Kurama #LOB-039

Kurama #LOB-039 collector guide

About Kurama

Kurama is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as LOB-039 in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 3 WIND Winged Beast monster with 800 ATK and 800 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 427th 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

Winged Beasts include the Harpie Ladies and many early flying monsters. 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-039. The code LOB-039, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOB-E039, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon has one other printing of Kurama: LOB-039 1st Edition (€1.20). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Magic Ruler, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €0.29, a PSA 9 for €5.35 and a PSA 10 for €71.32. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 76%, and down 17% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €2.12 in August 2022, 86% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved sideways over the same 12 months. Of the 3 printings of Kurama we track, this one ranks 3rd by ungraded value. The most valuable is Magic Ruler MRL-E117 at €1.67. 1st Edition copies sell for about 4.1× the Unlimited printing (€1.20 against €0.29).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 245.9× the ungraded price and 13.3× 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 August 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; it is the original printing, which reprints rarely replace for collectors; an active market (26 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 76% in a year. Treat this as background, not a prediction or financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €0.29 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €5.35. Ask the seller to show the code LOB-039, 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.