- Magic: The Gathering's ultra-rare "One Ring" card was sold to rapper Post Malone.
- The amount was not disclosed, but previous offers valued that card at up to $2 million.
Rapper Post Malone is the newest owner of what could be the first seven-figure Magic: The Gathering trading card.
In a TikTok video published Tuesday by user Brook Trafton, the artist is seen holding the "One Ring" card, a print whose ultra-high rarity drove enthusiasts of the Hasbro tabletop game on a worldwide hunt.
"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," Trafton wrote in the video's description. "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."
—Brook Trafton (@BrookTrafton) August 1, 2023
In a preceding video, Trafton confirmed his identity as the card's finder, having remained anonymous since its discovery was confirmed in early July. The cards are sold in booster packs, with the buyer unaware of what prints are included.
The "One Ring" card was part of a "Lord of the Rings" crossover set, which brought lore from J.R.R. Tolkein's fantasy tale into the Magic universe.
Unlike other versions of Ring cards, the singular print is inscribed with Black Speech, as seen in the films, and Hasbro estimated the chances of finding it were 0.00003%.
Given the hype, bids for the card were made well before its discovery. A card shop owner in Buffalo, New York, offered $1 million, which was outdone by a $2 million offer from Spain.
While Post Malone's purchase price wasn't disclosed, his interest isn't surprising. The rapper made headlines earlier for purchasing the so-called Black Lotus for $800,000, which made it the most expensive Magic card at the time.
In fact, Malone's enthusiasm for the game is so well established, he has partnered with Hasbro's subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, and has had his likeness featured on Magic cards in the past.
Aside from player enthusiasm, "The Lord of the Rings" set has also earned approval from analysts, with Bank of America upgrading Hasbro's rating to "buy" ahead of Thursday's earnings call.
"Collector boxes are currently fetching over $400 on the secondary market and TCGplayer, one of the primary online marketplaces for Magic cards, shows nearly 3x more sell-through than the prior Magic set," the analysts wrote on Monday, raising their price target to $85.
Additional upside factors for the stock are the return of the Magic Pro Tour, the game's international competitive championship, and renewed enthusiasm among players as Hasbro relaxes its set-release schedule.
Meanwhile, Hasbro's toy segment is also benefitting from new blockbuster releases, overturning pandemic losses.