A 1993 "Alpha Black Lotus" card from the Magic: The Gathering inaugural set sold this week on eBay for $27,302.
The auction, which started at 99 cents, received 38 bids from 14 bidders, raising it to the final sale price of $27,302 (not including the $20.00 Standard Shipping for the auction). Contributing to the sales value, the 20-year-old card carries a mint condition 9.5 grading from Beckett Grading Services (BGS). This beats the previous record from 2012 where a 9.5 graded Alpha Black Lotus sold for $25,000 according to a Youtube video review posted on WhatSellsBest.
The "Black Lotus" card is part of M:TG's "Power Nine"-- the nine most powerful cards printed in the early years of the game ("Ancestral Recall," "Time Walk," "Mox Sapphire," "Mox Jet," "Mox Ruby," "Mox Emerald," "Mox Pearl," and "Timetwister" are the others). "Black Lotus" cards were printed for the Alpha, Beta and Unlimited sets, with the Alpha being the most valuable because there were only an estimated 1,100 copies printed (the Beta card set run is estimated at 3,300). Though valued for their rarity, Black Lotus cards have been banned from all official tournament styles except Vintage.
It’s not exactly the $120,000 The Brave and the Bold #28 brought at auction earlier this month (see "'Brave & the Bold' #28 Brings $120,000") but since that Silver Age gem had a publication date of March 1960 (53 years ago), give the Magic cards another 30 years to appreciate in value before comparisons are made.
Rare 'M:TG' Card Sold In eBay Auction
Posted by ICv2 on November 22, 2013 @ 2:19 am CT