Comments on: A Resurgence in the Alpha Market

By: Sigmund Ausfresser

Sigmund Ausfresser — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 15:54:41 +0000

In reply to Jiri Hodecek. Great pick-ups, Jiri! I agree that Alpha still has some runway; it wouldn't surprise me to see the market calm down for a bit before we see that next jump higher. For now, Beta has some catching up to do I think. But as Alpha gets older and older, Magic's first set can certainly climb as cards get rarer and disappear into collections!

By: Jiri Hodecek

Jiri Hodecek — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 10:52:27 +0000

I started to buy some low tier Alpha rares this year and was able to still get some nice prices (under 700$ per BGS 9 graded low tier rare). I think there is still plenty room for Alpha to grow (and secondarily obviously also for Beta and Unlimited). Those cards are so scarce, that there is just no way it will be this cheap forever. It obviously kinda depends on demand, which is driven by the number of ppl who know and like the game (thats why baseball cards, but even pokemon cards of much higher print runs are much more expensive than their mtg counterparts), but still – the Alpha print run is pretty much nothing, thus even the slowest increase in demand will result in crazy price increases. I am firm in this and I will be curious to see where the prices will sit in 5-10 years from now.

By: Sigmund Ausfresser

Sigmund Ausfresser — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:41:18 +0000

In reply to Yamil Perez. Beta rares are also really hot right now, though they haven't thinned out as drastically as Alpha. For sure, Beta is an attractive option now as Alpha dries up. To me, Alpha will always be top dog as the original set and the absolute rarest, but Beta cards will always rise in step. So I think you're just fine picking up Beta instead.

By: Sigmund Ausfresser

Sigmund Ausfresser — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:40:11 +0000

In reply to Philipp Novikov. I should have listened to my own advice! I get distracted by all sorts of Magic cards unfortunately.

By: Yamil Perez

Yamil Perez — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:02:15 +0000

There’s still a slew of Alpha cards within the $50-$100 price range to be grabbed. You can always complement your collection with the Beta rares which are still affordable enough not to break your bank. I bought a Beta Earthquake from Cardkingdom last summer for $399 in near mint condition. Now it’s selling at $1299. I’m also positive that this particular card is 9.5 gradable. I’ve studied the card from every possible angle and I can’t see this wouldn’t grade at 9.5, because it’s perfectly centered as well. If that were the case, then this card might easily be worth $2,000-$2,500. No a bad chunck for a card selling for $399 less than a year ago. I think Beta should be as much part of the conversation as Alpha. Those are the two core sets. But that’s just me.

By: Philipp Novikov

Philipp Novikov — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 09:59:58 +0000

We should have listened, we should have listened… But I was speccing on puny MODO cards back then 🙁