A near-flawless Black Lotus card from the Magic: The Gathering Alpha edition and signed by the late artist Christopher Rush is up for auction.
Earlier in the year, a near mint copy of a Lord of the Pit card became the second highest rated and most valuable MTG card that went to auction. Still, despite its $100,000+ record price, fans and collectors of the most popular trading card game in the world know the reigning champ is the Black Lotus. And now, one copy signed by artist Christopher Rush with the highest possible grade is going up for auction.
The signed Black Lotus card was posted on the PWCC Marketplace website and shared on social media.
The Magic: The Gathering holy grail has arrived. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cfPSiDRo6s
— PWCC (@PWCCmarketplace) March 6, 2023
The card is identified as "1993 MAGIC THE GATHERING MTG ALPHA BLACK LOTUS AUTO PSA 10 GEM MINT". This is to indicate that the card has been officially graded by Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA). Plus, it is one of the scarce examples of the card that has received the highest grade as a Gem Mint 10, which means it is as close to mint condition from all the cards PSA has ever analyzed.
The accompanying asset description on the PWCC Marketplace post provided a brief description of the Black Lotus card, including the origins of the concept and artwork:
Illustrated by Christopher Rush, the same artist who designed the symbols for mana, the Black Lotus ranks as easily the most recognizable and coveted Magic card. The rays of sunlight breaking through the forest's canopy and illuminating the Black Lotus remains popular with collectors for its beauty, simplicity, and recognizable design. Game Creator Richard Garfield, who found it amusing to empower a flower, created the concept of the Black Lotus.
Later on, the asset description further emphasizes the rarity of the card, due to the wear-and-tear of MTG cards from that era:
PSA has graded only six examples of this card in PSA 10 out of 105 they reviewed, making this example an immediate showpiece in any collector's portfolio. Further adding to this aura of exclusivity, the case sports the signature of artist Christopher Rush; however, PSA did not authenticate the signature. The popularity and playability of the Black Lotus became a detriment to the card itself, causing players to use many of the original 1,008 Alpha Black Lotuses in competitive play.
Magic: The Gathering remains extremely popular in the tabletop gaming community. Since its inception in 1993, it has consistently been on top of the CCG industry. It inspired a wave of other popular CCGs, not the least of which being the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card games. Aside from the physical releases, the game has expanded through digital platforms such as Magic Online and Magic: The Gathering – Arena.
Despite the recent issues and controversies surrounding Wizards of the Coast (and parent company Hasbro) for reportedly over-monetizing the brand with too many sets being released annually, MTG has maintained its high profile among gamers.
Back in 2021, a similarly graded copy of a Black Lotus was sold by PWCC Marketplace for $511,100 through eBay. Could the current one up for auction break that record? It’s not unlikely since Magic: The Gathering super-fan Post Malone personally paid for one in the sum of $800,000.
As of the time of this writing, the pristine Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus card signed by Christopher Rush has been bid up to $220,000. Bids for the sought-after card will be accepted by PWCC Marketplace until March 16, 2023.
