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Author
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Topic: NM Alternate 4th Birds of Paradise
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headumpire
Member
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posted March 01, 2013 06:06 PM
      
NM Alternate 4th Birds of Paradise. Price? Thanks!
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hammr7
Member
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posted March 02, 2013 08:06 AM
SCG will cost you about $80 if it is gem mint. There was a near mint copy on Ebay for ages that didn't sell at $50.It is a key card, though I don't think it is THE KEY CARD of the set. For a quick sale I would guess $30 to $40, though condition would play a big part, because alt 4th seems to be more of a collectors game.
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ermabwed
Member
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posted March 02, 2013 10:23 AM
 
It's been a long time since that one was on Ebay. The last one listed I won at auction for $26. I've been buylisting it at $50 for some time though. They're hard to find.__________________
Always buying misprints. See my list for the best Alternate 4th buy prices in the world (bulk rares $3!)
T-Chinese Portal Feral Shadow $8
Legends APs
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hammr7
Member
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posted March 02, 2013 12:07 PM
Alt 4th being hard to find has little to do with the price you offer. I have offered $20 or more for specific bulk rares that I want to upgrade to "pack fresh". For many of these, even after a year I got no responses.While alt 4th is more common than Summer Magic, it is probably much rarer than Alpha or Arabian Nights. My guess is there are no more than 200 - 400 of each rare. Its rarity is compounded by the fact that casual players and collectors are either unaware of alt. 4th or don't know the difference between alt. 4th and regular 4th. (which is far more subtle than the difference between Unlimited and Revised). This makes alt 4th fun and reasonably inexpensive to collect. But it also makes it frustrating, because the actual availability of known alt 4th at any given time might be below 100 copies of each rare. From there, you get two problems that add to rarity. 4th Edition was not the greatest set. Most of the bulk rares were tossed into boxes and may still be stored away with that collection that hasn't been touched in over a decade. So some of the bulk alt 4th rares can't be found because no one is interested in their regular, white-bordered, bulk rare 4th edition equivalent. Birds is a different story. It was a very popular card in play for a long time. So 4th edition versions were used a lot, especially by those who couldn't afford to pimp their deck with black border, unlimited, revised, even 6th edition, and were less likely to protect their cards. Alt 4th Birds were likely to be played, and likely to show wear quickly. The first handful of alt 4th Birds I had were all played and showed it.
[Edited 1 times, lastly by hammr7 on March 02, 2013]
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flophaus
Member
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posted March 02, 2013 12:17 PM
I was under the impression that BoP WAS the key card? Only other one I could think of might be WoG? Last I looked Birds was in the $50-ish range.
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hammr7
Member
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posted March 02, 2013 12:36 PM
If you look at SCG or ABU, the only on-line dealers that break out Alt 4th, then Birds is the key, at least in price. Land Tax, Mana Vault, Nevinyrral's Disk and Sylvan Library are also up there, for obvious reasons. But of the key cards, I think Shivan in Mint condition might be the toughest to find.Some of the not-so-popular rares are as tough to find, but since few want them, the price doesn't jump.
[Edited 1 times, lastly by hammr7 on March 02, 2013]
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ermabwed
Member
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posted March 02, 2013 12:46 PM
I would agree that Shivan is the key card, but the one I've had the hardest time with is actually Dragon Engine, for exactly the reasons already stated.__________________
Always buying misprints. See my list for the best Alternate 4th buy prices in the world (bulk rares $3!)
T-Chinese Portal Feral Shadow $8
Legends APs
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thulnanth
Member
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posted March 02, 2013 04:35 PM
quote:
Originally posted by hammr7:
Alt 4th being hard to find has little to do with the price you offer. I have offered $20 or more for specific bulk rares that I want to upgrade to "pack fresh". For many of these, even after a year I got no responses.While alt 4th is more common than Summer Magic, it is probably much rarer than Alpha or Arabian Nights. My guess is there are no more than 200 - 400 of each rare. Its rarity is compounded by the fact that casual players and collectors are either unaware of alt. 4th or don't know the difference between alt. 4th and regular 4th. (which is far more subtle than the difference between Unlimited and Revised). This makes alt 4th fun and reasonably inexpensive to collect. But it also makes it frustrating, because the actual availability of known alt 4th at any given time might be below 100 copies of each rare. From there, you get two problems that add to rarity. 4th Edition was not the greatest set. Most of the bulk rares were tossed into boxes and may still be stored away with that collection that hasn't been touched in over a decade. So some of the bulk alt 4th rares can't be found because no one is interested in their regular, white-bordered, bulk rare 4th edition equivalent.
As always, spot on... well said hammr7  I would just like to add one more thing wrt true "mint" copies of Alt 4th cards... the process used to make these cards was different from regular MtG cards (obv). One of the reasons WotC didn't go with them in the end is that they wear WAAAYYY quicker than a standard MtG card. They scuff with almost any handling, and the edges chip with the slightest contact. While there might be singles hiding in the wilds, unless they come from unopened product they most likely aren't even close to mint.  Take it easy,
Jared
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