldin’s auction house, officially made Paul’s PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator not only the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold, but the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.
On behalf of Guinness World Records, a representative stepped forward.
“Tonight you sold the PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card for 16,492,000. …You have achieved a new record title for the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold at auction, but also the overall record for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.”
The WWE star’s reaction was immediate. “Oh my god. No way. Yes. Yes. Yes. Woohoo!”
Moments later, Paul was still trying to process it all. “I don’t even know what to say, guys. I’m just officially amazing. Absolutely insane…I’m like a little speechless right now. I don’t even know what to say. I’m like processing.”
Goldin, who has spent 48 years collecting, admitted he tempered expectations as the night approached.
“As it got closer to tonight, I’m like, okay, let’s just get over 10 million,” Goldin said. “We didn’t break the record. We killed the record. We beat the record by $4 million.”
Then came the surprise.
“There is somebody in the building who would like to come up on stage and say a few words,” Goldin teased.
From the corner of the room emerged the winning bidder, AJ Scaramucci.
“I bought your card, baby!”
Paul froze. “There’s no way, bro. You bought the card?”
When he realized Scaramucci had been in the room the entire time, he shook his head in disbelief.
“You were here the whole time?”
Scaramucci called the bidding “World War Pikachu” and said the purchase marked the start of a “planetary treasure hunt,” one that could eventually include a T-Rex fossil or even the Declaration of Independence.
“You put a tremendous amount of sweat equity into that card,” Scaramucci told Paul. “You deserve every penny.”
At the end, Paul held the slab one final time.
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“It’s not mine anymore,” he said softly. “It’s different handling it when it’s no longer mine.”
Then he handed it over. “Brother…she’s yours.”
Tens of thousands stayed locked in until the final second, watching the countdown hit zero and the record flash across the screen. Millions more have since watched the replay.
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At $16,492,000, it wasn’t just another high-profile auction. It raised the bar to a place few thought possible.
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