Most Valuable MTG Booster Boxes

As the first modern trading card game, Magic: The Gathering holds a special place among collectors, as its inception birthed an entirely new genre of gaming. The franchise still serves as a trendsetter in the TCG sphere – for both burgeoning and entrenched fans alike.

Since Magic’s debut over 30 years ago in 1993, the game has released a plethora of both core and expansion sets that have introduced some of the most iconic cards of all time, though some cards – and sets – have become more valuable than others.

Because the first three sets of MTG (Alpha, Beta and Unlimited) were not shrink-wrapped – instead only featuring a small sticker sealing the closure of the boxes – it is impossible to find a sealed box of those sets. If truly sealed ones could be found, those would surely top this list with ease. All prices found herein come from PriceCharting.com and are subject to change.

12

Portal: Three Kingdoms

Market Price: $2,250.00

This set debuted in 1999 and was designed specifically for the Asian market with themes detailing the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. Since the few printings of this set in English were mostly sold in Australia and New Zealand, it’s no surprise that a sealed box of this set goes for well over $2,000 on the secondary market.

The chase cards from this set are Imperial Seal (one of the best black tutor cards of all time) at over $1,000, Ravages of War (a renamed Armageddon) at over $600 and Zodiac Dragon at $525.

11

Seventh Edition

Market Price: $2,350.00

Seventh Edition was released in 2001 and represented a new frontier for core sets after the doldrums of Sixth Edition. The set brought back a bevy of notable cards from Magic’s past, such as Serra Angel, Coat of Arms, Shivan Dragon and Ensnaring Bridge.

All the cards featured received brand-new “modern” art – some of which has aged gracefully – and the chase cards from the set are all foil versions, with Birds of Paradise topping the charts with a price point hovering just under $2,700.

10

Tempest

Market Price: $2,382.94

Magic’s Tempest set was released in 1997 and represented the third “block” in MTG’s history, after Ice Age block and Mirage block before it. With it, a slew of new cards were introduced, many of which have become classics over the years.

The two most valuable cards from the set are blue instant Intuition, a surefire way to search your deck for a specific card, assuming you have multiples, and Earthcraft, a built-in combo maker with any number of other spells. Beyond that, Commander staples like Ancient Tomb and Reanimate also debuted in this set.

9

Stronghold

Market Price: $2,710.11

Tempest’s follow-up set somehow upped the ante after the fireworks of the previous set, with several notable cards debuting in this release – such as Horn of Greed, Grave Pact and Primal Rage.

However, it’s three notable chase cards that buoy this set’s booster boxes to the lofty heights its market price reaches: Mox Diamond at close to $600, the first legendary Sliver creature, Sliver Queen, at $250 and recursion engine/nonbasic land Volrath’s Stronghold at over $80.

8

Urza’s Legacy

Market Price: $3,107.24

The first of three Urza’s block sets found herein is actually the middle set of the block, which, while extremely powerful – much like the entire block itself – featured a noticeably lower power level than the utterly busted sets that sandwiched its release.

Still though, a sealed booster box of this set will set you back a cool $3,000 – and with good reason thanks to notable chase cards such as the eminently powerful ramping tool Grim Monolith, the Squirrel kindred powerhouse Deranged Hermit and artifact recursion machine Goblin Welder.

7

The Dark

Market Price: $3,178.08

Only the fourth expansion set in MTG’s history, The Dark released in 1994 and continued to represent a clear power drop from some of the cards that had been unveiled in Magic’s early years (the Power Nine springs to mind).

Furthermore, due to this set’s scarcity, many of these cards have not reached the public’s consciousness fully – though notable cards like Fellwar Stone, Ball Lightning and Tormod’s Crypt all debuted in The Dark, alongside Sorrow’s Path, arguably the worst MTG card of all time.

6

Urza’s Destiny

Market Price: $3,602.77

The final set in Urza’s block featured some gangbuster cards. While Urza’s block was meant to be the “enchantment” block – as cards like Replenish ($84.47) and Opalescence ($28.78) indicate – the designers still managed to deliver powerhouse artifacts in this set, such as Metalworker, which at a $112.76 market value is the most valuable card from this set.

Buying a sealed booster box of this set will set you back well over $3,500, but if you hit a foil version of Metalworker or Yawgmoth’s Bargain, you’ll be well on your way to recouping that loss.

5

Urza’s Saga

Market Price: $6,025.00

At over $6,000 for a sealed box, Urza’s Saga is a massive pickup for MTG investors and collectors – and with good reason.

With truly mesmerizing artwork and set design, Urza’s block is a style standout, and is likely one of the best sets of all time simply from a gameplay standpoint (broken artifact-based combo decks notwithstanding).

With six cards boasting median values above $100, this set surely belongs in the pantheon of best MTG sets ever for collectors and players alike.

4

Legends

Market Price: $6,881.40

Legends, released in June 1994, was Magic’s seventh-ever set and its third expansion. This was the first set to feature legendary creatures (which were simply dubbed “Legends” at this point, with no other creature types) and also marked the debut of 15-card booster packs in boxes. Before that, packs came with eight cards.

Perhaps that increase in card volume leads to these boxes approaching the $7,000 mark, or perhaps it’s the presence of landmark cards such as The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, The Abyss or Mana Drain that keep this sealed box’s price point so high.

3

Revised Edition

Market Price: $8,565.03

Released right before Legends in April 1994, Revised Edition was the third core set in Magic’s history (Alpha and Beta were the same set, just different printings).

While this set lost the Power Nine, it still featured the first-ever dual lands, which is where the majority of this set’s sealed value comes from. Nabbing a pack-fresh Underground Sea or Volcanic Island and getting it graded highly would mark a significant win for collectors of vintage MTG.

2

Antiquities

Market Price: $44,834.88

Nabbing a sealed booster box of Antiquities, the second-ever expansion set in MTG history, will set you back close to $45,000.

Antiquities focused on MTG’s artifacts, and its most valuable card, Mishra’s Workshop, showcases that focus. If you can get the card graded out at a PSA 10 (perhaps via opening a sealed booster box), the card will be worth around $10,000 – so nearly ¼ of the box’s total value.

1

Arabian Nights

Market Price: $212,500.00

However, the most valuable booster box in MTG history by far comes via Magic’s first-ever expansion set: Arabian Nights. Boasting three cards with price points above $1,000 (and one with a price above $2,000), obtaining a sealed box of this set will set you back nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

Surprisingly, an uncommon – Library of Alexandria – is the most valuable card from the set, though a bevy of other cards fetch sky-high prices in both graded and ungraded versions.