CGC Featured Card of the Month: Contract from Below

Game: Magic: The Gathering

Set: Alpha, Beta, Unlimited and others

Card: Contract from Below

What makes it special? Contract from Below is one of very few “ante” cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its textbox states, “Discard your current hand and draw eight new cards, adding the first drawn to your ante. Remove this card from your deck before playing if you are not playing for ante.” Other examples of ante cards in Magic: The Gathering include Jeweled Bird, Rebirth, Timmerian Fiends and Bronze Tablet.

Did you know? “Ante” refers to a method of play that requires each player to put one or several cards up as a “bet” before starting a game. The winner of the game takes the cards that were offered for ante as a prize for winning, similar to Poker or Blackjack. Ante cards are now illegal in every format of play in MTG due to gambling protection laws in the US and in other countries.

Total graded by CGC: According to the CGC Cards Population Report, CGC has certified more than 170 examples of Contract from Below across all sets, including 42 from Limited Edition Alpha.

CGC median grade: CGC 7.5 (Limited Edition Alpha)

CGC highest grade: CGC Gem Mint 10 (Limited Edition Alpha)

Sales highlights: A Contract from Below, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC 6.5 sold for $687 in a Heritage Auctions sale on October 14, 2024.

CGC Cards Registry: An example of Contract from Below graded CGC Gem Mint 10 is included in Adam Cai’s Pristine Collectibles – MTG Alpha Set, which is the highest-ranked Limited Edition Alpha – Master Set in the CGC Registry. There are also examples of Contract from Below in the second-, third- and fourth-place Limited Edition Alpha – Master Sets in the CGC Registry.

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