Legendary Rare Card to Be Auctioned at Goldin in January
Purchased for $5.3 Million, Expected to Fetch Up to $12 Million
Logan Paul, a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star and YouTuber with 22.9 million subscribers, is putting up his ultra-rare Pok?mon card for auction. Collectors around the world are paying close attention to the final bid for this card, which he purchased for approximately 7.3 billion KRW (about 5.3 million USD).
On December 23 (local time), Bloomberg and Fox News reported that Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions, officially announced the sale of Paul’s card during the Netflix series “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch.”
The card will be auctioned exclusively on the Goldin Auctions website on January 12 next year. It has been reported that Goldin paid Paul an advance of 2.5 million USD (about 3.6 billion KRW).
Rare Pok?mon card that Logan Paul is scheduled to auction. Screenshot from Logan Paul's YouTube channel.
The card up for auction is the “Pikachu Illustrator” card, which Paul purchased in 2021 for 5.3 million USD (about 7.3 billion KRW). This card was awarded to only 39 winners of an illustration contest hosted by the Japanese children’s magazine CoroCoro Comic in 1998, and was produced through direct delivery rather than general distribution. Due to its symbolic connection to the early creative history of Pok?mon, it is considered the rarest Pok?mon card ever.
Notably, this card was the first to receive the highest grade, PSA 10, from the card grading agency Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), and it is listed in the Guinness World Records as the “most expensive Pok?mon trading card transaction.” Paul revealed that it took about four months of negotiations to secure ownership, and that he almost fell victim to fraud in the past. He recalled, “It was difficult even to confirm its existence, and there were no photos or videos of it online at the time.”
Paul views this auction not just as a sale, but as an investment case. Speaking to Fox News, he stated, “Young people don’t have to be tied to traditional investment methods like stocks and real estate,” and argued, “Non-traditional assets can deliver superior returns.” He emphasized, “Pok?mon cards have delivered returns over 3,000% higher than the stock market over the past 20 years.”
Goldin also commented on the changing trends in the collectibles market. He explained, “Today’s younger generation didn’t grow up admiring large-scale art collections,” and added, “Instead, they are showing strong interest in alternative assets based on popular culture, such as Pok?mon cards.”
Goldin predicted that, with the 30th anniversary of Pok?mon approaching, if adult fans’ purchasing power truly explodes, the card could fetch as much as 12 million USD (about 15.6 billion KRW) at auction.
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