A.J. Scaramucci bought the rare Pikachu Illustrator card from YouTuber Logan Paul for $16.49 M. This purchase set a new all-time high in the collectibles market. The previous $13 M record belonged to a card featuring basketball players Michael Jordan alongside Kobe Bryant.
Problems With Liquid Marketplace
Paul acquired Pikachu Illustrator in July 2021 for $5.3 M. Soon after, the blogger raised $8 M to launch the Liquid Marketplace tokenization platform.
In the summer of 2022, he listed the card for sale through his service. Users bought a 5.4% share for $270,000. In 2024, the Ontario Securities Commission accused the platform of violating laws. The regulator charged the creators with defrauding investors, operating without registration, misusing funds.
Resolving the Conflict With Investors
Paul commented on the share sale situation: in May 2024, he bought them back at the original price so investors could cash out. Later the site went offline due to reasons beyond the founder's control.
The blogger reported paying for the site's restoration out of personal funds. Now the withdrawal feature is available to marketplace clients once again.
The Buyer’s Plans
The Pikachu Illustrator card was released in 1998 in a limited run of 39 copies. The sold lot received the maximum PSA 10 condition grade.
The buyer, A.J., is the son of SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci. He called the deal the beginning of a global treasure hunt. His future purchase list includes Tyrannosaurus rex fossils. The collector also plans to acquire an original US Declaration of Independence.
Growing Demand for Tokenized Cards
The major purchase occurred amidst a general upturn in the niche. In early January, weekly trading volumes on the Solana marketplace Collector Crypt reached $37 M. The platform issues NFTs based on physical Pokemon cards. This marks a financial record for the platform's entire operational history.