The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth has an astounding number of firsts to its name. It’s the first Draftable Universes Beyond MTG set, for instance. Alongside this, it’s also the first set to get two dedicated and different releases. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also the first MTG set to make people actually care about playing Alchemy.
While all these feats are undoubtedly impressive, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth has one first to rule them all. This set is the first to be released with a one-of-one serialized card. Unsurprisingly, given the set’s name, the MTG card in question is a unique serialized copy of The One Ring.
Hiding with one of the set’s countless Collector Boosters, many players suspected this card would never be found. Miraculously, however, this feat would be achieved on one of the first few days of the set’s release. The One-of-One was found. Discovered by a forklift-certified Canadian, this discovery delighted not just MTG players, but the entire TCG community.
Following this momentous discovery, many MTG players have been patiently wondering what would happen to this card. Would it be locked away in storage forever? Maybe it will be thrown into a volcano just for the memes… Just over a month after the card’s discovery was published, we finally have an answer to this burning question.
As the title gives away, The One-of-One Ring has been sold to Post Malone.
The One of One Ring Has a New Owner
Initially, the discovery of the highly prized The One Ring was shrouded in mystery. Graded by PSA at Mint 9, this card’s owner remained anonymous keeping everyone in suspense about its whereabouts. Recently, however, that silence has been broken.
Posting to TikTok yesterday, user Brooktrafton (Brook Trafton) revealed a video of the serialized one-of-one The One Ring being held. While technically this had been seen before, from the sharking of their hand, this video certainly seemed to be the genuine article. Adding further proof, Trafton gave a little more context in the post’s comments.
“To clarify this was the first video I took the day I found it back in June. I thought [people] would like to see what it looked like w/o the PSA slab.“
Brook Trafton
Following on from this already impressive TikTok, Trafton would go on to release another just moments ago. Within this new video, Trafton shared their joyous meeting with American Rap Artist, Post Malone. Throughout the video, Trafton can be seen hugging, celebrating, and selling the card to Posty who says “Yeah, I’ll take it.”
Providing the video with more context, Trafton described the situation that led to this meeting in the post’s description.
“When I found the One Ring, the first person who came to mind was @Post Malone. I have played MTG since I was a kid and obviously, it would be amazing to keep this card. But for a guy like me, being able to sell it is life-changing. I just really hoped it would go to someone who would appreciate it as much as I do. This is my dream come true, meeting Post Malone and him buying the One Ring card from me is literally a moment straight out of a fairytale. Post Malone @Magic: The Gathering you have changed my life. Things like this don’t happen to people like me, I guess it’s magic. I am forever grateful”
Brook Trafton
How Much Did The One Ring Sell For?
Unfortunately, we don’t know the answer to this burning question at the current moment in time. During the video and in the comments, no mention of the sale price was given, and unsurprisingly the people involved may want to keep it private. That being said, given this card has made global news, we can’t help but speculate about the price.
Famously, prior to the MTG card being sold, the highest bounty placed on The One Ring was €2,000,000. Roughly $2,199,650, this monumental offer came from a Spanish game store, Gremio de Dregones. Alongside the mountain of cash, this store also offered the card’s finder a trip to Valencia alongside some Paella.
Before this staggering offer seemingly closed the public bidding, past public figures and companies had offered upwards of $1,000,000. Notably, however, these offers didn’t come from Post Malone. Instead, American Football player and MTG fanatic Cassius Marsh was the celebrity after the ultra-rare card.
Without any concrete offers from Malone, it’s unclear how much they may have offered for this card in question. Considering Trafton seemingly wanted to sell the card to them, it may be lower than the €2,000,000 leading bid. Ultimately, at the time of writing, we don’t know for sure, as no official comment has been made. Chances are, however, that this serialized one-of-one The One Ring is the most card ever sold in MTG history.
There May Be Another
For better or worse, while the story of The One Ring may have ended here, it may not be the last this promotion happens in MTG. Recently, MTG’s Lead Designer, Mark Rosewater, was asked about the possibility of more one-of-one cards being in Magic’s future. Unfortunately, at the time, Rosewater didn’t give a concrete answer, instead turning the question back on the community.
Receiving plenty of feedback, many MTG players really didn’t like the idea of one-of-one cards becoming commonplace. While this may somewhat halt their return, it’s hard to deny the financial incentive for Wizards of the Coast. After all, prior to The One Ring’s discovery, Collector Booster Boxes for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth were selling like hotcakes.
At the end of the day, we’re just going to have to wait and see what the future holds. While we may be waiting for a while, in the meantime, we can enjoy Trafton’s thrilling discovery and new sale.