5 Most Expensive Trading Cards Ever Sold (That Aren’t Pokemon Cards)

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Pokemon cards are famous for selling for incredibly high prices, often due to the franchise’s popularity and the scarcity of certain cards – Logan Paul’s Pikachu Illustrator card recently went for over $16 million! However, Pokemon isn’t the only collectible trading card game with valuable items. Rare baseball cards and cards from games like Magic: The Gathering also fetch impressive prices on the resale market.

I was researching the most valuable Pokémon cards when I discovered some other trading card auctions with surprisingly high prices—in some cases, even higher than those of the priciest Pokémon cards, though they didn’t get as much attention. Since I find the collectible market so interesting, I wanted to share a look at the most expensive trading cards sold that aren’t Pokémon. Here’s a list of the highest recorded sales prices for those cards.

5) Magic: The Gathering – Timetwister

This card is one of the highly sought-after “Power Nine” from the first sets of the Magic: The Gathering card game. These cards are known as some of the most powerful ever created, and because they’re hard to find, the Timetwister is a valuable and expensive trading card.

In April 2023, a rare, limited-edition Alpha card sold for $84,000 at a Fanatics Collect Premier Auction. Its perfect condition – graded a 10 by PSA – made it particularly valuable, as most similar cards are in lower condition.

4) Magic: The Gathering – Lord of the Pit

Coming in at number four is another uncommon Magic: The Gathering card. Lord of the Pit is a bit unusual because, despite being reprinted several times – with recent versions costing as little as 50 cents on sites like TCG Player – the very first print run was limited. This rarity caused a first edition, or Alpha, copy to sell for a surprisingly high price.

In January 2023, a pristine, highly-rated (CGC 10) 1993 Limited Edition Alpha Lord of the Pit card fetched $105,000 at a Fanatics Collect auction. This made it the second most expensive Magic: The Gathering card sold at that time. While other cards have since sold for higher prices, it’s still a significant and valuable collectible in the trading card game world.

3) Yu-Gi-Oh! – Tyler the Great Warrior

Being a big Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, I was thrilled to learn this trading card is one of the most valuable ever sold. What makes it so special is that there’s only one copy in the world. It was designed by a teenager fighting cancer through the Make-A-Wish foundation, and while officially approved by the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! , it was never made available for general sale. This unique history is why it’s now incredibly rare and valuable.

In April 2023, a teenager named Tyler sold a Pokémon card he designed on eBay for an incredible $311,211. The card, called Tyler the Great Warrior, received a Near-Mint grade of 7 from BGS and hasn’t been offered for sale again since. Because it was a unique, specially-printed card, it can’t be used in official Pokémon tournaments, but it’s highly prized by collectors.

2) Magic: The Gathering – The One Ring

As its name suggests, The One Ring card was created for Magic: The Gathering’s Lord of the Rings set, called Universes Beyond. Although many copies of the card were printed, collectors were surprised to learn that only one special version existed: a Gold-Foil Art card. Wizards of the Coast made this single card with text written in the Black Speech of Mordor instead of English, making it incredibly rare and one of the most valuable trading cards ever sold.

In August 2023, Post Malone purchased a rare The One Ring trading card for $2 million. The card, graded a 9 by PSA, hasn’t been offered for sale since. Unlike Logan Paul, who made a Pikachu card into jewelry, Post Malone appears to still have the ring card in its original form.

1) Magic: The Gathering – Alpha Black Lotus

Aside from the famous Pikachu Illustrator card, this rare Magic: The Gathering card is the most expensive trading card ever sold. The Alpha Black Lotus was printed during the very first run of the game in 1993, making it extremely rare. It’s still a very powerful card in the game, and the creators have no plans to reprint it. Because of this, cards in excellent condition are incredibly valuable and can sell for a huge amount of money.

A highly-graded Alpha Black Lotus trading card sold for $3 million in a private sale in March 2024, making it the most expensive card of its kind ever sold. Other valuable editions exist as well, including one bought by musician Post Malone in 2022. Notably, this particular card—which is in perfect, mint condition—isn’t signed by the artist, unlike many other Alpha Black Lotus cards. Even without the signature, its exceptional condition made it the most expensive non-Pokémon trading card ever sold.

Are you interested in collecting rare trading cards? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-27 23:42