Uncut Sheet of MTG and Pokémon Test Prints Graded by CGC Cards Blasts to $275,000, Lighting Up Heritage Sale

A holy grail of TCG collecting was in the spotlight on August 16, 2024, when an uncut sheet of Test Print cards from Wizards of the Coast realized $275,000 in a Heritage sale. Graded and encapsulated by CGC Cards™, the uncut sheet of Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon cards was just one of the many CGC-certified collectibles offered in the Trading Card Games Signature Auction, which ended on August 17, 2024.

The Lightning Dragon, Drifting Meadow & Blastoise Pokémon/Magic: The Gathering (1998) 25-Subject Test Print Sheet graded CGC Authentic (AU) (lot 36040) is an extremely rare example of an uncut sheet from Wizards of the Coast with an all-white back rather than each card having a Magic: The Gathering back like other sheets that came from WotC’s production line. The sheet includes 25 total cards, including two rows of Lightning Dragon, two rows of Drifting Meadow and one row of Test Print Blastoise. The uncut sheet’s rarity cannot be understated; it is unknown whether something like this will ever come to auction again.

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In addition, a Charizard, Pokémon (1996) Japanese Beta Playtest graded CGC 8.5 (lot 36056) realized $42,500. This early version of the iconic Base Set Charizard card is much different from its counterpart in the official release. For example, the artwork features the classic Charizard drawn by Ken Sugimori for Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Green Version instead of Mitsuhiro Arita’s iconic design. Beta Pokémon cards are still seldom seen in auctions, so this Charizard is sure to be a grail in anyone’s collection.

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Other CGC-certified cards in the auction included:

• a Venusaur, Pokémon (1996) Japanese Beta Playtest graded CGC 8.5 (lot 36058) that realized $23,750
• a Blastoise, Pokémon (1996) Japanese Beta Playtest graded CGC 9 (lot 36057) that realized $23,125
• a complete set of Revised Edition cards from Magic: The Gathering with 11 cards graded CGC 8.5 to CGC 9.5 (lot 37004) that realized $4,875
• a Shining Charizard, Pokémon (2002) Neo Destiny 1st Edition graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36029) that realized $3,250
• a Charizard, Pokémon (2001) Japanese Base Expansion Pack 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Pristine 10 (lot 37049) that realized $1,750

Note: At the time some of these cards were graded, they were encapsulated with the original CGC Cards label. Starting July 11, 2023, CGC Cards began encapsulating cards with the new CGC Cards label. In addition to the new label, collectors enjoy many other benefits with CGC Cards, such as the ability to submit without purchasing a membership and an industry-standard Gem Mint 10 grading scale. For more information, go here.