If you’re a Magic: The Gathering player or just vaguely aware of the game, you’ve probably heard about the game’s most expensive card selling for over half a million dollars. While that’s an eye-catching number for Black Lotus, the other members of “The Power Nine” also fetch a hefty price. That pricey Black Lotus is certainly the most expensive MTG card, but it wasn’t always that way.
When Magic: The Gathering first debuted in 1993, you could buy a booster pack, potentially containing a Black Lotus, for the low, oh so very very low price of $2.45. That would be $5.02 today adjusting for inflation. Still a bargain. The other cards in The Power Nine are Time Walk, Ancestral Recall, Timetwister and 5 Moxen, one for each color. Even early on in the game’s history people knew these cards were sweet, hot, fire and wanted to pay a premium for it. According to TCG Player, you could nab a Black Lotus for about fifteen bucks in 1994. The most expensive cards are all from the original set, Alpha. As the game picked up steam, so did the prices. In 1995 Black Lotus was going for $150, and the second most expensive cards were all the Moxen tied for second place for a cool $80. Not bad, not bad.
Wizards of the Coast