(Yahoo! Finance) - AJ Scaramucci, son of Skybridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, looks to be a chip off the old block.
The younger Scaramucci — described by his hedge funder dad as a venture capitalist with a keen eye toward collectibles investing — was the winning bidder for Logan Paul's prized Pokémon card this month. The bidding ended on Feb. 16, after bringing in 97 bidders over 41 days.
The one-of-a-kind PSA grade 10 card cost him about $16.5 million, more than triple what Paul paid for the card in 2021.
"I'm an investor with him, obviously. He's running some of our family's money. He's created a company called Treasuretrove.com," the proud papa and Wall Street veteran said in a new episode of Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast.
The hoopla around the card will help AJ get a stronger foothold in the surging collectibles markets, per Scaramucci.
"I think the thing that people need to realize is that the purchase of a $16.5 million card generated about $200 million worth of media buy ... One of the approaches that we were trying to take with the card is to help AJ get exposure in the land of collectibles," Scaramucci said. "And to let people know that he's going to be a force to be reckoned with as he begins this sort of treasure hunt that he's on."
"I just will say that if you believe in currency debasement, which our family does, this is a frontier that has a liquidity mismatch," he added. "Bitcoin and gold are well exposed, but the world of collectibles, the prices are going up for a reason."
The US collectibles market size was estimated at $32.13 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $48.08 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% from 2026 to 2033, according to Grand View Research.
This growth is expected to be fueled by increased participation from younger collectors, expansion of digital and resale marketplaces, improved authentication and grading standards, rising cultural relevance of nostalgia-led categories, and broader recognition of collectibles as alternative stores of value alongside traditional assets.
"It really is just supply and demand," Josh Luber, co-founder of StockX and founder of Ghostwrite, said on Opening Bid Unfiltered about the strength of the collectibles industry. "The demand half of the equation works when you hit that intersection of culture and commerce."
The gamification of commerce is the second-most disruptive economic force in the world today, according to Luber's co-authored white paper "The Blindboxification of Everything." This isn't just about sneakers and trading cards — it's about an evolution in how products capture the cultural zeitgeist.
Such as Paul's pristine Pokémon card, which is now AJ Scaramucci's.
"If you're buying super high-quality stuff, I think it's durable. I think it lasts," Scaramucci said of collectibles.
By Brian Sozzi - Executive Editor
