Baby Dragon [1st Edition] #MRD-061

Baby Dragon [1st Edition] #MRD-061 collector guide

About Baby Dragon

Baby Dragon is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as MRD-061 in Metal Raiders (2002) as a Short Print. It is a Level 3 WIND Dragon monster with 1,200 ATK and 700 DEF. Metal Raiders was the second English booster set. It added Summoned Skull, Gate Guardian, Mirror Force and Change of Heart, and many of its cards shaped how the early game was played. Ungraded, this printing ranks 52nd of the 508 Metal Raiders cards we track. The top card is Gate Guardian at €301.65.

Character and collecting appeal

Baby Dragon is one of Joey Wheeler's monsters in the anime, best remembered for growing into Thousand Dragon with Time Wizard. As a Normal Monster it is collected for its artwork and its spot in the set rather than for play. Thousand Dragon mentions Baby Dragon 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 MRD-061. The code MRD-061, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as MRD-E061, and are priced separately. It is the Short Print version. Short Prints look like Commons but were printed in smaller numbers. Metal Raiders has 3 other printings of Baby Dragon: MRD-061 (€1.45), MRD-E061 (€2.89) and MRD-E061 1st Edition (€5.92). 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 €14.71, a PSA 9 for €98.53 and a PSA 10 for €518.16. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 21%, and up 11% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €29.10 in May 2022, 49% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 191% over the same 12 months. Of the 4 printings of Baby Dragon we track, this is the most valuable ungraded. The cheapest is Metal Raiders MRD-061 at €1.45. 1st Edition copies sell for about 10.1× the Unlimited printing (€14.71 against €1.45).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 35.2× the ungraded price and 5.3× 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 May 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; lasting fame from the anime or the competitive game; an active market (89 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: falling prices, down 21% in a year. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €14.71 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €98.53. Ask the seller to show the code MRD-061, 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.