Rarest version of already rare card is worth way, way more than its weight in gold.
Japan loves a good pun, and there’s a pretty clever one in the name of Tokyo collectible trading card shop Hareruya. If you break it into the words hareru and ya you get something akin to “Shop of Fair Weather,” and it’s even more auspicious if you take it as hareruya, the Japanese pronunciation of “hallelujah.”
The miraculous overtone is especially appropriate right now, since Hareruya just announced that it’s got a card in stock that it only obtains once every several years.
That right — there is the Black Lotus, one of the rarest and most highly sought-after cards in Magic: The Gathering. Printed only for the first two of the 28 years the game has been around, it’s coveted not only for its scarcity, but also for its immensely beneficial effects in competitive play, having been introduced so early in Magic’s history that the full implications of how it could tip the balance of power in a match weren’t fully understood.
“We’re not sure how many years it’ll be until we get another in stock, so don’t miss this chance!” Hareruya excitedly tweets. And hey, the buying process is nice and simple, since Hareruya isn’t an auction site, but runs a set-price online shop. So how much do they want for their Black Lotus?
30 million yen (roughly US$290,000).
The card is listed as being in SP, or “slightly played” condition, one rank below “near mint,” the highest tier of non-new quality, and as such may exhibit slight scratches, rubbing marks, or discoloration on the card surface or edges. On the plus side, it’s an especially rare Alpha-edition of the Black Lotus, commanding a higher value than the more common (but still incredibly scarce) Beta and Unlimited versions of the card.
That said, 30 million yen is a lot to drop on a palm-sized piece of paper, and comments, presumably typed with eyes popped, have included:
“Weighs two grams. Worth as much as a house.”
“Do you offer a 30,000-year installment plan?”
“Did a triple-take on that price.”
“Historical artistic artifacts often have a high price, but they also can increase in value after you buy them.”
If you’ve got 30 million yen burning a whole in your pocket, the card’s listing on Hareruya’s online shop can be found here.
Source: Hareruya via Hachima Kiko
Images: Hareruya
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