Skull Red Bird [1st Edition] #SDK-029

Skull Red Bird [1st Edition] #SDK-029 collector guide

About Skull Red Bird

Skull Red Bird is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as SDK-029 in Starter Deck: Kaiba (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 4 WIND Winged Beast monster with 1,550 ATK and 1,200 DEF. Its ATK is the 10th highest of the 31 monsters in the set. Starter Deck: Kaiba was one of the two pre-built decks that launched the English game in 2002, built around Seto Kaiba and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Ungraded, this printing ranks 54th of the 110 Starter Deck: Kaiba cards we track. The top card is Blue-Eyes White Dragon at €300.65.

Character and collecting appeal

Winged Beasts include the Harpie Ladies and many early flying monsters. With no effect, its appeal is its artwork, its stats and its place in Starter Deck: Kaiba.

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 SDK-029. The code SDK-029, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as SDK-E029, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Starter Deck: Kaiba has one other printing of Skull Red Bird: SDK-029 (€0.54). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €1.25 and a PSA 10 for €49.07. Our monthly prices for it go back to December 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are down 47%, and down 1% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €2.96 in October 2024, 58% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved sideways over the same 12 months. Of the 6 printings of Skull Red Bird we track, this one ranks 4th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB-105 1st Edition at €2.23. 1st Edition copies sell for about 2.3× the Unlimited printing (€1.25 against €0.54).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 39.3× the ungraded price. 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 October 2024 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. Against it: falling prices, down 47% in a year; reprints in another set, which keep playable copies easy to find. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €1.25 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less. Ask the seller to show the code SDK-029, the "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.