The Value of Tokens in Magic

Welcome to the new year, friends. It’s time for us to squeeze out value once more, and this time we’re looking at everyone’s favorite throwaway chaff: tokens. To the aspiring seller, these cards can thread into your sales with ease. And almost every new set injects a surplus of unique, oft-forgotten tokens, many of which are pure bulk. But not all! 

Let’s get after it.

Understanding Token Rarity

Your chance of opening any given token is tied to your chance of opening the card that produces it. That’s why you’ll see a gaggle of Saproling tokens laying around stores or the trash, and very few Shrine Tokens (scarcity issues aside). So definitely keep on the lookout when busting product for the tokens that you know to be rarer, as they will more often than not increase in value over time, especially if they are tied to a card that overperforms in a constructed environment.

For Commander products, a token’s given “rarity” is tied to the number of copies one gets when opening the deck. This can be a good thing, especially when it comes to mapping out large quantities of decks to open and list as singles. And in other cases, which I will touch on soon, it can be great.

Keep Everything!

Not all tokens are created equal in value, that much is a given. Still, within every new release there are a handful that rise to the top of their respective classes. From Commander decks, to Standard product, to Collector packs, the opportunity to open a token worth more than its cardboard, is plentiful.

Not every token can be a Goblin Shaman, of course, but that’s why it's important to keep the ones you open out of your main bulk. Ease of access when looking for cards in your collection can go a long way to making you money faster.

Patience is Key

Speaking of our little Goblin Shaman, let’s take a look at its history. 

For a solid three months, Goblin Shaman was at rest around $0.50. That all changed when the spikes-that-be discovered the power of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, sending our Shaman token on the path to a solid $9.00 market price. With only two printings (a normal, and double-sided version), we can reasonably expect it to maintain this price point, at least for a little while until Fable gets reprinted.

This is all to say that, with a little patience and understanding, you can extract value from even the lowliest of card types. And tokens that are connected uniquely to their parent cards, like Goblin Shaman is, always have the chance to achieve great gains. 

A Few Recent All-Stars

From The Lost Caverns of Ixalan hails the Fungus Dinosaur token and its handful of printings. Currently, the primary version is sitting comfortably around $1.75 market price, with its double-sided cousins either ahead, or not far behind. 

Commander: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth gives us the Human // Human Knight token. This token ties directly to its parent card, Forth Eorlingas!, a burgeoning Legacy staple with its ability to give casters an early Monarch (The Monarch // Treasure token also being an allstar). 

In Conclusion

I hope the new year has treated you kindly. Do yourself a favor, and start fresh with an organized collection, and sections divided up for the different types of cards and card types you can squeeze value from. As I’ve said before, we aren’t moving mountains at these price points, but we are moving the needle up. I can’t think of a better way to go.

Further Reading:

Secret Lair Shakeup