Black Lotus Graded CGC Pristine 10 Sells for $3 Million, Breaking Record!

An Alpha Black Lotus graded by CGC Cards™ now holds the record for the highest price paid for any Magic: The Gathering card — $3 MILLION! The Black Lotus, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC Pristine 10 is the only CGC Pristine 10 example in the CGC Cards Population Report as of April 2024.

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The transaction took place in a private sale between Adam Cai of Pristine Collectibles and an undisclosed buyer. Breaking several records, the $3 million sale beat the previous highest price paid for a card certified by CGC Cards, which was held by a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Type 1 graded CGC 8 that realized $1,253,185 in a SCP Auction in December 2022. It also surpassed the 1/1 One Ring Magic: The Gathering card reportedly purchased by Post Malone for more than $2 million in 2023.

“This is one of the most amazing Alpha Black Lotuses I've ever seen,” said Cai. “It would undoubtedly be the centerpiece of anyone's TCG collection.”

“We graded this Alpha Black Lotus as part of a CrossOver submission in 2023, and now it’s become the highest-selling Magic card to date,” said Matt Quinn, Vice President of CGC Cards. “I am honored to have been part of this card’s journey — and to see it sell with the CGC Cards Pristine 10 label. The tremendous amount commanded by this Alpha Lotus is reflective of the trust that collectors and dealers place in CGC Cards.”

Alpha Black Lotus is one of the most popular Magic: The Gathering cards because of its rarity and value, and collectors are always searching for one of the limited number of copies to add to their collection. Not only is Alpha Black Lotus rarer than its Beta or Unlimited counterparts, it’s also extremely difficult to find in excellent condition because the set is more than 30 years old. The fact that this example is graded CGC Pristine 10 and sold for such a high price demonstrates that CGC Cards’ Pristine 10 grade is highly valued among collectors.

CGC Cards has become an industry leader in TCG, non-sports card and sports card grading. Collectors trust their collections to CGC Cards’ world-class experts and advanced technology to properly authenticate, grade and protect their cards with the industry’s best holder and label. Learn more at CGCcards.com.

CGC Cards is part of the Certified Collectibles Group® (CCG®), whose affiliates have certified more than 90 million collectibles, dozens of which have sold for more than $1 million. These include one of the world’s most valuable coins, a Brasher Doubloon certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) that realized $9.36 million in January 2021, and an Action Comics #1 comic book graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) that realized $6 million in April 2024.

Related Articles:

• CGC Cards Certifies Black Lotus and Three Additional Alpha Edition Magic Cards, All Graded CGC Pristine 10
• CGC Cards Registry Featured Set: Limited Edition Alpha