Ever since the The One Ring was announced, MTG players knew this card was special. Not only was the card incredibly powerful, but it also had an ultra-rare one-of-one serialized variant. Never before seen in MTG, this unique collectible’s rarity was only matched by two commemorative MTG cards from 1996. Thanks to this rarity, The One Ring was quickly seen as the ultimate MTG collectible.
Thanks to this phenomenal rarity, The One Ring was unsurprisingly expected to be tremendously expensive. So much so, in fact, that the card could well become the most expensive card ever printed. Now that The One-of-One Ring has been officially sold to Post Malone, we can confirm the card has obtained this remarkable, if expected title. The question remains, however, will it ever be bested?
The Most Expensive MTG Card in the World
After months of speculation following the card’s discovery in June, earlier this week, The One Ring was finally sold. Purchased by rapper and MTG fanatic Post Malone, the card’s finder, Brook Trafton, shared the emotional sale on social media. With hugging, crying, and plenty of jubilation, the TikTok video has it all.
Well, the TikTok video has almost everything that players were after, as one key detail was omitted. Much to the dismay of curious players and onlookers, there was no word on exactly how much The One Ring had sold for. Thankfully, however, we finally have an answer to this burning question thanks to Polygon.
Receiving a comment from a representative of Trafton, Polygon has confirmed the sale price of The One Ring was $2 million. This makes this the One-of-One Ring the most expensive MTG card ever sold, and it’s not even close. Previously, this record was held by an artist-proof Black Lotus also purchased by Post Malone for $800,000.
Curiously, while $2 million is obviously an insane amount of money to spend on PSA-graded cardboard, it’s technically under market value. Prior to the card being sold, the highest public bounty on the card was a staggering €2,000,000. Offered by Spanish game store, Gremio de Dregones, this immense bid equates to roughly $2,187,214.
Despite this higher bounty on the market, which even came with some paella to boot, Trafton obviously didn’t take up this offer. Instead, in their TikTok post, Trafton stated “ I just really hoped it would go to someone who would appreciate it as much as I do.” Considering Post Malone’s history of playing and collecting MTG, this hope was undoubtedly achieved.
Will The One Ring Ever Be Beaten?
Without a crystal ball to foresee the future with, we can’t accurately answer this question. After all, we never truly know what the future has in store. That being said, however, it seems highly unlikely that there will ever be another MTG card worth this much.
Compared to the past one-of-one cards that have been created, The One Ring was a perfect storm of collectibility. Crossing over with a major franchise, The One-of-One Ring garnered immense attention, aptly inspiring a mad dash to acquire it. Thanks to this, the card’s bounty quickly skyrocketed into the millions.
While other one-of-one cards such as Shichifukujin Dragon are undeniably legendary, they’re also much more niche. Made in celebration of a Tokyo DCI Tournament Center’s opening, this card is steeped in history… History that only an MTG fanatic would care about. Thanks to this detail, the value of the card will always be limited in some regard.
As much as the past one-of-one cards may be out of the running, there’s always the chance that another is made. To celebrate a premier set or another Universes Beyond crossover, Wizards could feasibly make another unique serialized card. If they do, however, it seems unlikely this card will be able to rival The One Ring.
For better or worse, the more serialized cards that get created, the more they lose their appeal. This can be seen throughout the wider TCG industry, which has been creating serialized cards for literal decades. Over this time, a lot of these cards have lost their luster, so much so that serial-numbered cards now often sell for under $10. Thanks to this fall from grace, it seems The One Ring may well retain its crown in perpetuity.
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