Violet Crystal [1st Edition] #LOB-042

Violet Crystal [1st Edition] #LOB-042 collector guide

About Violet Crystal

Violet Crystal is an Equip Spell Card, printed as LOB-042 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 113th 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 text is about 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-042. The code LOB-042, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as LOB-E042, 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 Violet Crystal: LOB-042 (€0.39), LOB-E033 (€2.56) and LOB-E033 1st Edition (€2.97). 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 €8.02, a PSA 9 for €28.52 and a PSA 10 for €162.57. Our monthly prices for it go back to November 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 8%, and up 17% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €19.11 in September 2022, 58% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 102% over the same 12 months. Of the 4 printings of Violet Crystal we track, this is the most valuable ungraded. The cheapest is Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB-042 at €0.39. 1st Edition copies sell for about 20.6× the Unlimited printing (€8.02 against €0.39).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 20.3× the ungraded price and 5.7× 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: a price well below its September 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 (56 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €8.02 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €28.52. Ask the seller to show the code LOB-042, the "1st Edition" text and the Short Print 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.