DALLAS, TX.- How many times have you heard someone point to an über-successful entrepreneur and say, “if only I had what he had...”?

Now you can, thanks to a historically important trading card game starter box that once belonged to one of the co-founders of the Apple computer company. A Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition (Beta) Sealed Starter Deck Display Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) Signed by Steve Wozniak, bearing the signature of “Woz,” who founded the omnipresent technology firm, along with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne, in 1976, will be among the most intriguing items in play at Heritage’s Trading Card Games Auction December 6-7.

“‘Woz’ was an avid Magic: The Gathering player and collector, going back to the game’s earliest years,” says Jesus Garcia, Consignment Director of Trading Card Games at Heritage Auctions. “He had several important vintage boxes, a keen understanding of which were the most significance and which were worth collecting. That he had this box, and even added his signature, only increases its intrigue as a must-have collector’s item.”

The box contains the second (Beta) set Wizards of the Coast printed and released, just two months after the release of the Alpha set. It contains 10 Beta starter decks, each with 60 cards for a total of 600 never-touched Beta cards — an array that might include a Black Lotus, Timetwister, Mox or any of the other Power Nine cards.

The auction also features one of just six complete sets of 26 Pokémon Japanese Alpha Prototype CGC trading cards. These cards represent the foundation of what evolved into the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Before the release of the Japanese Base Set (or Expansion Pack) in 1996, numerous versions of Pokémon cards were produced. From black-and-white designs to the final product, each version represented a critical step in the development of the cards. They contain much of the same information as the cards released in the Base Set but with a very different, black-and-white visual presentation.

Alpha Prototype CGC trading cards that are available in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• A Pokémon Pikachu Japanese Alpha Prototype CGC Trading Card Game Mint 9 (Media Factory, 1995) Mounted on Card

• A Pokémon Psyduck Japanese Alpha Prototype CGC Trading Card Game Mint 9 (Media Factory, 1995) Mounted on Card

• A Pokémon Bulbasaur Japanese Alpha Prototype CGC Trading Card Game Gem Mint 10 (Media Factory, 1995) Mounted on Card

Another trading card game represented in the auction is Duel Masters, the game developed by Wizards of the Coast and Takara Tomy that was released in 2002 in Japan, where it quickly became the top-selling trading card game for more than a year, and two years later in the United States. Offered here is a Duel MastersJapanese Test Print Uncut Sheet with MTG Card Backs (Wizards of the Coast, 2001). Uncut sheets often are exceptionally popular with collectors, but this one includes another layer of allure: it is a test print from 2001 — before Duel Masters was released — that was intended to test different print treatments and card designs with a foil treatment. That alone would generate some interest, but what makes this sheet a must-have prize is the fact that the front shows 110 cards printed in English ... with Magic: The Gatheringbacks.

Other top lots in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• A Magic: The Gathering Artist Proof Black Lotus Limited Edition (Beta) BGS Trading Card Game NM 7 AUTO 9 (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) Signed by Christopher Rush and Richard Garfield

• A Pokémon Japanese Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Media Factory, 1996)

• A Pokémon Gold Star Torchic 108 EX Team Rocket Returns PSA Trading Card Game Gem Mint 10 (The Pokémon Company, 2004) Ultra Rare, Holo

• A Pokémon Gold Star Espeon 025 Japanese PLAY 50,000 EXP Promo PSA Trading Card Game Gem Mint 10 (The Pokémon Company, 2005) Holo

• A Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Magician EN001 KC Grand Tournament Second Place Prize Card (Konami, 2021) Extra Secret Rare

“This should be an incredible auction,” says Garcia. “Following the success of our last Signature® Auction, we set our sights on finishing strong, with our best auction of the year, and we feel like we have done that this time. From the Starter Deck Box signed by Steve Wozniak, to the Pokémon Japanese Alpha Prototype trading cards to more than a dozen pieces of Magic: The Gathering original art, this auction is overflowing with ideal options for the most serious of collectors.”