Foreign Card Values

This last week, I bought a Japanese booster box of M11.  I paid about 50% more for the box than I would have for an English box of M11.  Opening the boosters created a commotion in the local card shop.  People crowded around the table, waiting to see what was opened and barraging me with questions about what each card was worth.  No one questioned the numbers I threw out.  This is because most Magic players have absolutely no idea how to value foreign cards beyond the idea that they cost more than English cards. There is no definite formula for how to value foreign cards.  However, you can maximize the value of your trades by following some guidelines.

                Not all foreign languages are treated the same.  In general, people in the United States want foreign cards in the following order;

1.       Korean

2.       Japanese – Russian

3.       Chinese

4.       German

5.       Italian

6.       French – Portuguese

7.       Spanish

The general rule behind foreign card values is that the language that has the fewest cards printed and looks the most different from the local language will be worth the most.  The United States are big enough that you can see card values change from state to state.  On the coasts, you can find Chinese cards for nearly identical values to English cards.  As you get closer to the middle of America, you see the desire for Chinese cards rise, as fewer people can tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese.  You can see the opposite happen for Russian.  More people on the coasts are interested in Russian cards compared to Middle America.  Russian looks similar to English, but a very low percentage of people can read Russian, even phonetically.

                The set a card is in also has a significant effect on the value of a foreign card.  There are four guidelines to deal this phenomenon;

1.       If a set just came out, people don’t want to learn what the cards do before picking up foreign versions.

2.       If the card is standard legal it is worth more

3.       The older the card, the more valuable

4.       Almost everyone hates white boarders

Pick up foreign cards at prerelease and release events if at all possible.  It takes about 2 weeks to a month for the majority of people to memorize the set to the point they don’t need to read the cards every time they play.  During this time, even people who normally seek out foreign cards are not looking for them.  Since the demand for the cards are down, the prices stay low.  You can pick up Japanese cards for equal or less than the same English cards. 

When cards are legal to be played in standard, they are worth more than when they rotate out.  Zendikar block and M11 Japanese cards are around the same price as foils from the same sets.  Japanese foils from these sets can be 10x or more the cost of an English non-foil.  Aside from standard, the newer the set the cheaper the foreign card is.  Extended season doesn’t last long enough for foreign cards to be effected significantly.  Exceptions to this are both legends and portal.  These blocks were overprinted in Europe.  If you see a European language legends or portal card, it is likely less expensive than an English version.

 I am not going to say much about white border cards.  Most people who collect foreign cards care about how their cards look. White borders look awful, so there are very few collectors who will touch a white bordered card regardless of what is inside those borders.

You should be aware that certain cards can be highly disproportionate to the English version.  Normally these cards are vintage staples.  Here are some cards that may surprise you;

·         Goblin Matron (150x)

o   English - $1-$3

o   Foil - $100

o   Japanese foil  - $150+

·         Myr Battlesphere (60x)

o   English - $.50 (Throw in)

o   Japanese - $.75

o   Foil - $2

o   Japanese Foil - $30+

·         Brainstorm (70x)

o   English - $1

o   Japanese - $8

o   Korean - $26

o   Foil - $29

o   Foil Japanese - $70+

·         Thirst for Knowledge (40x)

o   English - $.5

o   Japanese - $4

o   Foil - $5

o   Japanese Foil - $20

This week I picked up an Arcum Dagsson foil in a trade with a friend.  He got a Goblin Guide and a throw in that was probably valued at $1-2.  He gained value from the trade, but I did not have to pay cash, so I am perfectly happy with doing this.  I easily recovered this value at the GPT I went to last weekend in both prize support (split at top 4) and trades. I should be getting a new digital camera in this next week.  Check my Facebook page for pictures of the deck.  That is all for now.

Thanks for reading!