Car badge from 1997 is selling for $40,000 and there’s a good reason for it

I kind of get why a car badge would be worth that much money if it was designed in 1997 - I mean, all great things came out of that year, didn't they?

Biggie Smalls released 'Hypnotize', James Cameron's epic Titanic film was rolled out, and a star who would eventually become a legendary journalist and future-world record holder was born... ladies and gentlemen, me - Joe Yates.

Although, tragically, five days after 'Hypnotize' came out, The Notorious B.I.G was murdered as a perceived result of gang-warfare in retaliation to Tupac's death the year before, and I was also born on the same day as the anniversary of the Titanic sinking.

So, in hindsight, I may be a disaster, but we're not here to talk about me. Instead, we'll discuss the 1997 Nissan Skyline Nismo 400R, and its badge, which alone is fetching $40,000 on eBay.

For that kind of money, you could buy a brand new 2025 plate Audi A3... now, I'm no motorhead, but guys, it's a German car, and over there, they know what they're doing - that's one thing I know for sure.

So, if you're spending that sort of money, you've got to have two things in order to splash that much on part of a car.

Let's get into it... why on earth is a badge flogging for so much?

Well, because it's kind of a collectibles item - I mean, Pokémon cards go for millions, so I'd argue this is more sensible.

It is from a Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) icon, a rare one at that, and the 1997 Nissan Skyline R33 Nismo 400R is incredibly unique.

It's like the Illustrator Pikachu, which came out a year later in 1998 - the world's rarest Pokémon card that Logan Paul officially bought back in 2022 for $5.275 million.

Yes, the Nissan badge from said car is listed for a whopping $40,040, to be precise.

Despite the huge price tag, it does have a few scratches on it, but that's to be expected, really, as it's almost 30 years old... oh God, that means I'm nearing the milestone.

On the listing, the seller explained how they took it from the trunk of their Nissan Skyline R33 Nismo 400R way back when.

So, can you see yourself ever buying something like this, or would you rather fork out on a Pokémon card?

I'll confess that I don't know what my obsession with Pokémon is in this article.