Magic Cylinder #LON-104

Magic Cylinder #LON-104 collector guide

About Magic Cylinder

Magic Cylinder is a Normal Trap Card, printed as LON-104 in Labyrinth of Nightmare (2003) as a Secret Rare. Labyrinth of Nightmare arrived in early 2003 and is best remembered for Torrential Tribute, Magic Cylinder, Gemini Elf and Dark Necrofear. Ungraded, this printing ranks 60th of the 331 Labyrinth of Nightmare cards we track. The top card is Torrential Tribute at €92.89.

Character and collecting appeal

Magic Cylinder stops an attack and deals the attacker's ATK as damage to its controller. Its effect centres on negating cards and effects and dealing damage.

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 LON-104. The code LON-104, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LON-E104, and are priced separately. It is the Secret Rare version. Secret Rares have a rainbow-foil name and diagonal holographic artwork. Labyrinth of Nightmare has 4 other printings of Magic Cylinder: LON-104 1st Edition (€33.02), LON-E104, LON-E104 1st Edition (€55.49) and LON-EN104 (€6.47). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Quarter Century Bonanza, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €6.08, a PSA 9 for €107.06 and a PSA 10 for €869.85. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 15%, and down 5% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €11.78 in June 2022, 48% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 759% over the same 12 months. Of the 6 printings of Magic Cylinder we track, this one ranks 5th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Labyrinth of Nightmare LON-E104 1st Edition at €55.49. 1st Edition copies sell for about 5.4× the Unlimited printing (€33.02 against €6.08).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 143.1× the ungraded price and 8.1× a PSA 9. That gap is big enough that grading a sharp, well-centred copy can pay for itself. On cards from the early 2000s, the dark brown backs show every scuff and white edge, so top grades are scarce.

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; lasting fame from the anime or the competitive game; it is the original printing, which reprints rarely replace for collectors; an active market (71 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 15% in a year. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €6.08 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €107.06. Ask the seller to show the code LON-104, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Secret Rare finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. At this price fakes are worth checking for: genuine cards have a small holographic seal (the Eye of Anubis) in the bottom-right corner, and the font, colours and card back should match a copy you know is genuine. Look up the certificate number of any graded copy on the grading company's website. 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.