Magic: The Gathering Cards, Including Complete Alpha, Beta And Arabian Nights Sets, Will Be Sold By Weiss Auctions

Sets Contain Many BGS-Graded Examples

June 14, 2019

A collection of significant, early “Magic: The Gathering” cards, including complete Alpha, Beta and Arabian Nights sets, with many BGS-graded examples in each, are the expected centerpiece lots in an auction slated for Wednesday, June 26, at 10 a.m., EST, by Weiss Auctions, online and in the firm’s gallery, 74 Merrick Road, Lynbrook, N.Y.
“Magic: The Gathering” cards are currently popular and highly sought after by collectors. A few graded standout cards include Alpha Black Lotus, 8.5; Alpha Mox Pearl, 9.5; Beta Time Vault, 10.0; Beta Black Lotus, 9.0; and Beta Earthquake, 9.5, among many others graded at 9.0 and 9.5.
“Magic: The Gathering” cards were first released in 1993. The initial sets were the limited Alpha and Beta sets of cards, before the unlimited format was introduced. The first expansion, Arabian Nights, was released in December of 1993, just after the limited editions were printed and sold out.
“The Black Lotus is one of the most sought-after cards for Magic collectors,” said Philip Weiss of Weiss Auctions. “Its ability to be played for free and then tapped in order to gain three mana of any one color made it powerful and popular, and it was almost immediately banned from official play. These three sets combined could bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“It’s important to point out that the cards will be offered as sets and not broken up into multiple lots. This gives investors a rare chance to get a complete set in one fell swoop,” stated Weiss.
In addition to live bidding in the gallery, there will also be online bidding available, via the two platforms Proxibid.com and Invaluable.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.
The auction will also feature a fine selection of linen-backed posters, to include a scarce Fairy Sisters poster; an 1880s Allen and Ginter non-sports card collection with more than 600 pieces, including cards, boxes and more; signed lithographs with a wide assortment of important artists featured; rare and out-of-print books; Hollywood photographs; and American Bandstand material.
Also offered will be military medals and uniforms; Continental Congress and other historical autographs; antique advertising, including coffee tins from the collection of Barbara and Lowell Schindler; fountain pens, and more. The non-sports cards include the Three Stooges, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the Addams Family, Beatles, Monster Greetings and others.
Posters expected to do well include a 1920s Royal Northern Hospital poster by W. Lambert; a 1959 Egypt travel poster saying “Enjoy Your Holiday”; a 1950s Mexico Pan American Airlines travel poster by E. McKnight Kauffer; an 1890s Bi-Borax French advertising poster rendered by F. Poulbot; and an 1893 French “Amaranthe Bitter” advertising poster, printed by C.H. Levy.
Other posters will include a 1900s “Abiti Per Bambini” Italian advertising poster and a 1920s “Fair of Antique Dealers” French poster by A. Palland. The war medals category will feature an ID’d British Crimean War medal for George Dungate, 10th Hussars; and an ID’d British Waterloo medal for Henry Gronemann, 5th Line Battalion K.G.L.; plus other fine examples.
Weiss Auctions’ next big event will be held Wednesday, July 24, also in the Lynbrook gallery, featuring toys, trains, diecast, TV and Western toys, dolls and more. The sale will be highlighted by part three of the Joseph P. Cutrofello collection of toy trains, with more of his boxed Lionel set collection (around 40 boxed sets), his Lionel HO collection and pre-war O and Standard Gauge.
The auction will also feature part two of an incredible 1950s and ’60s-era TV, Western, and movie toy collection, all mint-in-the-box pieces, including gun and holster sets, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Aurora model kits, Howdy Doody and more, plus tons of diecast vehicles, including boxed Matchbox, Corgi, Dinky and Tootsietoy.
For more information, call 516-594-0731 or visit www.WeissAuctions.com.

 

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