A PSA Grade 7 Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card sold at Goldin Auctions for $900,000 on February 23, 2022. It was a record-setting auction result at the time, but it is no longer the highest reported price for a Pokémon card: Guinness World Records now lists a separate Pikachu Illustrator, graded PSA Gem Mint 10, as selling for $16,492,000 at auction in February 2026, including the buyer’s premium.
How much did the Pikachu Illustrator sell for?
The sale behind the nearly $1 million headline was a $900,000 auction for a PSA Grade 7 Pikachu Illustrator, conducted by Goldin Auctions on February 23, 2022. Guinness World Records reported the amount in an article published April 2, 2022. It was an auction result, not Logan Paul’s separate $5.275 million transaction.
What is the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold?
As of Guinness World Records’ record page accessed October 7, 2026, the highest listed sale is $16,492,000 for Logan Paul’s PSA Gem Mint 10 Pikachu Illustrator. Guinness gives the sale date as February 16, 2026, says Goldin Auctions handled the auction, and specifies that the reported total includes the buyer’s premium. Guinness World Records’ current auction record is therefore a different sale from the 2022 Grade 7 card.
| Transaction | Date and sale type | Card and grade | Reported amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Goldin Auctions sale, as reported by Guinness in 2022 | February 23, 2022; auction | Pikachu Illustrator; PSA Grade 7 | $900,000 |
| Logan Paul transaction, as reported by Guinness in 2022 | July 22, 2021; private trade | Pikachu Illustrator; PSA Grade 10 | $5,275,000 |
| 2026 Goldin Auctions record, as listed by Guinness in 2026 | February 16, 2026; auction | Pikachu Illustrator; PSA Gem Mint 10 | $16,492,000, including buyer’s premium |
The figures describe different transactions and grades, and the sources do not establish a simple formula for how much a particular grade adds to a card’s price. In particular, Paul’s 2021 figure was a private trade, while the 2022 and 2026 amounts were auction results.
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Why is the Pikachu Illustrator card so rare?
The Pikachu Illustrator was awarded as a prize to winners of a 1998 illustration contest. Guinness’s 2022 account says 39 cards were given out. The Associated Press described only a few dozen as believed to exist, while also reporting that Atsuko Nishida designed the card. The precise distribution figure here is the dated Guinness account’s 39, not a claim that every example remains known or available.
Guinness also reported in 2022 that PSA had graded 20 examples at that time: eight received Grade 9 and one received Grade 10. Those are historical population figures from that account, not a current PSA census.
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What do PSA grades say about condition?
PSA grades summarize a card’s assessed condition; they do not guarantee what it will sell for. In its 2022 account, Guinness described Grade 9 as near perfect while allowing for minor flaws such as a slight wax stain, printing imperfection, or slightly off-white borders. It described Grade 10 as virtually perfect, with four sharp corners, sharp focus, and original gloss. These descriptions help explain the condition distinction, but they do not by themselves explain the price difference between separate sales.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did Logan Paul’s $5.275 million transaction work?
Paul’s July 22, 2021 transaction was a private trade for a PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator. Guinness’s 2022 account says the trade involved his PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator, valued at $1,275,000, plus $4,000,000 in cash, for the Grade 10 card—an overall stated value of $5,275,000. That private-trade value should not be confused with the $900,000 auction price or treated as an auction result.
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In the same 2022 article, Guinness attributed this statement to Paul: “The Pikachu Illustrator is one of the rarest and most highly coveted Pokémon cards in the world. Only 39 were given out to Illustration contest winners in 1998, and this was a purchase for the only one in the world that has been graded a perfect ‘10.’” The statement reflects Paul’s description at that time; it is not a current population count.
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