Complete Magic: The Gathering "beta" Card Set From 1993 Sells For $120,000 At Weiss Auctions Oct. 19

By Author: Philip Weiss
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Lynbrook, NY, USA, November 10, 2022 -- A complete Magic: The Gathering “Beta” card set from 1993, just the second set for “MTG” with a print run of only 3,200 rare cards, sold for a staggering $120,000 in an online-only Comics, Comic Art, MTG Booster Boxes & More auction held October 19th by Weiss Auctions, based in Lynbrook. Three other Magic: The Gathering lots cracked the top 20.

Magic: The Gathering (also known simply as “Magic” or “MTG”) is a tabletop and digital collectible card game created by Richard Garfield and released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast (now a subsidiary of Hasbro). “MTG” was the first trading card game (TCG) and over 20 billion of the cards were produced between 2008-2016. “MTG” remains hugely popular with collectors.

The 1993 “Beta” set was complete, with 302 black bordered cards. Six of the cards were graded by Beckett, including rare and powerful cards such as Black Lotus (graded BGS 8 NM/MT), Mox Ruby (BGS 8.5 NM/MT+), Mox Sapphire (BGS 8.5 NM/MT+), Mox Emerald (BGS 8 NM/MT), Mox Jet (BGS 8 NM/MT) and Mox Pearl (BGS 8 NM/MT); 299 cards were ungraded.

The ...
... other sets in the top 20 included a sealed Magic: The Gathering “Legends” Expansion Set Booster Box, released in 1994, including 36 packs, with 15 cards per pack ($31,200); and two Magic: The Gathering “Revised” 3rd Edition” Expansion Set Booster Boxes, released in 1994, including 36 packs, with 15 cards per pack. The Booster Boxes each changed hands for $8,400.

Overall, more than 500 lots came up for bid, to include collections of Golden, Silver and Bronze Age comics; original comic art, including more offerings from the Joe Kubert estate; original Peanuts comic strip art by Charles Schulz; and, of course, the collection of unopened “MTG” Booster Boxes and Starter Decks, including Legends, Tempest, Mirage, Homelands and more.

“The sale was incredibly strong, with at least seven hundred people participating on our site, plus Liveauctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and absentee,” said Philip Weiss of Weiss Auctions. “The comic and comic art market continues to be blazing hot, with comic art setting records with every sale.” Following are additional highlights. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.

An original, eight-panel Peanuts Sunday comic strip art page by Charles Schulz, never before offered at auction and in great condition, went for $50,400. The 23 inch by 17 inch piece, dated “1-21-73” and published by United Features Syndicate, showed Lucy and Schroeder in five of the eight panels. In one panel, Lucy asks him, “Do you want to take me to the Senior Prom?”

Another original Peanuts strip, this one a smaller daily (but signed and inscribed by Schulz, “To our good friends with every best wish, Charles Schulz and Charlie Brown”), rose to $32,400. The Charlie Brown who also signed the strip was Charles Francis Brown, a neighbor of Schulz’s and the inspiration for the Charlie Brown cartoon character. The strip was dated “8-27-1962”.

A rarely seen copy of Detective Comics #29 from 1939, featuring just the second-ever Batman cover, with an appearance by Dr. Death in the first of a two-part story, cover art by Bob Kane, fetched $32,400. Also, an original pen and ink book illustration by Frank Frazetta for the Doubleday edition of A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, artist signed, hit $36,000.

Fabulous original cover art for issue #3 of Ragman by Joe Kubert, 11 inches by 17 inches, rang up $20,400. Other cover art by Kubert in the sale included Sgt. Rock / Our Army at War ($10,500); Sgt. Rock / Old Parisians Never Die ($8,700); Sgt. Rock / Keep Me Alive! ($9,000); two cover artworks for Our Fighting Forces ($8,400, $6,900); and Son of Tomahawk ($7,500).

Original ink over graphite splash page title art for Batman #164 (DC, 1964) by Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella, for the story titled “Two-Way Gem Caper!”, with Batman and Robin, finished at $21,600. “Shelly” Moldoff was an acclaimed 1950s-era Bat-artist and Bob Kane’s first assistant on the Batman title. This artwork was signed by Moldoff and signed and inscribed by Bob Kane.

A copy of Fantastic Four #5 (Marvel, 1962), graded CBCS 6.0, with cover and artwork by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott and story by Stan Lee, with the origin and first appearance of Doctor Doom, went for $17,400. Also, a rare 1985 Garbage Pail Kids 1st Series GPK OS1 opened box, complete with all unopened wax packs from the highly sought-after 1st Series, garnered $15,000.

Original splash type page artwork with overlaid art by Wally Wood for Murderous Gangsters #1, signed on the street sign “Joe & Wood” (for Joe Orlando and Wally Wood), 15 inches by 19 inches, topped out at $13,200; while alternate cover art for Eerie Comics #2 by Wally Wood, an interesting piece with paste overs measuring 15 inches by 20 inches, changed hands for $12,600.

For more information about Weiss Auctions and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auction events, visit www.WeissAuctions.com. Updates posted often.