Rare Pikachu Pokémon card is selling for millions but can't come close to Logan Paul's record
30 years after we first attempted to be the very best (like no one ever was), Pokémon fever continues to take hold. We've come a long way from Red and Green releasing in Japan, and through the highs and lows, those adorable Pocket Monsters have never given up their grip on the gaming world.
Having branched out far beyond cartridge video games, the Pokémon franchise has extended to everything from Beanie Babies to theme parks, anime to homeware, and even trading cards.
Then again, with even the Trump administration selling Pokémon cards, it seems no one is safe from the phenomenon.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game has become one of the most lucrative corners of gaming collectables, and now, another rare Pokémon card is going under the hammer for millions of dollars.
Rare Pikachu Illustrator card goes under the hammer
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As part of Heritage Auctions' September 2026 Trading Card Games Signature Auction, the site has nabbed itself a Pokémon "Pikachu" Illustrator Unnumbered Promo CoroCoro Comics PSA Trading Card Game Mint 9.
Giving us a Holy Grail alert, the popular auction house implores those who want to turn their Pokémon collection into a main topic of conversation to take a closer look. We're reminded that the rare Pikachu Illustrator cards were only available by winning a CoroCoro Comics competition in 1998.
The manga magazine awarded an original 23 Pikachu Illustrator cards, with two follow-up giveaways awarding another eight each, bringing us to a grand total of only 39 cards ever existing.
This is the only card to feature the pen symbol in the bottom corner and have 'Illustrator' at the top, with Heritage gushing: "It cannot be said enough how much of a holy grail the Pikachu Illustrator is, both in and out of the Pokémon Trading Card Game community. The artwork was done by Atsuko Nishida.
“If you ‘gotta catch 'em all,’ then you gotta catch this one... because you may not get another chance!"
PSA only has 15 copies earning a Mint 9 grade, and only one graded higher, meaning we're expecting fierce bidding. More than this, the fact that this particular Pikachu Illustrator has been awarded the exceptional MBA Gold Diamond might have something to do with its insane price tag.
At the time of writing, this Pikachu Illustrator has a current bid of $1,175,000. With a buyer's premium, that'll cost you a jaw-dropping $1,468,750.00.
There are seven days left to bid, and there's every chance this little mouse will go for a lot more.
As a Mint 9 Grade sold via Heritage for $840,000.00 in June 2022, it shows just how ridiculous some of these auctions have become.
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How much is Logan Paul's Pikachu Illustrator card worth?
That previous mention of one card being graded higher refers to Logan Paul's infamous Pikachu Illustrator. Honoured at the one-and-only PSA Gem Mint 10, you might've seen Logan Paul flaunting his card in its own bejewelled case while at boxing matches.
Having already acquired a PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator for $1.275 million in 2021, Paul then swapped that in and added a cool $4 million in cash to get his Mint 10 from collector Marwan "Dubsy" Alkhaja. Instead of putting the card in a safe, Paul displayed it in a custom diamond case that was said to be worth around $80,000 and pushed into the pop culture zeitgeist when he wore it around his neck at WrestleMania 38.
Seeming like his prized possession, many were surprised when the YouTube megastar announced he'd be parting ways with his card earlier this year.
Having already entered the Guinness World Records for the most expensive Pokémon Card ever bought, Logan Paul smashed that record into pieces when his Pikachu Illustrator went under the hammer via Goldin and made an astronomical $16,492,000.
Initially holding at $6.882 million, a flurry of last-minute bids led to venture capitalist A.J. Scaramucci making that final $16.492 million bid and that plucky Pokémon card becoming the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.
While it seems doubtful that Heritage's PSA 9 will get anywhere near that price tag, it'll be interesting to see exactly what this one goes for.