Dark Magician #LOB-005

Dark Magician #LOB-005 collector guide

About Dark Magician

Dark Magician is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as LOB-005 in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (2002) as an Ultra Rare. It is a Level 7 DARK Spellcaster monster with 2,500 ATK and 2,100 DEF. At its Level it needs two Tributes to Normal Summon. Its ATK is the 4th highest of the 87 monsters in the set. 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 33rd 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

Dark Magician is Yugi Muto's favourite monster and the card he trusts most in the anime. It has been reprinted and given new support for more than two decades, which keeps demand for its early printings high. Normal Monsters like this one are mostly collected for their art and to complete the set. Dark Cavalry, Dark Flare Knight, Dark Magical Curtain and Dark Magician Girl mention Dark Magician 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-005. The code LOB-005, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOB-E005, 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 5 other printings of Dark Magician: LOB-005 1st Edition (€410.53), LOB-005 Misprint (€20.53), LOB-E003 (€23.86), LOB-E003 1st Edition (€138.01) and LOB-EN005 (€23.75). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Starter Deck: Yugi and Quarter Century Bonanza, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €42.79, a PSA 9 for €285.33 and a PSA 10 for €1,828. Our monthly prices for it go back to September 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 160%, and up 56% in the last month. It is trading at or near its highest recorded value. PSA 10 copies have moved up 356% over the same 12 months. Of the 12 printings of Dark Magician we track, this one ranks 6th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB-005 1st Edition at €410.53. 1st Edition copies sell for about 9.6× the Unlimited printing (€410.53 against €42.79).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 42.7× the ungraded price and 6.4× 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: steady demand, with ungraded prices up 160% 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 (222 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 €42.79 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €285.33. Ask the seller to show the code LOB-005, 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.