Total Foil Count: 3,762
Total Need: 2,043
I have been more reflective with my collecting lately then having thoughts of trying to actually collecting things. I keep trying to figure out where this is all going, and what I think is important. I have gone through a couple of stints where I thought of selling the collection, and each time hit road blocks that deterred me to actually make any moves.
I have also put some thought into making a real effort to make money on this hobby of mine, and not just doing it from a collecting point of view. Not a lot on the speculation side, but more on picking up collections and piecing it out on CardSphere. I was able to pick up a collection that I am tracking, and I have already made $16.51 on it, and that is after the recoup of $40 I spent on the collection. And let me tell you, there were a lot of MP to HP cards in that collection that people still wanted.
But right now I am just picking up items to finish the collection, with the majority of things I am looking for are the newer releases. I am still just opening the single Booster Box and Bundle for the collection, and picking up singles for everything else. One change that I have started is attempting to pick up more singles on CardSphere than going to my LGS to pick them up.
For example, I am having a really hard time finding the Modern Horizons cards I am looking for. Like a really hard time. I am not even kidding. This just leads me to think that there is not a lot of Modern Horizon cards out there, but also the demand for those cards is very high.
Modern Horizons
These are not the same card, but some new cards that came in. Since I started posting some of the MH1 needs on CS to see what I could get in, but these the only couple of MH1 cards that came in. I was surprised that they actually came in too. But really the only thing that it showed me is that no one is sending these cards at the prices I was setting them to.
I was also able to pick these up at Lodestone but here is where it really does show my that the player base is just gobbling up these cards. For as large of a store it is, with such a large player base, and they are not pulling in more of these sought after cards, it really peaks my interest to know that there is a huge demand for the MH1 cards. I was just expecting to snag more of them at the FLGS.
I also cleared them out of these cards, but I really did not think I was going to find any of the Swords up there. I thought with the unbanning of Stoneforge Mystic these would have been in short supply. And I am still picking up as many of those Moxen that I can find. I just think this one and the Amber will only go up in price.
Ok, so this was a Speculation, and I am planning to pick up more of these when I can. I mean come on, Cascade? These might not be Sliver Queen status, but I can see them around the $50 mark at some point. I will be speculating on this card for a bit.
I figured that since I was up there I should try and pick up more of the rares I am looking for. I wanted to start with the land cycle, but they did not have any at the store, so I decided to pick up the Force cards.
I just figured these will be sought after once the printing stops. The discard to cast spells from Alliances are still holding their value.
Now, since I was not finding a lot of the MH1 cards on CS or Lodestone I figured I would hit up a smaller LGS near my house. It is a slower store with a much more local younger crowd, so there is a much better chance to pick up the higher priced cards. Some of the prices on those cards are usually thought of as too expensive, so I can usually find some good cards up there. I was able to pick up another land and a couple of these Mythics.
There were also a really good price on these Force of Vigor, and this is a bit of a speculation for me. I think that there will be a bump in Commander and Modern play with this card.
I also found this Foil version, and I know I normally do not pick up foils, but again I think this card could spike in Commander and Modern.
So this is a good thing I pay attention to MTG Finance, this was up there for $2 and I had noticed that this card is spiking to closer to $7. Since this LGS does not update their prices a lot, they tend to miss these updates. Now, you can think I am a jerk for taking advantage of them for their pricing, but they are in business to sell me items. If I am more knowledgable I will take full advantage of an LGS. Also, who does not enjoy paying less for something they need?
So with everything that is going on, I just decided to pick up the MH1 cards I need ahead of this winter. I am just trying to catch the wave of lower prices, but I really think that the lack of supply and high demand, the prices will only go higher in 2020. I am kind of hoping the re-release the product for XMas like they did with Eternal Masters.
It just goes to show you that there is no LGS that is small enough to pass over, and a lot of gems can be found there.
Standard Rotation
Rotation time is coming, and I am finally getting some of those trades on CS sent to me. The prices have fallen so much that the prices I set are now becoming more appealing.
Finally got those M19 cards I have been waiting for. I do still need some of those Planeswalker cards and I am still standing by M19 for being the last set I collection those stupid Planeswalker cards, but I might pick up the new set cards after next year rotation.
Here is the last of my Rivals of Ixalan needs, and now I have the full playset.
I actually ran up to Lodestone for these, but it is the last of the Ixalan cards I need.
So, Dominaria is a set that I still need 67 cards, and I have no idea why I am taking so long to pick these up. But I am having some fun picking up the really sought after cards for pennies on the dollar now. It is just amazing on the price slashes happen at rotation, even for a set that is so good. I do plan on picking up more of this set just to speculate on. Like I said before, I am going to be picking up these Moxen as speculation for quite some time.
Speculation
This picture looks really dark, but it is only a speculation. Since the Commander ban, this card saw a really steep drop. I am only picking this up for the time when it gets unbanned and the price shoots up. I think there is a 50% chance it will get unbanned at some point. There is a chance that this might show up in Modern, but I doubt it.
CardSphere Pickups
It has been a pretty exciting time for my CardSphere grabs. Since I had such a nice balance, I decided to up my prices on the Unlimited cards I was looking for.
Here are a couple that have come in since my increase. Now I am only looking at picking up 18 more cards to fill out my set, so every single pick up is a win.
Someone actually wanted to send me a Beta card! Now I just need 19 more cards for my full set. I have yet to adjust my Beta prices, but I am hoping that next year I can start picking up those.
I was also sent this beauty for my Player Promo sets. I am still waiting on that Wasteland, but I think I will end up picking that up at a Magic Fest. And those tokens are not going to be easy to get at all.
Big Spend
And then there is this card. I was up at my FLGS and the worker up there said the most destructive thing they could say to me, "Are you looking to pick up any Alpha cards?" He handed me a stack, and I started flipping through them.
No
No
No...
No
OOoooooffffff! Alpha Hyppie...
There was really only one thing that was wrong with it. The edges were slightly worn, but there was a slight line on the front. Almost like someone started to write on a piece of paper that was sitting on top of it at one point. I was able to pick this up for $100 less than TCGPlayer Mid because of it.
So I added another Alpha card to the set that I will never finish, but I have it!
Commander 2019
I did the same thing I do every year, one sealed for the collection and another set to open for playing. There is nothing really to say about this set, and there were not any new cards that I could say I was super excited to see.
Final Thoughts
This rotation is the last rotation that I am going through where I picked up most of the cards through box openings, and now I am attempting to not pick up any extra inventory while finishing my playsets. I am also trying to not pick up anything from the newer sets until rotation, so my want list stays pretty big.
I am also gauging the possibility of trying to make some extra cash with picking up collections and then liquidating them on CS. I am still on the fence just because of time constraints, but it does seem like something I might want to try in order to get ready for retirement. MTG Finance might become more of a deal the closer I get to retirement.
This rotation seems to be pretty set, and I really only need to pick up Dominaria cards, but I need to prepare for next year because I will be looking to finish 4 sets next fall. But as you can see, I have already saved a bunch of money by not trying to pick things up right away.
RNA: $989.23 to $612.78
WAR: $1397.76 to $771.73
M20: $906.13 to $834.46
Modern Horizons will not only hold its value, but it will see some increases. Unless there is a restock of Booster Boxes this set will stay high and only get higher because of the supply being so low. The sealed product price is high enough that there is not a lot of mass box openings, and the supply of the cards is so low compared to the demand, the prices have no where else to go but up. The only thing that will disrupt this is another release of sealed product in the Winter.
I am not sure if this is the ongoing release of this blog, but for now let's stick with the longer term releases, I can only assume that you will get a new blog next week...
