Blue-Eyes White Dragon #LOB-001

Blue-Eyes White Dragon #LOB-001 collector guide

About Blue-Eyes White Dragon

Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as LOB-001 in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (2002) as an Ultra Rare. It is a Level 8 LIGHT Dragon monster with 3,000 ATK and 2,500 DEF. At its Level it needs two Tributes to Normal Summon. No monster in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon has more ATK. Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon was the first booster set of the English Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. It brought Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician, Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the five pieces of Exodia to English-speaking players, so almost every card in it is a piece of the game's history. Ungraded, this printing ranks 24th of the 454 Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon cards we track. The top card is Blue-Eyes White Dragon at €968.32.

Character and collecting appeal

Blue-Eyes White Dragon is Seto Kaiba's signature monster in the anime, where he tears up a copy so that fewer exist. With 3000 ATK it was the strongest Normal Monster of the early game, and it is still the card most people picture when they think of Yu-Gi-Oh!. As a Normal Monster it is collected for its artwork and its spot in the set rather than for play. Bingo Machine, Go!!!, Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon and Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon mention Blue-Eyes White Dragon in their text, among other cards, 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 LOB-001. The code LOB-001, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOB-E001, and are priced separately. It is the Ultra Rare version. Ultra Rares have a gold-foil name and holographic artwork. Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon has 3 other printings of Blue-Eyes White Dragon: LOB-001 1st Edition (€968.32), LOB-E001 (€42.33) and LOB-E001 1st Edition (€508.70). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Starter Deck: Kaiba and Quarter Century Bonanza, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €76.68, a PSA 9 for €568.88 and a PSA 10 for €5,213. Our monthly prices for it go back to September 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 70%, and up 10% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €98.67 in July 2022, 22% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 290% over the same 12 months. Of the 11 printings of Blue-Eyes White Dragon we track, this one ranks 6th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB-001 1st Edition at €968.32. 1st Edition copies sell for about 12.6× the Unlimited printing (€968.32 against €76.68).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 68× the ungraded price and 9.2× 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: steady demand, with ungraded prices up 70% in a year; 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 (267 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Treat this as background, not a prediction or financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €76.68 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €568.88. Ask the seller to show the code LOB-001, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Ultra 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 2002 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.