The Most Expensive Me Card In The World

Thrain II · Post by **Thrain II** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:20 pm

Welcome to this forum Sergio!

Interesting points... You are right that most people will never pay such a high price in cash. Take the japanese Fury of the Iron Crown for example. Dirk Docter had one copy for sale (around 80,00 Euro) but nobody bought the card.

If you want to get a card like Huida which is valued aroud 40,00 Euro you are maybe not willing to pay the 40,00 Euro in cash. But maybe you have some other expensive promo cards which you got in trade for a lower price and suddenly you will pay the 40,00 Euro (in cards). Just to give an example: During the Lure of MECCG III I made the 8th place of a tournament (not very successful) and got a booster as the little price. Inside of that (finnish) booster was a finnish Assassin which I traded for an italian One Ring. That One Ring went to Spain for a Genets de Llops.

I have to tell you that I spend much money for these spanish beginners cards. I bought Discusiones Oscuras, Huida and Tumulario for 120,00 Euro in example. One month ago I sold a complete set of all five specials for 250,00 Euro and some other cards. That is the way it goes. I spend the money and I will get it back.

What I want to say is that there are really traders who pay that price although you believe there are none of them...

I completed my sets of the expensive promos, so I have retired from that business. But if I will ever get an offer of the japanese Fury I will spend that incredible price to get the last card i need, no doubts.

Saludos,

Thrain II

(I like that dwarf!)

Earendil · Post by **Earendil** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 4:52 pm

eheheheheh... Hi Timo!

Well, I knew you got some of the cards paying by cash, but you're a world class trader... What I mean is that you buy cards but you've also a lot of contact and you ALWAYS know who need what and how much is his willingness to pay...

But 250 Eu for beginners cards for YOUR collection? Would you pay so much CASH for them, having a lot of cards to trade? I suppose not, nor it is for a lot of us.

I'm not saying is impossible, just very difficult. So, a cards is worth a price in a trade but another one in a sale. Some sellers asked me astounding prices for those cards... Well, if they want back japanese Black Arrow, Italian One Ring and so on, is good for me. If they want cash, I think it should be better for them tuning their prices policy (or not selling the cards for no-buyer-presence, their choice

).

Thrain II · Post by **Thrain II** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 9:27 pm

Ciao Sergio,

you are probably right... I know a lot about the value of cards, where to find cards and last but not least who is willing to pay the required price. The more contacts you have the better it is. It is not necessary to spend hundreds of Euros for expensive cards if you have in mind where to find them cheap.

Remember that the spanish beginners sets were once available for normal prices, so spanish traders did not pay these hundreds of Euros to get them. Some weeks ago I got a Ramaviva in trade for 120 commons and uncommons in 6 different languages: That spanish trader just wanted to have some "interesting" cards for his collection. He was very happy with the cards I offered him and I was happy to give away some of my thousands of non-rares...

If you ask me: "Would you pay such a high price?" I would say YES because if you really like the cards and know it is your only possiblity to get them you have no other opportunity. I paid 80,00 Euro for a calligraphed Test of Form (without) by John Howe because the card was definitly UNIQUE. John Howe never before calligraphed a Test of Form (that means that he created an artwork out of his two initials "JH" with silver ink - he spent 10 minutes for that card!). I never doubted the decission to buy that card. But I am also selling cards like beginners set, so it is balanced.

Thrain II

Post by **Gwaihir** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:15 am

Thrain II wrote:I paid 80,00 Euro for a calligraphed Test of Form (without) by John Howe because the card was definitly UNIQUE. John Howe never before calligraphed a Test of Form (that means that he created an artwork out of his two initials "JH" with silver ink - he spent 10 minutes for that card!).

Now that sounds very familiar.. I'd like to see that card some day. I fear that for EUR 80,- you didn't even get the story told correctly.

Back in 2001 John Howe had just invented a new way to "sign" his art (paintings and sketches that is): a special "JH" calligraphy and the date in a way of his own as well, roughly like this:

Code: Select all

8|4
-+----
  2001

He insisted on showing that after he had signed some cards for us for tournament prize use, at the Fantasy Fair back in 2001. So he took a Test of Form (without gold print), that he had just signed on the front and on the back he made that "painting signature". It looks very nice indeed and didn't take him more than a minute or two (man; I can only dream of having such skilled hands

) He insisted that I keep that one myself and I still have it.

I think I also remember who was so fond of it when he heard about it that he went back in line next signing session to have his Test of Form treated a simular way. He ended up selling most of his cards a year or two later, keeping only his original nazgul painting and his binder of signed nazgul. Unfortunately a large proportion of his cards was damaged, even some of the signed cards.

So, if that is indeed what you bought, it is John Howe's "trade mark" signature, to be found on any original art he did since early 2001.

Thrain II · Post by **Thrain II** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:20 pm

Hi Wim

I guess we are talking about the same person... Since that guy is from the Netherlands and my card is dated with 2001 I think your story sounds reasonable.

Maybe I can take that card with me to Lure of MECCG V. I am not sure if I have a calligraphed Test of Form as you described yours. My copy is not signed on the front but has an artwork with silver ink on the back. It takes approx. half of the backside.

Normally John Howe signs cards with "JoHowe" so I was sure it is something special. Dirk told me that the card was made upon special request by him, so it should be unique. Okay, maybe there are two or three copies of them but I do not think they are easy to get. I do not regret that I bought the card for that high price because John Howe rocks!

Thrain II

Post by **Gwaihir** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:47 pm

Dirk, ah; that was the other option: it had to be either Bram or Dirk - I don't think there was anyone else around that saw it and had a Test of Form available for signing.

Also, Dirk is definately the Dutchie most into signing, expensive cards and all that. I take it he'll have another copy himself (as I don't think he'd have sold it otherwise)?

Yes, calligraphy and dating together take roughly half the back of the card, the lower half on my copy. He did it as an afterthought, therefore my copy was already signed on the front in his normal way. I take it yours is dated either 8/4/2001 to or 9/4/2001?

After I posted I recalled that the mark is easy to find, as it is on the top of John Howe's webpage nowadays (great site btw).

lucschruers · Post by **lucschruers** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:05 pm

Hi guys,

Some of you might remeber me from a few years ago.

I would like to react on this thread. What about the Warlord backed misprints? Does anyone have any idea how many have been printed of those, or how rare they are?

Luc

Earendil · Post by **Earendil** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 1:24 pm

Hi there!

No idea of how many warlords backed cards there are out there, but when I went to Lure and EC I met a lot of people who got some cards (or even decks) of that kind.

So, I'm truly not able to state which value they could have, but I can confirm there are some of them for trade here and there, while I NEVER saw a japanese Fury or spanish Boromir II and Ramaviva in binders

lucschruers · Post by **lucschruers** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:44 pm

Thanks Earendil. I always wondered how many where printed.

Maybe we should ask everyone here who has a Japanese Fury of the Iron Crown promo? I have one and Patrick Karcher has. Who else? Then we can determine how rare it is.

thorondor · Post by **thorondor** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 5:28 pm

i´d be more interested in peoplewho have a second copy. then i could try to trade for one

Thrain II · Post by **Thrain II** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:44 pm

Jep, I have a japanese Fury

Referring to Akira this card is limited to less than 30 copies, maybe 20. There is no doubt that it is the most valuable Middle-earth card in the world.

Thrain II

Earendil · Post by **Earendil** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:46 am

thorondor wrote:i´d be more interested in people who have a second copy. then i could try to trade for one

This is the point... I've no doubt there are quite some fellows who have their copy of Fury (I KNOW some of those, uh?

)... While I NEVER saw a second copy in trade binders. Instehad, I saw a lot of Warlords-backed cards for trade.

I guess we could try to calcultate how many of them there are if we could get data referring to how many factory sheets of 121 were made, and if this was made only for F, C, U, R or some of them or all.

Post by **Gwaihir** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:21 pm

Earendil wrote:I guess we could try to calcultate how many of them there are if we could get data referring to how many factory sheets of 121 were made, and if this was made only for F, C, U, R or some of them or all.

Little point; there are obviously far more printed than brought into circulation. Those presses aren't started for anything less then 1,000 copies (probably even more), so even if there is just one per sheet (unlikely), there must have been at least 1,000 printed. Quite probably many of these were conveniently lost or purposefully shredded somewhere along the way, same as the German alternate Taschendieb.

Kolby · Post by **Kolby** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 3:52 am

lucschruers wrote:Thanks Earendil. I always wondered how many where printed.

Maybe we should ask everyone here who has a Japanese Fury of the Iron Crown promo? I have one and Patrick Karcher has. Who else? Then we can determine how rare it is.

I have one as well.

Earendil · Post by **Earendil** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 4:41 pm

Gwaihir wrote: so even if there is just one per sheet (unlikely), there must have been at least 1,000 printed.

I think there should have been *complete* sheets with Warlords back...

I guess the mistake could have been the wrong association beetween a sheet of MECCG cards and a sheet of Warlords backs.... It is quite odd if there could have been a sheet of mixed backs (some MECCG and one or a few Warlords). I think the number of misprints is a multiple of 121

So, I guess, the real question is: How many *complete* back sheets of Warlords were associated with MECCG cards?

Gwaihir wrote: there are obviously far more printed than brought into circulation. [...]Quite probably many of these were conveniently lost or purposefully shredded somewhere along the way, same as the German alternate Taschendieb.

Yep, this is ABSOLUTELY true

Business is always on its way!!!

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