Collecting any kind of tabletop game cards can be an expensive hobby, and one rare Magic The Gathering card auction is proof, already sitting at a high price. This one Magic The Gathering card could secure a small fortune for its current owner due to its rarity and demand.
Rare Magic The Gathering cards are notorious for being extremely expensive when they go up for sale. Whether it's available for purchase on eBay or a traditional auction house, MTG cards can go for hefty prices, making it a tragedy when parents throw out TCG collections.
Fans who have been on the hunt for a prime condition Black Lotus card will likely need to seriously splurge to get this one. The card is being auctioned by PWCC Marketplace with the current bid at the time of writing sitting at $220,000. The card was released back in 1993, though it received a reprint as part of Magic The Gathering's 30th anniversary celebrations. The card on sale is an original release, and the quality is as good as they come, as the Professional Sports Authenticators has granted it Gem Mint 10, which is the best quality possible. To make it even more valuable, the case of the card is signed by the card's original artist, Christopher Rush, who passed away in 2016. All of these factors mean $220,000 is likely far lower than what it'll actually sell for.
Finding an iconic trading card in this kind of condition is rare enough on its own, but the addition of the signature will likely see the price of the auction go even higher. While fans will have to wait to see what the closing price ends up being, a prior perfect condition Black Lotus, also a signed copy, sold for over half a million dollars. Another signed Black Lotus sold for $800,000. As time continues to pass, the rarity may only increase, and those who missed their chance on the last auction may end up fighting for this copy of the card. The auction will close on March 16, so there's plenty of time for interested buyers to bid.
There is some controversy surrounding the value of Magic The Gathering cards, with the parent company arguably releasing too many cards. A report on the matter from Bank of America led to the share value of Hasbro crashing, showing how important shareholders believe the franchise to be to its parent company. Magic The Gathering fans aren't happy about it either, as the increase in card production and reprints can undermine the value of iconic cards like this one. Signed copies like this one, however, will likely be highly valuable for as long as there's fans of the TCG.
Source: PWCC Marketplace (via Polygon)