Gaia The Fierce Knight [1st Edition] #LOB-006

Gaia The Fierce Knight [1st Edition] #LOB-006 collector guide

About Gaia The Fierce Knight

Gaia The Fierce Knight is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as LOB-006 in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (2002) as an Ultra Rare. It is a Level 7 EARTH Warrior monster with 2,300 ATK and 2,100 DEF. At its Level it needs two Tributes to Normal Summon. Its ATK is the 6th 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 12th 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

Gaia The Fierce Knight is one of Yugi's early monsters in the anime and half of the Gaia the Dragon Champion Fusion. As a Normal Monster it is collected for its artwork and its spot in the set rather than for play. Gaia the Dragon Champion mentions Gaia The Fierce Knight in its text, which keeps it relevant.

Version and identification

This guide covers the 1st Edition printing. The words "1st Edition" are printed below the artwork on the left; copies without them are the Unlimited printing and usually sell for less. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read LOB-006. The code LOB-006, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOB-E006, 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 Gaia The Fierce Knight: LOB-006 (€16.06), LOB-E004 (€11.25) and LOB-E004 1st Edition (€55.65). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Starter Deck: Yugi, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €161.11, a PSA 9 for €818.39 and a PSA 10 for €3,388. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 25%, and down 22% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €405.71 in October 2021, 60% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 58% over the same 12 months. Of the 8 printings of Gaia The Fierce Knight we track, this is the most valuable ungraded. The cheapest is Starter Deck: Yugi SDY-007 at €1.12. 1st Edition copies sell for about 10× the Unlimited printing (€161.11 against €16.06).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 21× the ungraded price and 4.1× 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: steady demand, with ungraded prices up 25% in a year; a price well below its October 2021 peak, which some collectors see as room to recover; it comes from the 1st Edition run of an early English set, which will never be printed again; lasting fame from the anime or the competitive game; it is the original printing, which reprints rarely replace for collectors; an active market (131 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 €161.11 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €818.39. Ask the seller to show the code LOB-006, the "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.