CGC Cards Grades Another Pristine 10 Alpha Black Lotus

CGC Cards™ recently certified another Black Lotus from Magic: The Gathering’s Limited Edition Alpha set. The card is pedigreed to Deadcode and received a grade of CGC Pristine 10 — the highest numerical grade on the CGC Cards Grading Scale — making it just the third example eligible to receive the black-and-gold Pristine 10 label, according to the CGC Cards Population Report.

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“The condition of this Black Lotus makes it extraordinarily special, and now that incredible condition, in addition to the card’s authenticity, is backed by the CGC Guarantee,” said Matt Quinn, Vice President of CGC Cards. “As long as it’s in our state-of-the-art holder, collectors can be confident that this card is a legit and utterly brilliant example of Magic: The Gathering and TCG history.”

Black Lotus is the most sought-after card in Magic: The Gathering, with collectors generally coveting the Alpha edition most of all. The Alpha version of Black Lotus is rarer than its Beta or Unlimited counterparts, and finding one in Pristine condition is extremely difficult because the cards are about 30 years old.

Additionally, Black Lotus is part of the Power Nine — a set of nine cards from Magic: The Gathering that were banned in tournaments for being too powerful in MTG’s early circuits. Because of its induction into the Power Nine, Black Lotus was never reprinted in later sets after Unlimited Edition, meaning there are only a couple thousand copies of Black Lotus out there in general. According to estimates, only 1,100 copies of each Rare card from the Alpha set were ever printed. The CGC Cards Population Report lists 43 examples of Alpha Black Lotus numerically graded.

CGC Cards graded its first Alpha Black Lotus a Pristine 10 in September 2023. That Black Lotus went on to realize a record-shattering $3 million in a private sale conducted in April 2024, both the highest price paid for any card certified by CGC Cards as well as the highest price paid for any Magic: The Gathering card. To learn more about that sale, click here. The second Alpha Black Lotus graded CGC Pristine 10 was certified shortly after.

To get a CGC Pristine 10 grade, cards must have perfect centering and no evidence of any manufacturing or handling defects. Corners must appear perfect to the naked eye and Gem Mint under 10x magnification. Meanwhile, the surface of the card must be free of print spots while displaying perfect gloss. Cards that are awarded a CGC Pristine 10 grade are encapsulated with the special black-and-gold CGC Pristine 10 label. A CGC Pristine 10 grade is not easy to accomplish, especially for cards that are nearly 30 years old. To learn more about the CGC Cards Grading Scale, click here.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media types of home media, including Betamax tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.