GOTTA CATCH THE GRAIL: Logan Paul’s PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator Auction Closes Tonight, Already Surpassing A $5.3 Million Bid!
- Kyle
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
From Web3 traders to collectors at large, everyone is Pika Pika peeking over at Goldin as Logan Paul’s PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card heads toward a record setting sale before tonight’s auction close!
Three years after Paul set a Guinness World Record by purchasing the world’s only PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card for $5.3 million, he is about to make history again, this time by selling it!
“Goodbye my friend,” Paul tweeted about the card on Saturday, “What a privilege it’s been to be the owner of the greatest collectible in the world. From Guinness World Records to WWE debuts, Netflix to National News, this card and I have been on a generational run…This sorta feels like that moment when you beat the Elite Four, get inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the game restarts. As this Grail changes hands, I’m excited to go on my next Pokémon journey.”
This Pikachu isn’t just any Pokémon card. In fact, it makes first edition Charizards look common, according to Paul.
"In 1998, only 39 copies of this card — designed by Atsuko Nishida, the original creator of Pikachu — were awarded to winners of a Pokémon illustration contest,” Paul explained. “The ONLY perfect PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator in the world. One of one. The Mona Lisa of collectibles. The most famous card in human history. I’m selling it with the $75k custom Pokémon chain, and I’ll hand-deliver it to the buyer.”
At the time of publication, with only hours remaining before the auction closes, the highest bid already sits above Paul’s previous $5.3 million purchase price, putting the sale firmly on pace to become the most expensive Pokémon card transaction ever!
While the final hammer price is still unknown, Polymarket bettors currently give the card better than a 50% chance of surpassing $10 million.
However, the auction is not without controversy.
As the Gazette previously reported in December, Paul addressed concerns surrounding his Liquid Marketplace, a platform that allowed users to buy and sell fractionalized ownership of rare collectibles on the blockchain. He had previously tokenized The Pikachu Illustrator on the platform, but Paul says he later bought it back from token holders.
“As you may know, the PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator was previously listed on Liquid Marketplace, where users could purchase tokens that, according to the company, represented fractional ownership interests in the card,” he wrote on Christmas eve. “In May 2024, consistent with the platform's terms, I repurchased the card. I paid a substantial buyout amount to the platform, which was intended to be distributed to fractional owners based on their respective percentages. I was informed at the time that the funds had been distributed accordingly. Unfortunately, afterward, the company and some of its principals faced regulatory scrutiny — a process in which I have had no involvement or insight, as it does not relate to me. I recently learned that the platform also experienced operational issues, which affected user access to accounts and funds held on the platform. As a result, many Liquid Marketplace users have been unable to access their buyout proceeds or wallet balances, with no clear timeline for resolution. For those affected and unable to withdraw your funds: Please know that I am actively working with Liquid Marketplace to help ensure these funds can be released in the near future, just as intended when I repurchased the Illustrator in May 2024. Stay tuned for updates.”
At the time of publication, Paul has not publicly posted an additional update regarding Liquid Marketplace withdrawals following the auction announcement. The Gazette reached out to the company in December but did not receive a response.
Everyone can checkout Goldin’s Pikachu illustrator card auction, along with all the other cards on the block here: https://goldin.co/item/logan-paul-personally-owned-1998-pokemon-japanese-corocoro-promo-raretua0w?queryId=eyJxdWVyeUlkIjoiMzA4YjAwYjhmYzFjNWZjZDI2NjRhMjBkNzUzNjc2ZGYiLCJjYXJkSW5kZXgiOjB9