Non-Sports

Actually, Some Black Lotus Cards Are Still Attainable

The March 4-5, 2022 Trading Card Games Signature Auction from Heritage Auctions had some serious cards and collectibles tied to Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering and so on. It represented an opportunity to compare two key high-end trading cards. We have already featured the Charizard sale, The Black Lotus from Magic: The Gathering was the other star but its condition prevented a much higher sale in an apples-to-apples comparison.

The Black Lotus was graded as a BGS 9, so to make the comparison fair we have also provided a BGS 10 Pristine grade that had a “Buy Now” price outside of this auction. That second comparison has been included below in its own synopsis and the image used here was only on the one which just sold rather than the one that is still for sale.

As noted in the introduction, Heritage’s Black Lotus is a BGS 9. The BGS 10 Pristine is listed above for price comparison. We would also point out that the Pristine example has been on the market.

Heritage Auctions’ Black Lotus Beta example is graded as a BGS 9 and there are only two Black Lotus Beta examples that have graded 10 Pristine with Beckett. That card had a bid of $43,000.00 on March 2 representing $51,600.00 after the buyer’s premium. The price on March 2 was after 27 bids. The card sold for $66,000.00 on March 4, 2022 after 34 bids. It was graded by BGS with the following sub-grades: centering (9.5), edges (9), corners (8.5), and surface (9). It is yet to be seen by collectors whether this will bring down the price of a BGS 10 Pristine example. (Image by Heritage Auctions)

Black Lotus MTG

Heritage said of this card specifically:

“Featured here is a rare opportunity to purchase the most sought-after trading card in existence, Black Lotus. The card is part of the most powerful group of cards in the entire game, known as the Power Nine. The nine cards can’t win you a game, but they sure do make things a lot easier! By playing the Black Lotus, you can add 3 mana of any color; imagine if you could play it your first turn? This particular card is from the Beta Edition, meaning the print run was 3,000 copies… The artwork is done by Christopher Rush. BGS has certified 97 copies earning MINT 9 grade and 61 graded higher.”

ELSEWHERE FOR A HIGHER GRADE

The BGS 10 Pristine graded Black Lotus is still for sale at vintagemagic.com for a Buy Now price of $505,888.88. The site specializes in high-end cards and also sells original artwork. According to the weekend selling prices for MTG, the half a million dollar listing price did not influence the prices paid by collectors or investors at Heritage Auctions the weekend of March 4-5, 2022.

WHAT ELSE HERITAGE SOLD FOR BIG $$$$

Heritage also sold an Alpha Edition of the card which is different than the Beta Edition example in both prices realized and overall scarcity. The Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus Alpha Edition Trading Card (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) is graded CGC VG/Ex+ 4.5. The card had a bid of $37,000.00 on March 3 which was actually $44,400.00 after the buyer’s premium. The card sold $52,800.00 on March 4, 2022 after 27 bids. It has the following CGC sub-grades: centering (9), surface (4), corners (5), and edges (5).

Here are other key cards in desirable grades that also sold in this Heritage Auction:

  • Pokémon Charizard #4 First Edition Base Set Trading Card (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) CGC Mint 9 had a bid of $15,500.00 after 33 bids on March 3… and sold for $18,600.00 on March 4 after 33 bids.
  • Pokémon Charizard #4 First Edition Base Set Trading Card (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) PSA Mint 9 had a bid of $14,000.00 after 27 bids on March 3… and sold for $18,000.00 on March 4 after 29 bids.
  • Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus Unlimited Edition Trading Card (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) BGS NM-MT+ 8.5 had a bid of $9,750.00 after 27 bids on March 3… and sold for $22,800.00 on March 4 after 36 bids.
  • Pack breaks are synonymous with high end card collecting with the idea of finding that one particular high-grade card in mint condition safely sealed. Here are the examples that were in this auction:
  • Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) had a current bid of $155,000.00 after 50 bids on March 3… and sold for $288,000.00 on March 4 after 54 bids.
  • Magic: The Gathering Unlimited Edition Starter Deck Sealed Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) had a current bid of $130,000.00 after 23 bids on March 3… and sold for $168,000.00 on March 4, 2022 after 27 bids.

The most important cards in collecting are the ones with the lowest population in the highest grade. Charizard and the Black Lotus cards were presented in this auction in some of their finest forms and graded by reputable grading services. Charizard did not achieve his highest auction price but it’s fair to say one in a perfect grade will handedly beat any MTG Black Lotus not in BGS 10 Pristine condition. Collectors Dashboard will be following along when a Black Lotus BGS 10 Pristine is next sold.