Most Expensive Magic: The Gathering Cards

With over 20,000 cards printed, Magic the Gathering card prices can swing wildly between mere pennies and literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. The most expensive MTG cards are among its rarest and most powerful, highly sought after by many players.

MTG card prices are generally defined by two things: their power, and their scarcity. A great card can be worth a decent amount even if it's printed at common rarity, while a super rare one that nobody wants to play could be worth significantly less.

Most of the most valuable Magic cards are those found on the "Reserved List", a list of cards Wizards of the Coast has promised to never reprint. The list only includes cards from the first few sets, making the most expensive MTG cards also some of its oldest, printed way back in Alpha.

Many of the most valuable MTG cards are members of the 'Power Nine' – cards that were so broken when they were printed that they will never be reprinted, and have been banned in almost every format. Cards on this list include things like Ancestral Recall, the Moxes (Mox Jet, Mox Sapphire, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald, and Mox Pearl), Time Walk, and the famous Black Lotus.

Another type of valuable card are judge promos. In Magic the Gathering, players can go through a course to become a 'Judge', who helps adjudicate the rules at organised play events. It's a very exclusive group, but Judges are rewarded for their contributions to the game with judge promos.

Judge Promos (or Judge Gifts) often feature unique art of templating that is only available to those in the Judge program. For example, in 2014 Judges were given a copy of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite with Phyrexian text and a Phyrexian watermark behind the card. While a similar card would be printed in Secret Lair later on, this is the only one printed in that frame and with that foiling, making it very rare, and worth up to $250.

Other rare Judge Promos include:

• Gaea's Cradle - $2,400
• Survival of the Fittest - $1,769
• Wheel of Fortune - $1,666.67
• Yawgmoth's Will - $999.99
• Lightning Bolt - $949.97

In the early days of Magic, Wizards of the Coast used two different colours of borders: white and black.

Cards with black borders were the first time that card had appeared in the game. White bordered cards came from reprint sets, such as Unlimited. These are worth much less than cards with black borders, as they were from more widespread releases.

Though MTG card values can fluctuate over time, there are a few cards that have consistently topped the list of the most valuable cards for years. These are:

• Time Walk - $16,999
• Ancestral Recall - $19,499
• Tundra - $19,999
• Volcanic Island - $19,999
• Chaos Orb - $21,999
• Mox Jet - $21,999.99
• Time Twister - $25,999.99
• Ancestral Recall - $29,999.99
• Mox Sapphire - $29,999.99
• Black Lotus - $500,000

On the whole, the cards sell for more if they are the first time the card has appeared in the game. For example, an alpha and beta Black Lotus is going to be worth a lot more than an unlimited and revised Black Lotus, just because it was from the rarer, harder-to-come by initial release.

If you find you own one of the most expensive MTG cards, the first thing you're going to want to do it put it in protective sleeves. An innersleeve, outersleeve and toploader are the bare minimum, but you may also want to invest in some even more secure Screwdown Holder that will completely protect it from the elements.

Next you can go either two ways, If you have any of the most expensive MTG cards, you can get in contact with us and we can make you an offer for your cards based on condition, or you can send your card to be professionally evaluated. Companies like PSA can appraise the card, confirm it's genuine, and give it a rating for its condition. Collectors of Magic The Gathering cards value these ratings, as it proves the card is legitimate, and so you'll likely get a higher price for your card than if you tried to sell one without it.

If you have a particularly valuable card, you can approach an auction house like PWCC, which will help you sell the card for a fee. For the ultra high value cards this is a much safer way of selling the card than trying to do it yourself, and you're likely to get a higher price than if you were selling it as an individual.