Butterfly Dagger - Elma #DCR-032

Butterfly Dagger - Elma #DCR-032 collector guide

About Butterfly Dagger - Elma

Butterfly Dagger - Elma is an Equip Spell Card, printed as DCR-032 in Dark Crisis (2003) as a Super Rare. Dark Crisis closed out 2003 with cards such as Exodia Necross, Vampire Lord and Skull Archfiend of Lightning. Ungraded, this printing ranks 54th of the 216 Dark Crisis cards we track. The top card is Contract with the Abyss at €53.55.

Character and collecting appeal

Its effect centres on destroying cards, changing ATK and DEF and returning cards to the hand or Deck. Guardian Elma mentions Butterfly Dagger - Elma in its text, which keeps it relevant.

Version and identification

This guide covers the Unlimited printing, without the "1st Edition" text below the artwork. 1st Edition copies of the same card have their own, usually higher, prices. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read DCR-032. The code DCR-032, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as DCR-E032, and are priced separately. It is the Super Rare version. Super Rares have holographic artwork and a plain name. Dark Crisis has one other printing of Butterfly Dagger - Elma: DCR-032 1st Edition (€3.52). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €2.18, a PSA 9 for €37.45 and a PSA 10 for €123.81. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 10%, and up 58% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €4.65 in June 2022, 53% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved down 2% over the same 12 months. 1st Edition copies sell for about 1.6× the Unlimited printing (€3.52 against €2.18).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 56.8× the ungraded price and 3.3× a PSA 9. That gap is big enough that grading a sharp, well-centred copy can pay for itself. Early English Yu-Gi-Oh! cards often have off-centre cuts and wear on the dark brown back borders, which is why high grades are hard to reach.

Investment potential

In its favour: a price well below its June 2022 peak, which some collectors see as room to recover; it comes from the first years of the English game, which are no longer printed; an active market (31 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 10% in a year. Treat this as background, not a prediction or financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €2.18 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €37.45. Ask the seller to show the code DCR-032, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Super Rare finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. Cards from 2003 often show white wear on the back edges and corners, so ask for photos of the back before you buy.

Card details and image from YGOPRODeck. Yu-Gi-Oh! is a trademark of Konami; Search Cards is not affiliated with Konami.