Non-Sports

Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon Box Break Achieves Collectible Prices

The two most dominant non-sports cards of mythical collectibles are Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon. Both card games have unopened packs from the first year of release in the February 17 Ultimate Box Break Showcase Auction at Heritage Auctions. The results of the prices likely surprised even the most experienced collector of the popular trading card series’. This was not a typical auction — what happens next will be live breaks led by influencers and creators at the Collect-A-Con show in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 27, 2022.

The pack that you bid on and win will be opened on a live stream by hosts composed of influencers, content creators, and even two current NFL players: Blake Martinez and Cassius Marsh. What is undeniable is the past auction records these two card series have commanded. Free grading of one card from your pack by PSA and Heritage Auctions pays the fees.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. This means collectibles are attracting the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds. Many collectibles now cost thousands of dollars, and that is already the case for each of these Pokemon and Magic” The Gathering box breaks and live open pack breaks. Whether or not these packs will attract investors remains to be seen, but this appears to be a newer model for Heritage even if breaks are quite common.

On February 9 a median price for Magic: The Gathering Beta Edition sealed booster packs was around $3,000.00. The high price paid for one pack of the 36 individually available packs was pack #1 which sold for $11,400.00 on February 17, 2022 after 21 bids.

On February 9 a median price for Pokemon First Edition Base Set sealed booster packs were averaging $2,500.00. The high price paid was for pack #36 which sold for $5,760.00 on February 17, 2022 after 18 bids.

Here’s how the packs were listed by Heritage Auctions:

  • Magic: The Gathering Beta Edition Sealed Booster Pack #34 THIS LOT IS FOR A SINGLE PACK, NOT THE ENTIRE BOX Offered here is a sealed booster pack from a Beta Edition booster box that will be part of a special box-break event on February 27, 2022. The event will take place at Collect-A-Con in Orlando, FL, a two-day event from February 26-27, 2022.
  • Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Pack #1 THIS LOT IS FOR A SINGLE PACK, NOT THE ENTIRE BOX Offered here is a sealed booster pack from a First Edition Base Set booster box that will be part of a special box-break event on February 27, 2022. The event will take place at Collect-A-Con in Orlando, FL, a two-day event from February 26-27, 2022.

Information about the break and a complete list of famous participants was posted by Heritage Auctions:

Looking ahead to February 26th-27, 2022 the packs will be pulled out of the box during a live event, at which point they will be shuffled and assigned a number at random. The opening will occur in numerical order starting with pack #1 through pack #36. What’s interesting is the high Magic The Gathering price paid was for pack #1 and the opposite for the Pokemon packs.

Past sales of the packs by Heritage Auctions included these recents:

  • Magic: The Gathering Alpha Edition Sealed Booster Pack (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) PSA NM 7 sold for $21,600.00 on November 6, 2021 after 23 bids.
  • Pokémon First Base Set Sealed Booster Pack (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) PSA NM-MT 8 sold for $4,080.00 on July 25, 2021 after 33 bids.

The break begins and will be streamed online LIVE at 12 PM EST, hosted by numerous influencers, listed below:

  • Dondiego – Content Creator / Influencer
  • Goat Breakers – Content Creator / Influencer
  • Poke Tea Time – Content Creator / Influencer
  • Nostalgic Thrill – Content Creator / Influencer
  • AJ Correia – Content Creator / Influencer
  • Super Duper Dani – Content Creator / Influencer
  • Roboskillz – Content Creator / Influencer
  • Blake Martinez – NFL Player
  • Cassius Marsh – NFL Player
  • Ryan Rush (Lord Rush) – Trading Card World
  • Dr. Applesauce – Content Creator / Influencer
  • Gary Haase – King Pokemon
  • Jason Paige – Original Singer of Pokemon Theme Song

The link will be provided via the @hatradingcards Instagram page on the day of the break.

Each winning bidder will also receive a VIP Package comprised of:

  • 1 VIP – 2/Day Pass for Collect-A-Con convention
  • Free grading of one card by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). Fees covered by Heritage Auctions.

The individual packs for sale in the auction were of course not graded but breaking open a PSA case or any graded case would not be fun on a live stream event. Many collectors will want to tune in to watch the unknown and potential that each pack carries. Visually in the auction each pack looks the same so all collectors who bought in on this concept are on an equal field of play.