FALLS CHURCH, VA.- Quinn’s Auction Galleries will forge ahead in their 30th year as northern Virginia’s most trusted auction and estate specialists with a live gallery auction dedicated to the Michael A Quigley collection of Wizards of the West Coast Magic: The Gathering trading cards. The May 15 auction is open for absentee bidding through Quinn’s online catalog now through 11:40am Eastern Time on auction day, at which point all absentee bids will be executed competitively against live bidders in the gallery and those participating online via LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable.
Magic: The Gathering (also known as just “Magic” or “MTG”) is enormously popular with collectors and the gaming community. The tabletop and digital card game was created in 1993 by Richard Garfield, initially as Wizards of the Coast. It was the very first trading card game, and during the years 2008 through 2016, more than 20 billion Magic cards were produced.
Magic: The Gathering generates over $1 billion in revenue annually, with much of that coming from the cards viewed as collectibles, both past and present. The Quigley collection spans the gaming phenomenon’s history from its introduction with the Limited Edition Alpha deck through the 2020s. With approximately 50 million players worldwide, there is no shortage of buyers for the wildly popular collector cards. According to Quinn’s Sr VP Matthew Quinn, intense bidding competition is expected as the auction advances toward its close. “For example, there are already eleven bids on a group of 89 Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Beta Swamp (B) Basic Land cards,” Quinn noted.
The auction’s headliner is Lot #33, a very rare Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Alpha factory-sealed starter deck, which has a case with magnetic lid. It is expected to attract a winning bid of $50,000-$70,000.
Lot #81 is a Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Beta “Volcanic Island” card, PSA graded 4, in Very Good to Excellent condition. The card has a pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$4,000.
Lot #220 is an example of “The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale” card, PSA graded 8.0 Near Mint, from the Magic: The Gathering Legends Expansion Set. It is entered in the auction with a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Lot #111 is a Magic: The Gathering Arabian Nights Expansion Set "Bazaar of Baghdad" card, PSA graded 7 Near Mint. It is expected to realize $1,000 to $2,000.
Lot #52, a Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Beta "Time Vault" card, is PSA graded 6 Excellent to Near Mint and should bring $800-1200. Because the Quigley collection is so comprehensive, there are sets and cards to please every pocketbook. Lot #215 is a Magic: The Gathering Legends Expansion Set "Moat/ Fossato Italian Beckett” card, graded 9.5 Mint. Estimate: $400 to $600. A similar estimate applies to Lot #207, a Magic: The Gathering Legends Expansion Set "Chains of Mephistopheles" card, PSA graded 7 Near Mint.
Group lots are led by Lot #29, a collection of 252 Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Alpha cards. The lot estimate is $3,000-$4,000. The grouping includes the following, with quantities preceding each card:
3 Animate Artifact, 8 Benalish Hero, Black Ward, 3 Blue Elemental Blast, 3 Blue Ward, 3 Bog Wraith, 2 Burrowing, 6 Castle, 2 Celestial Prism, 5 Circle of Protection: Blue, 8 Circle of Protection: Green, 7 Circle of Protection: Red, 4 Circle of Protection: White, Consecrate Land, 2 Conservator, 3 Conversion, 6 Craw Wurm, 8 Creature Bond, 2 Crystal Rod, Cursed Land, 3 Death Ward, 2 Deathgrip, 8 Disintegrate, Drain Life, 8 Drudge Skeletons, 2 Dwarven Demolition Team, 7 Dwarven Warriors, Earth Elemental, 2 Evil Presence, 3 False Orders, 7 Fear, 5 Firebreathing, 2 Flashfires, 3 Flight, 11 Fog, 4 Giant Growth, 6 Giant Spider, 2 Glasses of Urza, 6 Gray Ogre, Green Ward, 7 Grizzly Bears, 9 Guardian Angel, 9 Healing Salve, 8 Hill Giant, 11 Holy Armor, 10 Holy Strength, 4 Howl from Beyond, 8 Hurloon Minotaur, 2 Instill Energy, 4 Invisibility, 6 Iron Star, 3 Ironclaw Orcs, 6 Ironroot Treefolk, 3 Ivory Cup, 4 Jump, 5 Karma, Keldon Warlord, 2 Lance, 2 Ley Druid, 2 Lifeforce, Lifetap, Living Wall, 4 Lure, 5 Merfolk of the Pearl Trident, 5 Mesa Pegasus, 12 Mons's Goblin Raiders, Nettling Imp, Obsianus Golem, and 7 Paralyze.
Lot #120 is a group of Magic: The Gathering Arabian Knights Expansion Set cards, approximately 800 in total. They include: 3 Abu Ja'far, 2 Aladdin, Aladdin's Lamp, Aladdin's Ring, 3 Bottle of Suleiman. 2 Dancing Scimitar, 3 Island Fish Jasconius, 2 Junun Efreet, 10 Merchant Ship. Mijae Djinn, 2 Pyramids, Repentant Blacksmith, 8 Sinbad and 3 Stone-Throwing Devils. Lot estimate: $800-$1,200
Lot #68 is a group of Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition Beta cards, approximately 1,000 cards total, including: Air Elemental, 3 Animate Wall, 3 Basalt Monolith, 15 Black Ward, 24 Blue Elemental Blast, 13 Blue Ward, 19 Burrowing, 5 Castle, 8 Celestial Prism, 3 Channel. 21 Conservator, 2 Control Magic, 13 Conversion, 37 Craw Wurm, 13 Crystal Rod, 6 Cursed Land, 7 Death Grip, 2 Deathlace, 5 Disenchant, Drain Life, 10 Dwarven Demolition Team, 13 Earth Elemental, 75 Earthbind, 15 Feedback,9 Evil Presence, 5 Fire Elemental, and 1 Fireball. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000
Quinn’s Thursday, May 15, 2025 auction of the Michael A Quigley collection of Wizards of the West Coast Magic: The Gathering trading cards is a live gallery event that will start at 12pm Eastern Time. Preview from 11-4 Eastern Time Monday, May 12 through and including Wednesday, May 14. No appointment is needed.
Absentee bidding has opened through Quinn’s website,
www.quinnsauction.com. Bid live online during the auction through
LiveAuctioneers or
Invaluable. For additional information about any item in the auction or to discuss a future consignment to Quinn’s, call John Callebert at Quinn’s, 703-532-5632 ext. 570; or email john@quinnsauction.com.
