The Most Expensive Magic: The Gathering Cards

Written by George Chrysostomou

Where collectables are involved, there is a chance that you may have something that can be sold at a significant value. Over the years, some rare and one-of-a-kind cards have been auctioned at such unbelievable prices that they still cannot be compared to. Just like the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast's Magic The Gathering has made headlines because of the expense of its cards.

Magic: The Gathering has some specific ways or at least choices that contribute to higher value cards. Firstly, cards can be considered reserved, which means they'll never be reprinted. As a result, their collectability, and thus price, generally increases. Secondly, their very first print run was so small, that the rarer cards saw around a thousand entering the market. Similarly and separably, the age of Magic: The Gathering, the popularity over the years, the new people joining the hobby, all make for high demand for harder to obtain cards. All of which leads to increased sales over the years. 

We've collated just some of those news-worthy sales. 

Mox Ruby

Reports have varied as to how high the ‘Mox Ruby’ has really been auctioned for, with word of sales of the Alpha version of around $47,000, but more confirmed reports sitting at around $24,000 for a PSA 10 graded version are still notable. The card was restricted back in 1994, after being introduced during the creation of the title. Its rarity speaks for itself, as does its destructive mechanics. With the card allowing players to add 1 red mana to their mana pool and allowing the card to be played as an interrupt, it totally threw the game off-balance, leading to its demise. The card is thus a dream pick for any avid player. 

Copy Artifact 

As is so often the case reserved cards, the ‘Copy Artifact’ collectible sold at a shocking price. Peaking at $100,000, what’s most peculiar is that the value fluctuates quite so much, and the alpha version sold last year for a 'mere' $4,080. 

Lord Of The Pit

Also selling at around the $100,000 mark, ‘Lord Of The Pit’ differs from its predecessor because of its alpha pack roots. Again dating back to the game’s origins, this 1993 card is one of only 1008 in existence. It will take a particularly high-quality condition card to meet that price tag, but mechanically, ‘Lord Of The Pit’ could be worth its weight in gold, even if it does require the sacrifice of one of your creatures. 

The One Ring 

There’s one card to rule them all, and this one-of-a-kind Lord of the Rings tie-in project sold for $2,640,000. There’s a lot of crossover between fans of Magic The Gathering and Tolkien’s Middle-earth and so a collaboration clearly made sense. No one would have expected for Post Malone to have purchased the card though, perhaps adding to its value. The gorgeous design boasts original artwork of the One Ring itself, alongside the language known as Black Speech, devised of Tolkien’s own mind. While it’s not overly useful in play, it is a cool addition to anyone’s collection. 

Mind Twist

A beta version of ‘Mind Twist’ sold for an unheard of $208,940 There are said to be only 16 versions left in the world, and this incredibly unique card dates back to 1992. Of course, some lesser-quality iterations have been sold for far less, but mint condition editions are collected due to their rarity and because of the card’s abilities. When linked to a mana generation card, the ‘Mind Twist’ will quite literally twist the game in your favour, almost to an unfair level! It’s not hard to see why hardcore players would want this in their hand. 

Black Lotus

One of the most expensive cards of all time was the ‘Black Lotus,’ which retailed at an extraordinary $615,000. Approximately 1000 copies of this 1993 card actually exist, speaking to its rarity. It was made during the initial run of cards, and represents the legacy of the title. This particular sale was of a mint condition card, from the second ever, limited edition beta set. It was also professionally verified. While this particular card sold for a huge amount, other ‘Black Lotus’ cards have also been valued at high price points, especially when they are autographed. This is the be all and end all for collectors.