The $2-milllion 1-to-1 rarity The One Ring card from the Magic: The Gathering x Lord of the Rings crossover set Tales of Middle-earth has been found. Not only that, but it has also already been PSA graded.
The Magic: The Gathering subset Universes Beyond has hosted high-profile crossovers with big IPs before. These have included pop culture properties such as Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Warhammer 40K, and even fellow Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast IPs like The Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons.
The crossover with the lore, characters, and setting based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is probably the most hyped crossover MTG set amongst both gamers and fantasy enthusiasts.
Wizards of the Coast itself shared the news on the official Magic: The Gathering social media channels such as Twitter and Instagram.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them.
We are thrilled to hear tale of a new Ring-bearer in possession of the serialized 1:1 The One Ring! This journey is finished, but the adventure with #MTGxLOTR's continues! pic.twitter.com/nlKqJ02Qqk
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) June 30, 2023
Since the existence of this 1:1 card was revealed as part of the marketing of Tales of Middle-earth, collectors have informally announced their bids on social media. NFL Chicago Bears veteran and Cash Cards Unlimited CEO Cassius Marsh Sr. started the ball rolling with a bid of $150,000.
But the offers quickly escalated, reaching an unprecedented $1 million. The bid for The One Ring ultra-rare card ultimately peaked to $2 million.
Understandably, the person who pulled the valuable MTG x LoTR card quickly decided to have it graded and slabbed for authentication with Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). PSA is touted as “the largest and most trusted third-party trading card authentication and grading company in the world”. PSA is the only third-party grading service that offers guarantees on its authentication of collectibles.
Interestingly, the precious The One Ring card from the Tales of Middle-earth set is only graded at Mint 9. Note that the highest grade PSA gives a collectible card is PSA Gem Mint 10, which effectively means the card is flawless. While Mint 9 still means the card does not have any damage or glaring physical flaws, this would mean there were one or more flaws detected. Could this have an effect on the prior price bids by interested parties now that the card has been found?
🚨 The One Ring Update 🚨
We just spoke with the attorney of the person who pulled 1/1 The One Ring card. It's a great life-changing story. If anyone out there is willing to pay more than our $1,000,000 bounty, feel free to reach out to them at [email protected].
— Dave & Adam's (@dacardworld) June 30, 2023
The lucky Magic: The Gathering fan who pulled the extremely sought-after card apparently wishes to remain anonymous. However, the event occurred in Whitby, Canada. The card has also not been sold, with the card’s owner and their legal representatives studying the offers being made for The One Ring card.
Now that the hunt for the 1:1 The One Ring from the Universes Beyond Tales of Middle-earth MTG card set is over, players and collectors can still look for versions of The One Ring in booster packs and boxes. While they will not command the same exorbitant price, they are still going to be valuable for their rarity and novelty in being connected to the Tolkien mythos.
Magic: The Gathering Collector Boosters/Booster Display, Commander Decks, Gift Bundles, and Starter Kits are available for ordering online via the official website. The Tales of Middle-earth cards are also available in the digital Magic: The Gathering Arena card game.
Plus, Wizards of the Coast is planning a celebration event on July 7-9, 2023 in participating game stores with special LoTR-themed 6-sided dice to be given away.
