Fans of Wizards of the Coast’s long-running collectible card game Magic: The Gathering may want to grab a few extra Collector Boosters next time they’re at the local games store, as an exceedingly rare card created for the new The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set may be the most valuable MTG card ever. Showing that the company isn’t afraid to experiment with the popular card game, earlier this year Wizards of the Coast added a new card type to Magic: The Gathering for the first time in 15 years.
The brainchild of creator Richard Garfield, Magic: The Gathering became a near-instant hit with gamers upon its release in 1993. Relatively simple to learn but difficult to master, publisher Wizards of the Coast has kept MTG fans playing for the last 30 years by continually evolving the game with a steady stream of expansions that add new cards, abilities, and gameplay mechanics. Recent years have seen pop culture properties like The Walking Dead and Stranger Things show up in MTG through the release of limited-run cards, but The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set represents the most high-profile crossover to date between Wizards of the Coast and an existing IP.
A new story from Magic: The Gathering fan site MTGRocks listing the value of various cards from the The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set reveals that a variant version of The One Ring is now the most valuable MTG card ever. A Legendary Artifact card based on the McGuffin at the center of the J.R.R. Tolkien series, the chances of finding one in a pack are already exceedingly low. Upping the ante with this particular card, Wizards of the Coast also produced a one-off, serialized variant. Although no one has yet claimed ownership of the one-of-a-kind card, the highest online bid for the rare collectible is already sitting at €2,000,000, or roughly $2,168,830.
Since no one has yet proved to be in possession of The One Ring card, let alone expressed interest in selling it, its place as the most valuable Magic: The Gathering card ever is still mostly theoretical. Should the card be sold for the price being offered, though, it would shatter the record for the highest price paid for an MTG card. The current record was set in 2021 when a mint condition Alpha Black Lotus card sold for $511,100 on eBay. Despite the iconic place the Black Lotus card holds in MTG history and the minds of many players, the one-off nature of The One Ring card currently makes it over four times as valuable in the eyes of at least one bidder.
Whoever finds this one-of-a-kind collectible in their latest haul of Magic: The Gathering cards is positioned for a hefty payday. The lucky player who discovers should follow the example of Wizards of the Coast hiring Pinkertons and look into getting some protection of their own for the valuable card.
Source: MTGRocks