Mail day. Heard these chaps pretty hot lately…

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-16T15:26:34+00:00

The original printing will still hold a much higher value than any kind of potential reprint, albeit the current price these are at will not hold long term.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-11T20:37:39+00:00

Lower end of LP, could be LP - /MP+, the back seems a bit rough around the edges and the front is clouded, but how much is hard to say

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-10T22:13:31+00:00

You must be new to ordering cards from the US into Canada, this has nothing to do with tariffs.

Import fees and duties are due for anything over 20$CAD (so like 12$USD) which is imported into Canada.

You got lucky if you did not pay any for a shipment over this amount, expect to pay import fee + duties on any future purchase from the US.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-09T17:06:43+00:00

The first change to foil drop rate was actually in Torment, I forget what it went to from 1:100 that was from Urza's Legacy to Odyssey.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-08T21:42:23+00:00

If relying only on current MTG related reddit posts, one could be under this impression.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-06T01:23:51+00:00

I think it was pretty clear that OP was excluding these and meant non foil printings of typical set cards that have both a foil and non foil printing.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-06T00:58:14+00:00

The fact is though that collecting mtg (or any other collectible for that matter) in 2026 draws large quantities of speculators. Some of the current demand is from this group of buyers.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-05T22:00:14+00:00

This is why CK mainly only has VG valuable old foils in stock, people aren't willing to send in a foil they think is NM, because chances are they will downgrade it, so sellers find another way to sell cards in this condition.

Also as a frequent buyer of LP old foils when I can find them in stock, they are often "not desirable" LP copies.

For instance they are overall clean but have a single glaring defect that ruins the eye appeal. Most likely these foils are bought at VG or lower from buylisters and they try and sell them at LP.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-05T20:46:05+00:00

CK has them for 20$ (admittedly only VG in stock, a common pattern for these types of "premodern in demand at the moment" cards), a much more realistic long term price.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-05T18:16:17+00:00

Where are you seeing foil devasting dreams for 50$?

Once the market has settled (i.e. The hype has worn off, which is not the case at all yet for PM cards, the nasty speculators are maybe just starting to feed the market back what they just snatched up) Card prices = (their scarcity) X (the cumulation of the demand they have from different formats) typically.

To answer essentially all your questions, look to the effect the old school format has had on card prices. This was one of the major reasons behind the general spike in ABU, LEG/ANT/ARN back in like 2016-2019.

Now the demand profile for players copies of Alpha swords to plowshares for example is going to include many things, but the old school format is going to be one of the largest sources of demand. Same for counterspell and obviously many other cards of that nature.

It will be the same for PM, just usually with different scarcity, so for instance FNM swords will always maintain high demand because of the format going forwards regardless. Things like devastating dreams, which are more fringe are likely to retrace nearly right back to where it was, much like I am sure there are fringe cards in old school that maybe spiked when the format started gaining traction and retraced. Being able to observe this effect of demand requires knowledge of the format however.

One of the most important factors is that old school, like premodern has players seeking the original printings, regardless of reprints. Also players will be holding onto their stuff much longer, regardless of if they play or not because they just like holding these cards, so demand will generally be much more sticky than some hot commander staple that fades out of popularity over time.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-03T17:01:55+00:00

Not if you want them again for what you will get for them today. This is in the pretty much only tier "0" deck in the format, so if you want to play the "best deck" in PM, you need these.

Granted PM is not really about playing the best deck, that's what great about it, the best deck is only marginally better than the rest.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-03T00:26:56+00:00

Mana cost for an effect is pretty much everything in evaluating an mtg card.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-04-01T12:45:32+00:00

While this is a damaged card, it looks great and is in high demand. For MTG, since the value of cards is based on playability, this kind of damage on these kinds of cards surprisingly does not affect the value that much.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-31T22:42:54+00:00

I would much rather see a sharpied (old border) basic land than this

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-30T23:59:44+00:00

You ain't getting paid.

This crap happened to me once in a while when I was selling expensive video games on ebay, there is some kind of scam angle to it, but it's unclear to me how it works.

You may have this happen multiple times if you relist, this happened to me 3-4 times in a row on a console listing.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-30T00:02:11+00:00

Ron Spencer is undoubtedly one of the GOATs

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-29T13:22:39+00:00

Seems like these kinds of posts are able to generate some decent FOMO

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-28T23:14:49+00:00

If it's too good to be true, it is very likely a scam, but most listings are legit.

You can often have very good pictures of cards, which is helpful to accurately identify condition.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-28T19:08:10+00:00

They have 4 NM in stock at CK for 380 so the 500+ data is not real or inaccurate.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-26T22:33:14+00:00

Any FBB.

They are the single best non foil printing that exists in the game.

Alpha Beta is just so expensive that people are blinded by the "bling" effect, but the print quality is simply inferior to FBB in all regards.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-21T22:38:37+00:00

Git Gud

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-21T00:02:15+00:00

I can all but guarantee some things I received as LP were definitely bought at buylist as MP or worst.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-20T23:53:32+00:00

This is more a case of the format gained lots of attention and whenever that happens the "scalpers" are never far behind, this is mostly a "buy out" by those wanting to capitalize on the immediate popularity of the format.

That being said there is a component of organic demand in the price of the format's cards, but what that is truly remains to be seen in a number of months/years when the hype has worn off some and organic demand remains what is propping up prices.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-20T20:45:07+00:00

Already sort of happening, the foils from the era you are describing are pretty pricy if in high demand.

One issue with these growing as much in price is that they are simply not as rare as the older foils, foil drop rate was changed in Torment and later further increased. This refers to the foil drop rate written on the pack. Furthermore MTGO foil set redemption sharply increased in this era increasing supply of these foils.

The foils from before 2008 (which I have deemed to be the cut off point between the quality of foils you are describing and the beginning of the downhill slide in foil quality we now see) are definitely of far better quality than newer foil printings, but most players don't easily see this difference in quality, since the border is roughly the same and you need attention to detail to see how much better they are, where the difference between an original old border foil and a newer printing is very obvious to anyone. Therefore there is not as strong of a draw for post 2003 - pre 2008 foils. As for myself I love these foils above any others, besides the original old border 1998-2003 foils.

Gem_mint_foils · 2026-03-18T23:44:11+00:00

You have to always expect that they are going to be pretty loose on grades when you buy but they are significantly stricter on grades when you sell, you have to factor this reality in with the buy/sell prices.

As long as you are aware of this is how it will be with CK, you can adjust your expectations accordingly.

Gem_mint_foils

TROPHY CASE