MTG, may, at its heart, be a trading card game, however, there’s no doubt that it’s seriously collectible. For better or worse, unique and rare Magic: the Gathering cards can command serious value. Recently released serialized Retro Artifacts, for instance, have sold for upwards of $1000. Even the much-mired and purely collectible 30th Anniversary Edition MTG cards have sold for over $5000 to interested collectors. While these obviously aren’t small sums of money, these price tags pale in comparison to the price of Magic’s oldest cards.
With a single Black Lotus selling for upwards of $800,000 to the right buyer, there’s no question that old MTG cards can be seriously expensive. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that original Limited Edition Alpha cards are some of the most prized in MTG. On their own, even mundane cards like Llanowar Elves can sell for upwards of $500. Together, however, a full collection of Limited Edition Alpha cards can command a truly exorbitant price tag. Should those cards be of immaculate quality, the price can grow to more obscene levels. As we’re now seeing, the right assortment of Alpha cards could even be priced at two and a half million dollars.
The Best of the Best
Understandably, it’s not any old collection of beat-up Alpha cards that could command that immense valuation. Instead, fetching this insane pricetag is PSA’s #1 ranked full Alpha set. Receiving numerous awards from the legendary grading company, this stunning collectible MTG collection boasts an average grading rating of 9.9, meaning that these cards are almost as mint condition as they can possibly get. While more than impressive enough, this already high score increases to a staggering 10.98 rating when factoring in “Pop Bonuses.” These bonuses are applied when a card is tied for being the finest graded example on the market. Even more impressively than just tying for the top spot, however, this #1 ranked collection features several cards that are the highest-graded example on the market.
Owned by user dumb_mother, this almost immaculate collection is understandably one of the most prized collectibles in all of MTG. Subsequently, this complete collection of Limited Edition Alpha cards commands one hell of a price tag. Typically, valuing a collectible MTG collection like this is almost impossible. That said, looking to move on this complete set seems even more of a rarity. Dumb_mother has done just that. Writing on their collection’s PSA page, dumb_mother simply states they’re “looking to move this set for 2.5M.” Obviously, this price tag is by no means cheap, however, remarkably, this collection may actually be worth the asking price.
A Surprising Good Deal?
Following being published on Reddit by user u/4theWlN, many MTG players threw in their two cents about this collection. Understandably, players, such as u/MaximoEstrellado were simply in awe of the difficulty of building a collection like this. “I don’t want this thing, but it would be cool to hear how this set got built. That’s some dedication given how hard a 10 it is to get.” Similarly, u/SomeWriter13 stated that “regardless of what your stance is on the RL and the price of collectibles, this is a pretty neat slice of MTG history (and in as perfect a quality as can be found, to boot.)”
Alongside plenty of users admiring the collection, some made the rather bold assessment that dumb_mother’s set was actually being undervalued. “Honestly this set will probably be worth far more than 2.5m. A full PSA 10 Alpha set is… the pinnacle of Magic collecting,” Reddit user u/snackies asserted. “At ANY POINT in the future, if someone needed to do a magic exhibition. A full PSA 10-graded Alpha set would be the ultimate exhibit. That’s why I actually think this buy would appreciate over time. Even if MTG dies because of the way Wizards / Hasbro is taking it… this would still objectively be the most astounding collection of all time.”
While this full Alpha collection would undoubtedly be an immaculate museum piece, Reddit users were quick to joke that a familiar face would snap up this set. “RIP Post Malone’s wallet,” u/RayWencube joked, with u/sugitime following up with the same sentiment. “Cool. So when is Post Malone going to buy this?” With Post Malone already owning the world’s most expensive single MTG card, these suggestions might not be completely outlandish.
Too Good to Be True
As you might expect, a lot of MTG players were understandably excited about this incredible collection going up for sale. Not all players, however, believed that this full Alpha set was worth getting that excited about. Reddit user u/ChristmasMetal, for instance, highlighted that they’re “not sure how some of these got Gem Mint 10 grades. The Birds of Paradise is right-shifted. The Aspect of Wolf is pretty downshifted. Just two that I saw early in the set.” While u/AssCakesMcGee would agree with this damning assessment, other users, such as u/cinefun pointed out that these printing mistakes aren’t dealbreakers. “Alpha wasn’t exactly known for its printing process. It’s within context.”
Ultimately, while dumb_mother has set the surprisingly compelling $2.5 million price tag, there’s no telling how much this set may sell for. To the right collector, this set may be worth a whole lot more, however, others may not want to pay the price. 2.5 million dollars is hardly a small amount of money after all. Unfortunately for curious players, should this set sell privately, we may never know the final selling price. Whatever happens, however, this complete Limited Edition Alpha collection is truly a masterpiece.
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