Most Expensive MTG Cards Ever Sold: The Top 10 Sales (2026)

The most expensive Magic: The Gathering card ever sold is an Alpha Black Lotus graded CGC Pristine 10, which went for $3 million in a private sale announced in April 2024, according to Star City Games. The public auction record is newer: a PSA 10 Alpha Black Lotus brought $2,208,200 at Goldin in September 2026. Plenty of lists rank 50 of the most expensive MTG cards using market estimates. This one only includes sales with a price and date we could trace to a source.

Current as of October 2, 2026. Prices are reported sale results, not asking prices.

The Most Expensive MTG Cards Ever Sold

1. Alpha Black Lotus, CGC Pristine 10: $3,000,000

• Sale: private, reported April 30, 2024
• Seller: Adam Cai of Pristine Collectibles, buyer unnamed
• Why it matters: CGC announced the deal, and Star City Games confirmed the amount with Cai directly

2. Alpha Black Lotus, PSA 10: $2,208,200

• Sale: Goldin, 2026 Summer Goldin 100, September 2026, including buyer's premium
• Why it matters: the highest auction price on record for any Magic card, well ahead of the $615,000 Heritage Lotus. It is one of three PSA 10 Alpha Lotuses, per ICv2. Our Goldin Black Lotus report breaks down the bid

3. The One Ring 001/001: about $2,000,000 (reported)

• Sale: private, Post Malone bought it in August 2023
• Card: the single serialized copy from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (2023)
• Why it matters: the only modern card in the top tier, reported at $2 million by Dexerto and by Forbes at the time of the sale

4. Black Lotus Artist Proof, signed by Christopher Rush: $800,000

• Sale: private, bought by Post Malone, who revealed the price on the Howard Stern Show on June 13, 2022
• Why it matters: at the time, the highest price ever paid for a Magic card, per Wargamer

5. Black Lotus Artist Proof (white back), CGC 8.5, signed by Christopher Rush: $615,000

• Sale: Heritage Auctions, March 24 to 25, 2023
• Why it matters: Heritage called it the highest price paid for a Black Lotus at auction at the time, ICv2 reported

6. Alpha Black Lotus, PSA 10, in a case signed by Christopher Rush: $540,000

• Sale: PWCC Marketplace, March 16, 2023
• Why it matters: it topped the previous Alpha Lotus record by $28,900, per Star City Games

7. Alpha Black Lotus, PSA 10, signed by Christopher Rush: $511,100

• Sale: eBay through PWCC, January 28, 2021
• Why it matters: it more than doubled the previous record, per Hipsters of the Coast

8. Alpha Black Lotus, PSA 10, signed by Christopher Rush: $250,000

• Sale: eBay, July 2020
• Why it matters: the record the January 2021 sale broke, also reported by Hipsters of the Coast

9. Alpha Mox Jet, PSA 10: $108,000

• Sale: PWCC January Premier Auction, January 25, 2024
• Why it matters: a record for any Mox, and one of four PSA 10 Alpha Mox Jets, per Fanatics Collect

10. Alpha Lord of the Pit, BGS Pristine 10: $105,000

• Sale: PWCC, January 19, 2023, including a 20% buyer's premium
• Why it matters: at the time, the highest public auction price for a graded Magic card that wasn't a Black Lotus, per Hipsters of the Coast

Why Black Lotus Rules the List

Seven of the top eight sales are Black Lotus. It belongs to the Power Nine, the nine cards from Magic's first sets that were left out of Revised Edition: Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Timetwister and the five Moxen (Pearl, Sapphire, Jet, Ruby and Emerald).

Supply does the rest. About 1,100 Black Lotus cards were printed in Alpha and about 3,300 in Beta, per Wikipedia's Power Nine entry. Very few of those 1993 cards survive in gem mint condition, which is why the grade on the slab moves the price so much.

The clearest example is the PSA 10 Alpha Lotus itself. A PSA 10 sold for $250,000 in July 2020 and $540,000 in March 2023 (in a Rush-signed case), and a PSA 10 brought $2,208,200 in September 2026, roughly four times the 2023 price for the same grade.

Private Sales vs Auction Records

The top four entries mix two kinds of sale, and it matters for anyone using them as comps:

• Auction results are public. The bids, the final price and usually the buyer's premium are on record. The $2,208,200 Goldin Lotus is the best public comp for a top-grade Alpha Lotus today.
• Private sales depend on what the parties announce. The $3 million Lotus price came from CGC and was confirmed by Star City Games with the seller. The One Ring's $2 million is a reported figure, and the $800,000 artist proof price came from Post Malone himself.

Both count as real sales. Just don't treat a private figure as a price you could expect at auction tomorrow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most expensive MTG card ever sold?

An Alpha Black Lotus graded CGC Pristine 10, which sold privately for $3 million in a deal announced in April 2024.

What is the most expensive Magic card sold at auction?

A PSA 10 Alpha Black Lotus, which sold for $2,208,200 including buyer's premium at Goldin's 2026 Summer Goldin 100 auction in September 2026.

How much did Post Malone pay for The One Ring?

About $2 million, according to reports from August 2023. The One Ring 001/001 is the only serialized copy from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set.

What are the Power Nine in Magic: The Gathering?

Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Timetwister, Mox Pearl, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby and Mox Emerald. They were printed in Magic's first sets in 1993 and left out of Revised Edition.

Where to Go From Here

The Lotus market shows what scarcity plus condition can do over time. For the rest of the hobby, see our list of the most expensive trading cards across every game, or the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh cards for another 90s classic. And if you want real cards in hand today, the Polkastarter marketplace starts you off with a free mystery pack at signup, and every Lootbox lists its contents, values, and chances before you open.

Details checked October 2, 2026. Prices are reported results and change over time. Nothing here is financial advice. Polkastarter is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro or the auction houses and graders named.

Sources

• Star City Games: Alpha Black Lotus sells for $3 million, published April 30, 2024, accessed October 2, 2026
• ICv2: PSA 10 Alpha Black Lotus sells for over $2.2 million, published September 20, 2026, accessed October 2, 2026
• Wargamer: Post Malone and his expensive MTG cards, updated June 4, 2025, accessed October 2, 2026
• Hipsters of the Coast: PSA 10 signed Alpha Black Lotus sells for $511,100, published January 28, 2021, accessed October 2, 2026
• Forbes: Post Malone buys One Ring Magic: The Gathering card valued at $2 million, published August 2, 2023, accessed October 2, 2026
• Dexerto: Post Malone plays his $2 million One Ring card in a real game, published August 17, 2026, accessed October 2, 2026
• ICv2: Heritage Auctions registers record sale of a Black Lotus, published March 30, 2023, accessed October 2, 2026
• Star City Games: PSA 10 Alpha Black Lotus sells for $540,000, published March 17, 2023, accessed October 2, 2026
• Fanatics Collect: Mox Jet summons record-breaking price in PWCC Premier auction, published January 25, 2024, accessed October 2, 2026
• Hipsters of the Coast: BGS Pristine 10 Alpha Lord of the Pit sells for $105,000, published February 6, 2023, accessed October 2, 2026
• Wikipedia: Power Nine, accessed October 2, 2026