PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card sells for $16.49M, sets record as most expensive single trading card
A unique PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator trading card sold at Goldin Auctions for a hammer price of $13.3 million and a final price of $16,492,000 including 24% buyer’s premium. The sale more than tripled the 2021 purchase price of $5.275 million paid by Logan Paul and set a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive single trading card sold at auction. Reports indicate the buyer may be AJ Scaramucci, founder of Solari Capital. The transaction positions the Pikachu Illustrator—often called the “Mona Lisa” of Pokémon cards—as the new pinnacle of collectible card valuations, underscoring strong demand and high prices in the collectibles market.
Neutral
This auction is primarily a collectibles market event with limited direct impact on the cryptocurrency markets. While high-profile, high-value sales can boost interest in alternative assets (including NFTs and tokenized collectibles), this specific sale concerns a physical trading card and does not involve a crypto-native asset or platform. Short-term effects may include increased media attention to alternative-store-of-value assets and potential speculative interest in digital collectibles, but no immediate pricing or liquidity effects are expected for major cryptocurrencies. Historically, record-setting collectibles sales (e.g., rare art or trading cards) have produced transient cross-market interest—occasionally lifting attention and inflows into NFTs or tokenized assets—but they have not materially shifted macro crypto market trends. Therefore, the expected market stance is neutral: traders may monitor NFT marketplaces for heightened activity, but core crypto fundamentals and price action are unlikely to be affected directly.