In 2021, a binder of the entire Beta set was brought onto the show. Relative chaos ensued.
Magic: The Gathering usually doesn't go too mainstream. And that's true even today in the 2020s despite IP crossovers and Universes Beyond.
Magic has seen movie appearances and tournaments were even broadcast on ESPN 2 back in the day. But it still has that sort of underground appeal. So when the game is suddenly seen out in the wild or randomly on a favored show that hasn't dealt with it ever, you get that special reaction from people who never played the game but are shocked to see just how valuable the cards can be.
So back in 2021, the PBS show Antiques Roadshow was in Phoenix, AZ. Antiques Roadshow, which appraises valuable items for people who have no ideas how much they are worth or even what they are, has been around for decades. So when a woman brought in a binder to the Desert Botanical Garden and opened it up, the collectables appraiser was sort of shocked. Inside was a complete set of Beta cards, untouched by time.
For Magic players, this can be somewhat nerve-racking. Explaining what Magic is in basic terms. Showing features like the white dots and how they know it is a Beta set. Pointing out the power nine and dual lands. For many Magic players, seeing a mint Beta Black Lotus in one of the old top slide-in binder sheaths could induce a heart attack, let alone all the power nine together like that.
The woman who brought it in had no clue what this was, but she knew it was special enough to get an honest appraisal as her guess to the value of the entire collection was "a couple hundred dollars". For many unscrupulous collectors out there, it would have been cash on the spot for that price. But the appraiser goes over what card grading is, the playability of the cards and more concepts...then drops the estimated value. With variables like grading and auction costs, the power nine came out to a total of $50,000-$75,000. The Black Lotus alone $15,000-$20,000. And the non-power nine is an additional $10-$15k. The entire binder? $65,000 to $100,000 at auction.
The woman with her husband's cards couldn't believe it.
Even more ridiculous is how much more the cards are worth a few years later, as the collectors market has grown. In the right condition, the Black Lotus can be $50k alone.
For many, as the clip shows, it's a shock to see how valuable they can be. For Magic players? Eh, just another day.
