YouTuber Logan Paul cashes in $16.5 million for his Pokémon card. It’s vindication for the ‘armchair quarterbacks yelling from the sidelines,’ he says

The YouTuber turned social media mogul and entrepreneur turned heads in 2022 when he paid $5.3 million for a single Pokémon card—an ultra-rare Pikachu Illustrator—making it the most expensive ever sold at a private sale.

But Paul didn’t stash it away in a vault. He wore the card in a diamond-encrusted chain to major events, including into the WWE wrestling ring, turning a niche collectible into a piece of performance art—and personal branding.

On Sunday night, the gamble paid off.

Paul sold the card for a whopping $16,492,000 at auction, including buyer’s fees, setting a new record for the most expensive trading card ever sold. The buyer was AJ Scaramucci, venture capitalist and son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.

The final price was about a 212% return on Paul’s investment, and for Paul, the sale is about more than money—it’s about vindication. 

“We’re in an interesting time where everyone wants to critique, but no one wants to build,” Paul told Fortune last month ahead of the sale. 

“They all are just armchair quarterbacks yelling from the sidelines while there are doers out there who are creating, making, building, establishing, and I am that person.”

Logan, alongside his brother Jake, has spent years attempting to evolve their images from YouTubers known for pranks into serious entrepreneurs and investors. The pair now collaborate in the venture capital space, and both boast nine-figure net worths. 

Pokémon cards are soaring in value—and even outpacing Nvidia

Paul is not alone in his embrace of Pokémon cards. For the last three decades, the franchise’s trading cards have encapsulated generations of fans—especially thanks to the cards’ exponential value increases in recent years. 

Despite the historic collector’s value of sports cards, Pokémon cards have posted the largest long-term increase of any trading card category—up over 3,200% over the last two decades, according to Card Ladder. 

In the last three months alone, Pokémon card values have soared by nearly 25%, far outpacing traditional hot stocks like Nvidia. And this recent rise only helped Paul, who told Fortune last month he hoped his Pikachu card would fetch between $7 million and $12 million—millions less than what it actually sold for.

Even institutional-minded investors have taken notice. Gary Vaynerchuk, known as Gary “Vee”, has long championed collectibles as undervalued assets. In 2020, he compared the opportunity in trading cards to his early conviction in social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

“Of course, there’s a lot to learn and there’s risk, as with any investment,” Vaynerchuk wrote at the time. “However, the joy I’ve felt investing in cards is so remarkable. I feel as confident in cards as I did while betting my professional life on social media back in 2005…As always, there will be dips but I am excited about what’s ahead. The macro opportunity is clear.”

Paul’s message for Gen Z: just start building

Still, Paul isn’t urging young investors to ditch their 401(k)s and start hoarding binders of trading cards. Instead, he believes that if you can properly funnel your passion, you can turn any interest into profit.

“If you’re into something and you’re passionate about it, there’s a market for it,” Paul told Fortune. “And you can build around it as long as you lean into it.”

That mindset is particularly critical for Gen Z, which is coming of age in an economy and jobs market that’s being drastically reshaped by AI and other tech innovations.

“If you don’t adapt, you die,” Paul added. “You’ve got to be able to change with the times and use the technology at your fingertips. And there’s plenty nowadays to accomplish the things that you want.”