Yu-Gi-Oh! Vintage 1st Edition: Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon and Metal Raiders: collector value guide

Metal Raiders, coded MRD, followed on 26 June 2002. Together they introduced English-speaking players to the cards from the early anime, and their 1st Edition prints have become the cornerstone of vintage Yu-Gi-Oh! collecting.

LOB's North American print contains 126 cards, led by Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician, Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One, with Tri-Horned Dragon as a Secret Rare. Metal Raiders was larger at 144 cards, adding Summoned Skull, Mirror Force, Change of Heart and the Secret Rares Gate Guardian and Thousand Dragon. Packs held nine cards, so the rarer foils were hard to pull at the time.

Value in this range depends heavily on edition and condition. A 1st Edition copy from the original 2002 North American run sells for far more than Unlimited or later reprints of the same card. These sets were opened by children and played with heavily, so clean, well-centred copies are scarce, and grades from PSA, Beckett and CGC make an enormous difference. Ultra Rare foils often show scratches, edge whitening and print lines.

Care is needed with reprints. LOB and MRD cards have been reprinted many times, including in a Worldwide English edition, collector tins and the 2023 25th Anniversary Edition, which uses modern card layouts and a 2020 copyright line. European English prints from late 2002 also differ, with a smaller LOB card list of 103 cards. Checking the set code, edition text and copyright line confirms you have an original.

• Edition: original 1st Edition copies command a large premium over Unlimited and later reprints.
• Condition and grade, as gem-mint copies of 2002 cards are scarce.
• Iconic cards from the anime: Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician, Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Exodia.
• Rarity: Ultra Rare and Secret Rare foils are the main chase, though some commons in high grade also sell well.
• Region and print: North American 1st Edition prints are generally the most sought after by English-language collectors.
• Complete sets of Exodia's five pieces, which buyers often seek together.

• Check the set code under the artwork: original North American prints read LOB-001 or MRD-000 style codes, while the later Worldwide English and 25th Anniversary prints use LOB-EN and MRD-EN.
• Look for the words '1st Edition' printed beneath the artwork; Unlimited copies lack this text.
• Check the copyright line along the bottom: 25th Anniversary reprints show a 2020 copyright date, which 2002 originals cannot have.
• On reprints, Normal Monsters show '/Normal' in the type line and the card uses a modern layout; the 2002 originals do not.
• For high-value cards, buy graded or ask for close-up photos of the edition text, set code, foil surface and back edges.