Hard Armor #LOB-074

Hard Armor #LOB-074 collector guide

About Hard Armor

Hard Armor is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as LOB-074 in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 3 EARTH Warrior monster with 300 ATK and 1,200 DEF. 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 429th 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

Warriors are one of the oldest and largest Types, and have had support in almost every era of the game. As a Normal Monster it is collected for its artwork and its spot in the set rather than for play.

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-074. The code LOB-074, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOB-E074, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon has 3 other printings of Hard Armor: LOB-074 1st Edition (€1.33), LOB-E059 (€1.78) and LOB-E059 1st Edition (€1.51). 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 €0.13, a PSA 9 for €2.67 and a PSA 10 for €39.32. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 85%, and up 8% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €4.09 in February 2022, 97% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved down 19% over the same 12 months. Of the 4 printings of Hard Armor we track, this one ranks 4th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB-E059 at €1.78. 1st Edition copies sell for about 10.2× the Unlimited printing (€1.33 against €0.13).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 302.5× the ungraded price and 14.7× a PSA 9. That gap is small, so grading fees may outweigh the gain unless the card is for your own collection. 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 February 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 (26 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 85% in a year. Treat this as background, not a prediction or financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €0.13 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €2.67. Ask the seller to show the code LOB-074, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Common finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. 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.