NEW YORK, Dec 25 — Logan Paul has agreed to sell one of the rarest Pokémon cards in the world, leaning into what he calls a perfectly timed moment for collectors as prices surge.
Paul, a star of World Wrestling Entertainment and a prolific influencer, bought the Pikachu Illustrator card in 2021 for nearly US$5.3 million (RM21.4 million), a price that set a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon card sold in a private auction.
Now, he has taken a US$2.5 million advance to sell the card through Goldin Auctions, according to Bloomberg.
The agreement was struck with Goldin’s founder and chief executive, Ken Goldin, and appears in the latest season of King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, which debuted on Netflix on December 23.
The card will go on sale exclusively on the Goldin Auctions website from January 12, with Goldin estimating it could fetch between US$7 million and US$12 million.
“The Pokémon market is hot. It’s hotter than it’s ever been,” Paul told Bloomberg TV in a joint interview with Goldin.
“Ken gave me a deal I could not refuse.”
Goldin said he had previously tried — and failed — to buy the card for US$7.5 million.
“It is an alternative asset class,” he added, pointing to a broader boom in collectibles driven by nostalgia and new money.
With Pokémon set to mark its 30th anniversary in 2026, he said many who grew up with the franchise are now adults with spending power, reshaping what cultural assets command top dollar.
“That is how we can see something like a basketball card with pictures of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant sell for US$12.5 million dollars,” Goldin said.
Paul’s move underscores how online fame, sport and speculative collecting increasingly intersect.
He first rose to prominence alongside his brother Jake Paul on Vine and YouTube, before pivoting to boxing and professional wrestling.
Jake Paul recently lost a high-profile bout to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a match broadcast ‘live ‘on Netflix.
