Over the past year you have seen me heavily mention Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards when discussing the bull market of COVID. Within the world of TCG (Trading Card Game) those are the two that saw the biggest leaps in value since January 2020. However, the constant collectible that I rarely mention is Magic: The Gathering. Magic is the card game that started it all. It was created in 1993 by Richard Garfield working in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast. Magic was the first TCG, without Magic we wouldn’t have Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Masters, or any other trading card game you can think of. In present day 2022, Magic: The Gathering is the most valuable TCG out there.
When Magic was released on August 5th, 1993, it was only available in a smaller test market not exposed to the entire United States. It was primarily found on the West Coast. This initial printing of the 295-card set was limited to 2.6 million cards sold either in 60 card starter decks or 15 card booster packs. This first printing is referred to as the Alpha set, and has a wider corner compared to the second printing. These are the most valuable Magic: The Gathering cards hands down. The second printing though is still extremely valuable in the grand scheme of life. Especially if you have the key cards referred to by collectors as the Power 9. Of the Power 9 the most valuable is the Black Lotus, which is the most valuable card in all of Magic. This second printing of cards is known as the Beta set.
What sparked my interest in writing this column is that at Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers we recently took in a very important collection of Magic: The Gathering trading cards. The group included approximately 400 cards of Alpha and Beta print in exceptional condition. The highlight being a Beta Black Lotus now graded CGC 9 Mint that will be estimated $40,000-$60,000 in our February 26th auction. This gentleman is going to change his life with his personal collection he took care of since 1993. We graded a total of 146 cards which 40 of them required me to fly them down to CGC for one day overnight grading. It’s going to be a serious auction to say the least.
When it comes to Magic and all collectibles being comics, toys, trading cards, coins, artwork, you name it! It is always in your best interest to work on consignment than selling outright. That way it is a team effort, the more you make the more the auction house makes. We want to get you the most money possible!
