Logan Paul has placed his PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card up for auction through Goldin Auctions, drawing attention from collectors and mainstream media alike. The sale opened with an asking price of $1.3 million, and bids have climbed to $1.45 million with roughly 40 days remaining. The listing frames the card as one of the rarest Pokemon artifacts, tied to the 1997 craze that followed the release of the first games, the anime, and the explosion of trading-card demand.
Details on the page trace the card’s origin to a November 1997 CoroCoro "Illust Artist Contest," where three winners received 20 illustrated cards each and one copy of the Pikachu Illustrator card. The artwork was created by Atsuko Nishida, the original designer behind Pikachu, and only 39 copies were awarded in 1998. Paul has highlighted that he wore the card at WrestleMania and asserts it set a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold—the only perfect PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator in the world.
To sweeten the deal, Paul is including a customized Pokemon chain valued at $75,000, and he has said he will personally deliver the winning lot. In remarks accompanying the listing, he frames the sale as part of a broader wave of interest in rare Pokemon items, calling it "the greatest Pokemon auction of our generation." The listing also notes that the auction will feature other epic trading-card game lots.
Collectors and market observers note that Pokemon remains a hot area, with the franchise marking its 30th anniversary this year and with ongoing concern about thefts targeting valuable cards. Some pieces have continued to rise in value—by more than $100 in recent months—keeping attention squarely on premium items like this Illustrator card.
With roughly 40 days left on the Goldin Auctions listing, watchers will see whether the Pikachu Illustrator clears new heights. The combination of rarity, Paul’s celebrity profile, and the card’s storied provenance have kept this item at the center of the collectibles market’s conversation about Pokemon cards.
