Logan Paul, the WWE Superstar and YouTube sensation, has made headlines once again, this time for setting a world record. Last year, Paul purchased a Pikachu Pokémon card in an auction for a whopping total price of $5,275,000 (£3,862,424). This purchase broke the previously set record for the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale.
The Pikachu card that Paul bought is a Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. These cards are rare and limited in number. In 1998, only 39 were distributed to winners of an illustration contest, and now only 20 are certified, with eight of them being PSA 9. Logan Paul is the only owner of a PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
PSA-graded cards are highly valued and prized by collectors. The higher the PSA grade, the more rare and valuable the trading card becomes. Once a card is graded and approved by the PSA, it is encased in a rectangular plastic box for protection. Logan Paul even wore these protective cases as a locket around his neck during his fight with Floyd Mayweather and his entrance with The Miz at WrestleMania.
In his journey to obtain this record-breaking card, Logan Paul struck a deal with collector Matt Allen to purchase a PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card for $1,275,000. After being duped by an anonymous owner for over $3 million, Paul traveled to Dubai to meet the infamous collector Dubsy. There, he traded the card given to him by Matt Allen and an additional $4,000,000 to acquire the PSA Grade 10 Pikachu from Dubsy.
It remains to be seen if anyone will break Logan Paul's record by purchasing the PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card from him at a higher price. But for now, he holds the title for owning the most expensive Pokémon trading card ever sold.
Sources:
– Guinness Book of World Records
– The National News