The Most Valuable Trading Card on Earth
The Pikachu Illustrator is the most expensive trading card ever sold — period. Not just Pokémon, not just TCGs, but any trading card in any category. In February 2026, Logan Paul's PSA 10 copy sold at Goldin Auctions for $16.49 million after a 41-day auction with 97 bids.
The card was never sold in stores or included in booster packs. It was awarded exclusively to winners of CoroCoro Comic illustration contests in Japan between 1997 and 1998. 39 copies were officially distributed across three CoroCoro contests, with at least 41 now known to exist, and only one has ever been graded PSA 10 — making it a Pop 1 in Gem Mint.
Illustrated by Atsuko Nishida, who designed Pikachu itself, the card shows Pikachu happily drawing with a pen — a playful nod to the art contest origins. It's the only Pokémon card to carry the title "Illustrator" instead of "Trainer" or a Pokémon type.
Logan Paul purchased the card in 2021 for $5.275 million, wore it in a custom diamond necklace at WrestleMania 38, and introduced millions of people to the concept that Pokémon cards could be serious collectibles. The sale tripled his investment in under five years.
