How is it Possible that Some Reprints Are More Expensive than the Originals?
General forum
Posted on May 26, 2018, 11:08 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
Typically, when a card is reprinted, players rejoice, because that means that the card shall be less expensive, or, at least it does, in most cases.
There are some rare instances in which a reprint of a card is more expensive than is the original printing, such as cards in the Commander, Duel Decks, or From the Vault series.
How is that possible? When a card is reprinted, its supply increases, so it should be more affordable, so it does not make sense to me that a reprint could be more expensive than an original.
What does everyone else say about this? How is it possible that some reprints are more expensive than the originals?
DemonDragonJ says... #3
LordBlackblade, that makes sense, but what about the Commander Anthology series? That series was designed specifically to make cards more affordable, yet some reprints in that series are as expensive as, or even more expensive than, the original printings.
May 26, 2018 11:20 p.m.
There are a couple of factors that can result in this occurring. There are cases where the reprint is more desirable than the original--most commonly because the general population prefers the newer art. Or the version might be a more limited printing than the original, so might be of more limited supply. Or it has not had time to permeate the secondary market, so effectively has a more limited supply (example: individuals may not tend to offload their Commander cards, as they are using the EDH staples from it). All of these factors can result in a reprint being more valuable than the original.
May 26, 2018 11:21 p.m.
DragonGodKing90 says... #5
i'm not sure why you find this impossible. just because the price of the old version drops, doesn't mean the value of the new version can't still be higher than the new value of the old version. did you not consider that the newer version may have better art?
May 26, 2018 11:27 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #6
DragonGodKing90, Commander Anthology II is now available for pre-order, and the new reprint of Atraxa, Praetors' Voice is the same price as the original printing, which displeases me, as I am planning to build an EDH deck with her as the general.
May 27, 2018 4:14 p.m.
DragonGodKing90 says... #7
its only currently the same price because thats a starting point. once packs get open, she'll drop.
May 27, 2018 7:32 p.m.
Also, just to expand on something that was already mentioned, cards from Commander pre cons almost never drop. The most notorious example of this is Sol Ring. Whilst Sol Ring is printed in EVERY SINGLE PRECON, no one ever trades them in, so it remains at it's price tag of around $3-$5. So you're left with a situation where the people who buy the pre cons don't trade them in to vendors, and the people who buy the singles obviously don't trade them in either, but gobble up the limited number of Rings that get opened by retailers for singles.
Same applies to other staples printed in commander decks, like Eternal Witness etc
May 28, 2018 12:55 p.m.
You also asked about the From the Vault series. Those cards only come in foil and some of the older versions of the cards have never had Foil printings before.
May 28, 2018 8:50 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #10
DragonGodKing90, I certainly hope so, because I do not wish to spend $25 on a single card, especially considering that it will be merely one card out of a hundred that I shall need for a deck. What about the cards in Battlebond? Currently, the reprint of Doubling Season is approximately $10 less than its original printing, but might it decrease further than that after the set is released?
Guftders, MWorl91 I never really thought about those subjects, before, but they do make sense; I have no interest in the card, but I am glad that the reprint of Imperial Recruiter decreased its price drastically.
LordBlackblade says... #2
If the card has never had a modern border before, the first modern printing will usually be more than some of the older printings. e.g. Demonic Tutor.
Also some players, myself included, abhor the white borders. As such, a black bordered version of a card can be more sought after than an older, white bordered version.
In addition, it can come down to the art. Some players prefer certain card arts over others, and the more sought after versions will demand a higher price.
Finally, there is the issue of rarity shifting. In general, a card being shifted from rare to mythic means that there are fewer copies of the reprint in existence than the original printing, ergo they will command a greater price.
May 26, 2018 11:17 p.m. Edited.