This is "Black Lotus" - an extremely rare Magic the Gathering card that is known for being the most expensive card in the game.
If it looks familiar, you might want to go look through your closet, because this card can be worth $27K!
The most expensive confirmed sale for a Black Lotus was for $27,302 in 2013, but there are many listings of the card up to almost $200,000!
So why the hell is this card so valuable?!
Well the high price is partly due to scarcity- Black Lotus was only printed in the first year of Magic's life- between 1993 and 1994.
So what does the card actually do? It basically lets you play your other cards multiple turns early, enabling you to win as early as turn 1.
Back in 1994, most people didn't realize what their dorky playing cards would be worth, so they didn't take good care of them.
But even a badly damaged Black Lotus is going to be worth around $5K- $8K.
To determine the condition of a card, there are organizations that will grade cards and give them a rating.
Supposedly there was a "rated 10 out of 10" Lotus that sold for $100K, but there isn't confirmation and the circumstances of its sale are sketchy...
The Black Lotus that sold for $27K was rated a 9.5 out of 10, nearly perfect mint condition.
But if it's so scarce, why don't they just print more!?
Well there's this thing called the "reserved list", that prevents the reprinting of certain older cards. The idea is to protect investors so the cards they buy don't decline in value with a bunch of reprints.
The funny thing is that because the card is so strong, it's banned in most formats of Magic, so even if you shell out $27K, you're not going to be able to play it in most games!
The card has become iconic to the game, with people going so far as tattooing the art on themselves.
So if you happen to find a Black Lotus, CONGRATS, you can get a new car! And if you want to check the value of any other old magic cards, you can also use this site. Good luck!
