How much can you sell 1000 Magic cards for?
As an avid Magic player and content creator myself, I know how tempting it is just to unload a pile of cards for quick cash. But doing some simple sorting and research can unlock way more value from your collection. In this article, I‘ll break down the typical bulk pricing for 1000 cards, along with tips to get top dollar for rare finds hiding within.
Bulk Card Pricing
First, let‘s establish a baseline for selling cards in bulk. Most game stores and buyers will pay around $2.50 to $4 per 1000 cards for mixed lots of commons and uncommons in playable condition. This assumes you‘ve filtered out the money cards and high end rares ahead of time (more on that below!)
| Condition | Price per 1000 Cards |
|---|---|
| Heavily Played | $2.50 – $3 |
| Lightly Played | $3 – $3.50 |
| Near Mint | $3.50 – $4 |
As you can see, taking the time to sort by condition pays off with an extra $1+ per 1000 cards at NM vs HP. Now let‘s look at how to extract even more value from the hidden gems buried in every collection…
Selling Singles
The key is identifying and selling high value and playable cards individually before offloading true bulk. Tools like TCGplayer and the MTGPrice app make it easy to spot pricey rares.
According to MTGPrice, even commons/uncommons have outlier cases, like Pauper format staple Hydroblast ($13) or popular EDH card Rhystic Study ($25).
So I always recommend my fellow players carefully evaluate their cards first instead of directly jumping to bulk.
Finding Your Diamonds
When assessing a pile of cards to sell, here are the key types I watch for:
- Mythics/rares from recent sets – check prices!
- Older rares (The Dark, Legends, etc)
- Foils – any rarity, some can be money
- Playable uncommons liked by formats like Commander
Cards passing this initial filter can then be price checked. I love using the TCGplayer mobile app to scan cards and see if they have value worth selling individually.
Let‘s say you pull out the following from a hypothetical stack of 1000 cards:
| Count | Card | Set | Price | Total Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damnation | Planar Chaos | $50 | $50 |
| 3 | Foil Island | Zendikar | $4 | $12 |
| 5 | Brainstorm | Conspiracy | $2 | $10 |
| 15 | Lightning Bolt | Various | $2 | $30 |
Just those 24 cards are worth over $100 already! And the 976 leftover commons/uncommons can still be sold as bulk.
Expert Tips From Magic Retailers
I asked some well known Magic vendors for their advice on maximizing value from 1000 cards:
"Always take the time to identify playable commons and uncommons from sets in demand. For example, Innistrad tribes cards or Commander staples. These often sell for more than a typical bulk rare!" – Star City Games
"Sort cards by set as well. We pay a premium for full common/uncommon playsets from tournament viable sets." – ChannelFireball
"Remember grading matters. Sort by NM/LP/HP condition before selling for top dollar. Poor condition cards go straight to bulk." – TCGplayer
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of how to uncover and extract all the hidden value in your Magic collection! Let me know if you have any other questions – I‘m always happy to chat cards and finances with fellow players.
