During a recent auction, another Magic: The Gathering card broke the six figure mark, second only to the very rare autographed Black Lotus, as the most valuable card in history.
If you are a player or a collector (or both) of Magic: The Gathering, then you know the Black Lotus is the crowned champion, as the most valuable card for the entire history of the game. Ever since the highly successful collectible card game debuted in August 1993, the Black Lotus has been the most sought after among its fans. But there seems to be a new challenger for the throne.
A very rare Lord of the Pit card from the Alpha set was recently sold for $105,000 through the PWCC Marketplace, "the largest trading card marketplace in the world".
The results of the auction for was posted on the auction site’s social media such as Instagram and Twitter:
This Alpha Lord Of The Pit graded a 10 Pristine by @beckettcollect established a record high this past Premier Auction for any Magic card excluding the coveted and iconic Black Lotus.
This incredible Lord of the Pit card has achieved a new high price for any Magic: The Gathering card excluding the Black Lotus. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PSXxhwszTZ
— PWCC (@PWCCmarketplace) January 21, 2023
While Lord of the Pit is one of the most valued cards from the limited edition Alpha set of Magic: The Gathering, this is a record high for this particular instance. Prior to this $105K mark, a PSA Gem Mint 10 copy of the card was sold for $5,101 back in September 2021.
Granted, this newly sold Lord of the Pit card was graded by Beckett Grading Services (BGS) as the highest condition they have ever given with a 'Pristine 10' grade for it. As of the time of writing, BGS has reviewed and graded 84 copies of the Lord of the Pit, with this particular copy being the most flawless or as close to mint off the pack as it would have been back in 1993.
The Alpha set of Magic: The Gathering was the very first released by the fledgling Wizards of the Coast of the CCG, years before the company acquired the Dungeons & Dragons IP. Rare cards from that set only had a production of around 1,000 to 1,008 each. With how Magic: The Gathering cards from that time suffered a lot of wear-and-tear from being played in both casual and competitive matches, mint condition Alpha rares are increasingly hard to find.
However, while this Lord of the Pit has reached a higher peak value than its predecessor, the Black Lotus remains the highest valued MTG card. The Alpha version of the Black Lotus has an average price of around $60,000 and the one from the Limited edition Beta set hovers at $40,000 to $50,000.
But the clincher is the very rare autographed Alpha Black Lotus signed by artist Christopher Rush. On the average, a PSA Gem mint 10 graded copy like this would sell for more than $500,000, but rap artist and hardcore MTG fan Post Malone shelled out $800,000 for one back in 2022.
Although the price point for these Magic: The Gathering cards may be beyond the reach of most, a 30th Anniversary set was released recently for $999 which includes non-tournament legal versions.
