Foreign language cards
Economics forum
Posted on Feb. 28, 2015, 10:39 p.m. by thegigibeast
Hello all! I was just wondering why sone cards in foreign language (especialky italian) are so undervalued. If you were buying or trading for a staple but it is italian, would you give the same value???
thegigibeast says... #3
If for example you were looking for a staple (let's say Tarmogoyf) would you value it the same in english as in italian???
February 28, 2015 11:11 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Italian is generally less valuable than English.
The top five most valuable languages are, in approximate order:
- Russian
- Korean
- Japanese
- German
- Chinese
English is below Chinese. All other Latin-alphabet languages (excluding German, listed above) tend to be valued less than English.
February 28, 2015 11:42 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
Of course, the value is somewhat subjective, so it's up to you to bargain if you're getting something in a trade.
February 28, 2015 11:43 p.m.
brandontraps says... #6
Most would value it slightly less unless they speak Italian of course.
February 28, 2015 11:44 p.m.
slovakattack says... #7
I would value it less, but there are some that might not. Like Epochalyptik said, it's a very subjective market.
February 28, 2015 11:45 p.m.
Value, also, is in the eye of the beholder. I think Japanese, Chinese and Korean text on cards looks absolutely terrible. I can't stress that enough without potentially insulting any asian players on the site. Think the language looks bad. I would never pay more or equal value for a Korean, Japanese, or even a Chinese card. Russian text does look interesting, but I would never pay premium for a card I can get for less.
Other languages, like French, German, Italian that I can pick up a card for equal value or less, I will pick up. Italian Sensei's Divining Top for 18 dollars? Absolutely. German NM Revised Tundra for $155? Well, that's a fantastic deal, sure.
It's all to do with how much we value function vs. what we view as ascetically pleasing. And that means it's going to be different person to person.
As far as trades go, I might decide to trade one/some of my Italian Sensei's Top to someone who really wants a top. They might value the top at English MP of $30, because they really want the top and don't care what language it's in. Will I feel bad about that? No. A) If they were super concerned over value, they would have done their homework. A.2) Regardless of the fact I bought them at $20, I value Top at $30 and wouldn't trade it for less anyway. C) They got the card they wanted, so regardless of dollar to dollar value, they are happy. Function vs. Form.
Again, I guess it has to do with Russian and Asian characters being more "interesting" to look at. I completely disagree. But that's just me, and i'm sure as hell not complaining about getting my preferred cards pimped out as less than English MP.
March 1, 2015 12:36 a.m.
Hjaltrohir says... #9
Also, some people aren't interested in the value of languages. You can't sell a russian Tarmogoyf for $50 more than an English one if they don't care about language. You just have to find the right deal.
March 1, 2015 2:17 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #10
Well, many people who have Japanese, Korean, or Russian cards are aware that they're more valuable than English, and the foils are especially valuable. It's going to be hard to acquire them for less than market unless you find someone who doesn't know their value or doesn't care that they're worth more.
The trick is to negotiate deals when acquiring and to stand your ground when selling/trading away.
March 1, 2015 2:38 a.m.
thegigibeast says... #11
Thanks all! I was asking this cause I got a super deal at 2x Iona, Shield of Emeria, Dark Depths and Rhys the Redeemed
all in Italian for less than 1/4 of their total english value and I wanted to know why.
March 1, 2015 7:01 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #12
That's extremely low. Typically, less valuable languages still command 80-90% English market value.
March 1, 2015 1:20 p.m.
That's low enough to check that they are real when you get em. Hoping you used ebay with their buyer protection. I've found that as Epoch said, they are usually are about 15-30% less than their US counterparts.
March 1, 2015 1:28 p.m.
thegigibeast says... #14
Wep, I used ebay and user protection and they are real cards! Traded them to some friends that wanted them but that can't afford new cards! Super happy with my deal! The guy has errors in the titles of the cards, that can explain the lack of bidding from other users! I use a special application on my ipod: I enter the name of an object and it shows me all the things that have an error in their name but are close to the name I entered. That way I often find some good deals!
slovakattack says... #2
The price of Foreign language cards is determined by 2 factors, I've found:
Rarity of language
Visual appeal of that language's characters.
Certain languages have a mix of the two (Russian, Japanese, Korean) and are very pricey. Others are not particularly rare, nor are they visual exciting (Spanish, Italian) and so command a lower price.
February 28, 2015 10:51 p.m.