Machine Conversion Factory [1st Edition] #LOB-096

Machine Conversion Factory [1st Edition] #LOB-096 collector guide

About Machine Conversion Factory

Machine Conversion Factory is an Equip Spell Card, printed as LOB-096 in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (2002) as a Short Print. 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 117th 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

Its effect centres on changing ATK and DEF.

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-096. The code LOB-096, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOB-E096, and are priced separately. It is the Short Print version. Short Prints look like Commons but were printed in smaller numbers. Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon has 3 other printings of Machine Conversion Factory: LOB-096 (€0.88), LOB-E076 (€2.27) and LOB-E076 1st Edition (€7.16). 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 €7.40, a PSA 9 for €52.61 and a PSA 10 for €521.28. Our monthly prices for it go back to August 2022. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 107%, and up 12% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €19.89 in October 2022, 63% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 171% over the same 12 months. Of the 4 printings of Machine Conversion Factory we track, this is the most valuable ungraded. The cheapest is Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB-096 at €0.88. 1st Edition copies sell for about 8.4× the Unlimited printing (€7.40 against €0.88).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 70.4× the ungraded price and 9.9× 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 107% in a year; a price well below its October 2022 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; an active market (42 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Past prices do not guarantee future ones. This is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €7.40 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €52.61. Ask the seller to show the code LOB-096, the "1st Edition" text and the Short Print 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.