DALLAS, TX.- Thanks to a robust selection of Pokémon cards and booster box sets, which are enjoying soaring demand, as well as a sealed deck from the first released Magic: The Gathering set and one of the most desirable Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series cards set, Heritage Auctions’ Dec. 2-3 Trading Card Games Signature® Auction is expected to continue what has been an exceptional year for collectors.

“The demand for trading cards continues to be at an all-time high,” says Jesus Garcia, Consignment Director of Trading Card Games at Heritage Auctions. “We have enjoyed huge success this year, led by our Trading Card Games Signature® Auction reaching nearly $3.7 million, and we’re excited to showcase another exceptional selection of nearly 250 lots that gives us every reason to believe this will also be an exceptionally successful event.”

Among the auction’s top lots is a Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) (estimate: $150,000+), which is worthy of becoming a centerpiece of its next collection. Upon its release in January 1999, the Pokémon Trading Card Game – when first released, the game featured 102 cards, including the über-popular Charizard card – became an instant hit. A sealed booster box set like the one offered in this auction can be difficult to find because of the low print run. Few remain sealed, and even more elusive are those that ever make it to market.

Another top Pokémon lot is the Pokémon Family Event Kangaskhan Trophy Card Promo 115 Parent/Child Mega Battle PSA Trading Card Game MINT 9 (The Pokémon Company, 1998) (estimate: $60,000+), one of the rarest of all Pokémon cards. The tournament was unique because it paired parents with their children on teams; teams that won a specified number of battles were awarded this card. The Pokémon showcased on the card is Kangaskhan, who carries its infant inside its pouch, a perfect fit for the tournament's theme. The card is one of a select few that features the original Pocket Monsters Trading Card Game logo as the set symbol, intended only to be used on the rarest of all Pokémon cards.

One of the most desirable cards in the Pokémon TCG, a Pokémon Charizard 4 Shadowless Base Set PSA Trading Card Game GEM MT 10 (The Pokémon Company, 1999) Rare, Holo (estimate: $25,000+), features the hottest Pokémon in the franchise, Charizard, and is from the second print run of the Base Set known as “Shadowless.” The term is because these cards do not have the traditional shadow – added for the Unlimited Edition – on the right and bottom border of the picture area; the shadow was added for the Unlimited Edition. The artwork is done by Mitsuhiro Arita.

Magic: The Gathering




Among the most coveted lots in the auction is the Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus Limited Edition (Alpha) BGS Trading Card Game MINT 9 (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) Rare – the most sought-after trading card in existence, Alpha Black Lotus. One of 67 Magic: The Gathering lots, the card is part of the most powerful group of cards in the entire game, known as the “Power Nine” – which can not win a game for the cards’ owner, but it certainly helps. Playing the Black Lotus mans the option to add three mana of any color. The popularity of the card, when the Alpha Edition was released Aug. 5, 1993, climbed so high that Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) essentially was forced to print out the Beta Edition a mere two months later. With a print run of just 1,100 copies, this card is scarce in any condition, let alone in MINT condition.

A Magic: The Gathering Collectors' Edition Artist Proof Uncut Sheets Group of 3 (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) Rare, Uncommon, Common (estimate: $150,000+) includes three sheets: rare, uncommon and common. It is worth noting that the rare sheet contains the “Power Nine” cards, the most powerful in the MTG game. The sheet also contains all of the dual land cards, which are highly sought by many collectors. The white backing on the sheets verifies that they are artist-proofs.
No auction like this would be complete without a Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition (Alpha) Sealed Starter Deck (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) (estimate: $90,000+). That it is an Alpha Edition is known because it does not have a bar code at the bottom of the pack. Upon printing Beta Editions, bar codes were added at the bottom of each deck. The contents of this magnificent set, which contains a total of 60 cards, might include a Black Lotus, Timetwister, Mox or any of the other “Power Nine” cards.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

The auction includes 64 lots from the trading card game based on the Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. Highlights in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• Exodia the Forbidden One 120-124 1st Edition Legend of Blue Eyes Group of 5 PSA Trading Card Game GEM MT 10 (Konami, 2002) Ultra Rare (estimate: $10,000+)

• Red-Eyes Black Dragon 070 1st Edition Legend of Blue Eyes PSA Trading Card Game GEM MT 10 (Konami, 2002) Ultra Rare (estimate: $5,000+)

• Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon EN096 Retro Pack 2 PSA Trading Card Game GEM MT 10 (Konami, 2009) (estimate: $5,000+)