The Flute of Summoning Dragon [1st Edition] #SDK-042

The Flute of Summoning Dragon [1st Edition] #SDK-042 collector guide

About The Flute of Summoning Dragon

The Flute of Summoning Dragon is a Normal Spell Card, printed as SDK-042 in Starter Deck: Kaiba (2002) as a Super Rare. 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 9th of the 110 Starter Deck: Kaiba cards we track, one of the chase cards of the set. The top card is Blue-Eyes White Dragon at €300.65.

Character and collecting appeal

In play, it is a card for Special Summoning. Its text names Lord of D., so collectors often look for them together.

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-042. The code SDK-042, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as SDK-E042, and are priced separately. It is the Super Rare version. Super Rares have holographic artwork and a plain name. Starter Deck: Kaiba has 3 other printings of The Flute of Summoning Dragon: SDK-042 (€1.12), SDK-E039 (€1.91) and SDK-E039 1st Edition (€2.99). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Quarter Century Bonanza, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €10.02, a PSA 9 for €58.77 and a PSA 10 for €138.21. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 109%, and up 5% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €17.93 in March 2022, 44% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved down 10% over the same 12 months. Of the 6 printings of The Flute of Summoning Dragon we track, this is the most valuable ungraded. The cheapest is Starter Deck: Kaiba SDK-042 at €1.12. 1st Edition copies sell for about 8.9× the Unlimited printing (€10.02 against €1.12).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 13.8× the ungraded price and 2.4× 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 109% in a year; a price well below its March 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; it is the original printing, which reprints rarely replace for collectors; an active market (72 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 €10.02 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €58.77. Ask the seller to show the code SDK-042, the "1st Edition" text and the Super Rare 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.