A Pokémon Pikachu card sold for a record $16.5 million

A new record price for a Pokémon trading card was set at Goldin Auction on February 16, 2026. A unique example featuring Pikachu, created by artist Atsuko Nishida, sold for $16.5 million, setting an all-time record for such auctions.

The seller was renowned American influencer and wrestler Logan Paul, who had purchased the card four years earlier from a collector in the UAE for $5.275 million. The lot was listed for this auction with a starting price of just half a million dollars, but the final price far exceeded expectations. The next owner of this rare card was Anthony Scaramucci Jr., the son of the former White House communications director. The card was handed over to its new owner live on air.

This card was issued in the late 1990s specifically for a series of contests run by a manga magazine. A total of 41 copies were printed, 39 of which were given to the winners of the competition, while the remaining two were kept by a former employee of The Pokemon Company and were put up for auction in the early 2020s.