“This isn’t a joke,” kicks off the description of a truly remarkable eBay listing, which went live bright and early on New Year’s Day. User thelotusvale has put up what might just be one of the most impressive Magic: The Gathering collections ever showcased on the platform. “What I’m offering is a set of first edition APs,” the description continues. “Some folks refer to them as Beta APs. This collection took around two decades to piece together. Luckily, I began the hunt before they became incredibly elusive.”
Wargamer was the first to spotlight this unique set, which boasts 302 “Alpha” cards. These are early art proofs from the original MTG releases and carry no back images. Wizards of the Coast gave a limited number of these cards to illustrators to sign and sell, making them collectibles only, not playable cards. Every one of these 302 cards is signed, and most sport the more prized glossy backs. For the 22 with matte backs, the seller suggests they be viewed as placeholders until a glossy counterpart can be found, if such a thing even exists anymore.
“Furthermore, all cards feature recreated art by the original artist, except for 11 cards,” the seller notes. These exceptions come with a second, unsigned card that has artwork by other artists. “I selected these artists specifically because they were part of the original MTG community, had personal ties to [the card’s original creator], and were not part of this first edition set. In this process, I asked them to cleverly hide a ‘Q’ in each piece, and without exception, they did. Some are more elusive than others; one even needs a black light to reveal.”
In a concise FAQ at the end of the listing, the seller makes it clear they won’t sell the set in pieces, except maybe for the highly sought-after – and sometimes contentious – Black Lotus card. They’re willing to travel anywhere within the U.S. to finalize this multimillion-dollar transaction and are open to trading for collector’s edition sets.
Describing the journey to construct this collection as both “very expensive” and an incredible adventure, the seller reflects, “I met collectors from every corner of the globe, and collaborated with some phenomenal artists. The relationships I’ve developed with these amazing groups are something I’ll always cherish.”
So, if you happen to have $2.2 million available, this collection could be yours. If not, you can simply stay tuned to see where this legendary set ends up next.
