So.. um... this happened...
Economics forum
Posted on Jan. 21, 2015, 12:58 p.m. by Servo_Token
Hey guys,
So i'd like to start this thread of with a quick story. So I have this buddy who lives down in Florida. Apparently he was checking out some thrift stores in the area, and he came across a huge collection of Magic cards. Now, back when he and I were kids, we used to dabble in card games, mostly YuGiOh along with a test run of Magic. He had since quit playing card games when he moved down there about 2 years ago, but knew that I was still a fan, and, back to the present, decided to pick up this collection for me as a late christmas gift. He told me about it in the store, and I figured what's the worst that could happen, and I paid for the shipping for him to send it up (Roughly $20).
So, fastforward to this morning, when I get the package delivered to my doorstep. I'm eager, but expecting little to nothing to be playable, let alone worth anything of significant value. I open up the box and the first thing I notice is white borders - a bunch of them. "Oh cool, maybe i'll get some chronicles crap", I figure.
I start thumbing through the cards, and it turns out its a large collection of Revised, with a couple of unlimited cards sprinkled in. I pass a few Flights, some Lightning Bolts, basics for days, when, right next to each other, I find these bad boys:
Excuse any shakiness in the image, as I cannot hold my hands still to save my life. Took like 30 attempts at this picture...
Now, to the point of this thread.
What the bloody fuck do I do with these cards? I don't play vintage, and no one in my area even thinks of playing it, and honestly the format just doesn't interest me.
Would it be a better deal to just sit on them? Try to trade them off? Stick em in a cube?
Basically i'm asking A: What you would do in my situation, and B: If you believe that it's worth it to hold on to them for, well, ever.
Sorry for the long story, but hey, I'm a bit excited that I appear to have found the entrance to Magical Christmas Land.
If you didn't ever plan on using them I'd try just trading them off or selling them. Could definitely get a pretty penny
January 21, 2015 1:02 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #6
/sigh.
ASSHOLES.
GOD DAMMIT WHY CAN'T THIS HAPPEN TO ME......
ThatJunkMage Congrats. You got insane luck...
January 21, 2015 1:04 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #7
Aha, that was my reaction exactly. Then I remembered that it was happening to me, and I was like "Oh right".
The problem with trading them away is that I don't have anything I need out of them. All of my decks are done, and lorde knows I don't need any more bulk from boxes of any set... I'll probably just end up holding on to them until I need the money, and showing them off to all my friends. Take em to Opens and GPs and whatnot.
January 21, 2015 1:09 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
My semiprofessional advice:
Hold them and protect them well. Do some careful research on trading and selling Power. It's a high-stakes market because of the value and the potential for forgeries.
Now, you probably don't have forgeries because these are part of an old, original collection. But many Power dealers are careful about identifying their marks, so you may need to jump through some extra hoops to offload these for real value.
January 21, 2015 1:10 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #9
WOOOOOOOWWWWWWW. Holy shit man, congratulations!
Well, they're definitely going to retain their value unless Wizards removes the Reserved List. I might personally save one or both for a rainy day, cause real life can be a bitch sometimes. If you do decide to move them though, you should be able to get a shit ton of cash for them though.
January 21, 2015 1:10 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #10
I would love to get that Timetwister from you if possible.....
January 21, 2015 1:11 p.m.
slovakattack says... #11
There's always Modern Masters 2. Get 10 boxes, fill a bathtub with the packs, grab a bottle of wine and a glass, and get ready for the most decadent night of your goddamn life.
January 21, 2015 1:11 p.m.
Save them. Only way in price is UP! At some point, when you have looked at them too long, take your time to find out what to do with them! They aren't going to fall in price, so don't do anything spontaneous.
January 21, 2015 1:14 p.m.
Now everyone is going to be checking all thrift stores in town. The obligatory you suck and congrats on the find. I would look to sell or trade.
January 21, 2015 1:15 p.m.
Unforgivn_II says... #15
quickly changes name back to ThatBlueMage
I say keep em. The prices of Power 9 have been rising so incredibly fast that you just can't get rid of them. I remember that maybe a year ago that Mox Sapphire was about $700. Heck, if someone is trying to get a piece of power, you could make the Timetwister available for what should be an excellent binder, considering that you can give that one up and still have a freaking Mox
January 21, 2015 1:19 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #16
isn't there a way to get those graded and certified? If so, I would do that first
January 21, 2015 1:20 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #19
For those commenting on having them graded, While the fronts are damn near perfect, the backs are not as wonderful. I assume that they were played on like, a tablecloth or something, by their original owner. I feel like that diminishes the grade they'll get by a large margin, which makes it very not-worth to have them graded.
January 21, 2015 1:24 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #20
Grading and certification is a poor move. It costs you money and limits your target market to only those interested in collecting, and there are so few of them that your card has to be 9+ to get attention. Ungraded cards are of interest to both collectors and players.
January 21, 2015 1:41 p.m.
Blind_Guardian says... #21
That's lucky dude. Anyway hold them. Power will never ever go down.
January 21, 2015 1:47 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #22
Gross.
Grats, bro.
Hold onto that shit. double sleeve it and pop it in a top loader. DO NOT have them graded.
January 21, 2015 1:47 p.m.
Keep them
Protect them
Get them appraised
...
In about 15-20 years, sell them
Buy a house!
January 21, 2015 1:47 p.m.
Holy shit man, you won. Id just keep them for collectors items if you dont need any extra cash.
January 21, 2015 2:07 p.m.
CharonSquared says... #27
Might be just me, but I feel like you owe your buddy in Florida a financial thank you =P
January 21, 2015 2:12 p.m.
Get them graded, certified, protected in a bulletproof glass case, surrounded by a steel safe with a 10 digit passcode that will go into deadlock if put in wrong, hire secret servent men to watch at all times, and of course, take a selfie to show people.
January 21, 2015 2:34 p.m.
KnightsBattlecry001 says... #29
Congrats man! Damn that's some insane luck getting those.
January 21, 2015 3:10 p.m.
Schuesseled says... #30
The god of luck swings both ways, i'd shift them before a pipe bursts next to your now much more valuable collection.
January 21, 2015 3:21 p.m.
slovakattack says... #31
If you aren't going to play them, then move them. Don't rush. Take your time, do some research, feel out the market. Get a good price, but move them. If you aren't going to play them, and don't want to collect them, then they aren't much more than very expensive pieces of cardboard- and all it takes is one little accident to turn them into worthless pieces of cardboard...
January 21, 2015 3:24 p.m.
aeonstoremyliver says... #34
Holy crap, props! dammit lol
Well, you could easily break into Legacy if you haven't done so already. Goyf, Lily, Bob, FoW, Jace, and Wasteland are all salty cards that you may be able to trade for. If nothing else, hold onto them for a year or so.
January 21, 2015 3:51 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #35
I suggest not bringing them to GPs, and tournaments. They will be stolen. There are lots of crappy jealous people around.
I would prob sell them asap. Hit up that group that someone linked earlier. Make sure you have high quality pictures of the front, and back for them. Be super careful when you mess with them.
Card kingdom would give you prob 1400 cash, or up to 1800 trade in. That should cover your magic addiction for a while. That is just the sapphire. 700-900 for the timetwister.
That was just a quick buy list I could find. Good to reference when you find a person willing to buy.
January 21, 2015 3:55 p.m.
thebdizzle says... #37
Wow, congratulations!
I am in the hold them until you get the itch (or need) to build a new deck. You could build most anything with those.
January 21, 2015 4:06 p.m.
Honestly, that might be your cue to get into vintage! In all seriousness, it might not be a bad idea. Many tournaments allow you to have up to or even exceeding ten proxies, since most people can't afford power. The ten proxies is generally enough to push the prices of certain decks back down to around legacy level. With that in mind, you now actually have some power at your disposal, and thus (if you spend the entire tournament fiercely clutching your deckbox to your chest while chanting "my precious" to prevent people from swiping them) could enter a tournament for an even lower investment than normal. I'm not sure I'd personally be brave enough to either bring power into public or play against people who are also running power (vintage is scary), but then again I'm not you. Just something to consider.
January 21, 2015 4:09 p.m.
grumbledore says... #40
well if you're not gonna play them.. you could always whip every magic player on earth into a frothy, murderous rage by donating the cards to Blendtec for Will it Blend. just a thought :D
January 21, 2015 4:09 p.m.
grumbledore says... #43
in all honesty, keep them man. most likely you'll never get another chance to own them. hell, just throw them into a casual-only edh deck and smack your friends with them (yes i know its not legal but kitchen table is in fact kitchen table).
January 21, 2015 4:19 p.m.
Rule number one...power does NOT go in Ultra Pro sleeves. Haha. Seriously though, that is badass, congrats on the insane luck!
January 21, 2015 4:29 p.m.
00xtremeninja says... #45
hang onto them and sell them off at a time where you need a large downpayment for something. They will only increase in value.
January 21, 2015 5:28 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #47
Just a silly christmas card.
I'll probably be getting him something cool in return. This definitely wasn't supposed to be this big a gift. lol
January 21, 2015 7:37 p.m.
Great find. Note that Timetwister is legal in EDH, unlike the rest of the power nine, so there may be a use for that outside of Vintage. I saw you had a mono-U EDH decklist among your various decks and thought it may be worth mentioning.
January 22, 2015 12:50 a.m.
Death_The_Kid says... #49
hey guys i cannot see the images not sure why, what cards they? also i feel like i should right off the bat say congrats on your luck lol
January 22, 2015 4:45 a.m.
Blizzicane says... #50
Congrats on the find! (I wish I was that lucky I need Timetwister for Nekusar in EDH :C).
Death_The_Kid - The images are a Timetwister and a Mox Sapphire. :3
slovakattack says... #2
high five
I'm a collector, so I'd keep the shit outta those. They look to be in excellent condition, so you could easily get a lot of money for them in certain circles, such as the Facebook group "high-end magic." I guarantee that these'd sell out -fast- there.
January 21, 2015 1:01 p.m.