Rare Pokémon-shaped cheeto sells for staggering amount at auction
After Logan Paul bought a Pokémon card for more than $5 million, we shouldn't be too surprised that a Cheetos collaboration - if you can call it that - has fetched five figures.
We shouldn't be... but we are. Why on Earth collectors value these trading cards so highly I will never know, but it doesn't mean I don't like them - me and my brother used to have three albums full of them.
A few years back I tried looking for them in hope that they could earn us a pretty penny, only to come to the understanding that my mom likely sold them for next to nothing at a flea market.
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While I and millions like me may have no luck, one collector hit the mother lode when he purchased a Pokémon-shaped Flamin' Hot Cheetos Charizard for a staggering amount at an auction in New Jersey.
The description, at Goldin Auctions, read: "Presented is a 3-inch long Flamin' Hot Cheeto in the shape of the Pokémon Charizard, affixed to a customized Pokémon card and encapsulated in a clear card storage box.
"It was initially discovered and preserved sometime between 2018-2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles. The Cheeto surged in popularity on social media platforms in late 2024."
Bids began on February 11 at $250, and after a relatively slow start - it was at $350 a week later - bids soon began to snowball.
By close of business on February 20, the highest bid sat at a healthy $2,100 - two days later it reached $4,250, and by the end of last month a bid of $10,400 looked likely take the potato chip home.
But it wasn't to be. On Saturday (March 1), the day drew to a close with the bid at $13,400, and on Sunday (March 2) is when things got really silly.
The bids got progressively larger - it started out with hopefuls bidding just $1,000 more than the highest bid, then it went to $2,000 until the price was at $30,000.
From there the tactic shifted slightly, with participants bidding $3,000 more than the current bid, that was until an eye-watering sum of $52,000 was pledged.
But still bidders persisted and outbid each other by $5,000 until the final sum reached a staggering $72,000 - with the added buyer's premium it meant it rose to $87,840.
So who is the recipient of such a fee?
It was an anonymous buyer who purchased a mystery prize for $250 from Arena Club, which is an online marketplace for trading cards, who purchased it for $10,000 from a 37-year-old Paul Bartlett.
He explained to The New York Times that he purchased the card back in 2019 for $350 - which was $150 less than the asking price.
He then put it inside his safe and 'forgot all about it', that was until last year when he posted it on his Instagram where it gained fame.
Joe Yates