Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth will probably go down in history as the most valuable set to date. It has already shaken the world’s card economy with mind-blowing prices, most notably The One Ring’s over $2 million fetch price (with delicious paella included in the offer).
Naturally, this has sparked extreme interest in the set, and additionally fueled price jumps on its cards across the board. For instance, one of the Dwarven rings of power (which is essentially a serialized Sol Ring reprint), more specifically its 001/700 double rainbow foil card version, was dropped on Facebook with a starting bid of $5000. While that doesn’t seem as impressive as the infamous $2 million + fetch price, it didn’t stay “low” for long. Allegedly, the price grew to $13,000 when it was finally sold. Someone must really be into Dwarves!
Is the Lord of the Rings Universes Beyond Set the Treasure Trove It’s Portrayed to Be?
The prices are also felt by small-time collectors. A single English copy of Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth booster box is currently worth $408 to $431, which is not cheap at all. Furthermore, it is important to note that overall, the cards included inside will most certainly not reach the booster box value. Unless you get extremely lucky with the rare card drops, you will probably end up at a huge loss. However, there is always the 0.00003% chance you could become Magic: The Gathering’s Gollum, holding The One Ring 001/001 copy. Of course, the chances for the latter are pretty slim, but they still exist.
However, looking at the other side of the coin – this is great for our local game stores and their business. They will most certainly spark interest, and tournaments and pump up sales. The hype around the set and the extreme collectibility of the numbered Rings of Power makes them “precious” indeed. There will always be big-time collectors willing to put millions of dollars for a single card, or their small-scale counterparts looking for a shinier card. Either way, the set is sure to attract new customers in all shapes and sizes.
The sought-after Universes Beyond set is scheduled for early release today on June 16, with the global launch being scheduled for June 23. Given the interest behind the upcoming set, quantities are likely to expire fast. Those of our readers wishing to obtain a copy better hurry,