Ex-Trump Aide's Son Buys $16.49M Pokemon Card From Logan Paul

The sale sets a new world record for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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A Pokémon card that YouTuber Logan Paul bought for $5.3 million in 2021 has just shattered records at auction, selling for $16,492,000. The winning bidder was AJ Scaramucci, the son of financier and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who surprised Paul at the end of the live-streamed auction.

Why it matters

The sale of this rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card for over $16 million sets a new world record for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction, underscoring the continued growth and interest in the collectibles market, especially for highly sought-after Pokémon cards.

The details

The Pikachu Illustrator card is one of the rarest Pokémon cards ever distributed, with only 53 graded by PSA and this being the only one to achieve the top GEM MT 10 grade. Logan Paul originally acquired the card in a Guinness-verified private sale in Dubai in 2021 for $5.3 million. He later featured the card, which is housed in a custom Italian gold and diamond pendant, on Netflix's "King of Collectors: The Goldin Touch."

  • The auction took place on Monday, February 16, 2026.
  • Logan Paul originally purchased the card in 2021 for $5.3 million.

The players

Logan Paul

A popular YouTuber who purchased the record-breaking Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card in 2021 for $5.3 million.

AJ Scaramucci

The son of financier and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who was the winning bidder at $16,492,000, setting a new world record for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.

Anthony Scaramucci

A financier and former White House communications director, whose son AJ Scaramucci purchased the record-breaking Pokémon card.

Ken Goldin

The auctioneer who presided over the record-breaking sale of the Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card.

Sarah Casson

An adjudicator from Guinness World Records who confirmed the new record title for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.

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What they’re saying

“The real story is, I'm on a planetary treasure hunt right now, and I'm on a quest to buy a T-rex dinosaur fossil, the Declaration of Independence, and I'm not stopping there. This was only the beginning.”

— AJ Scaramucci (BBC)

“You're a gangster. Fearless, bro'.”

— Logan Paul (dailyvoice.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This record-breaking sale of a Pokémon card highlights the continued growth and interest in the collectibles market, with rare and highly sought-after items fetching astronomical prices from passionate collectors and investors.