Card Price Discrepancies

[everial]

hi all,

The What's my card worth? thread touches on this, but could someone elaborate or explain the extreme price discrepancies between various sets? I've been looking at picking up some of the physical cards, but it's crazy to me that you can find a booster box of Moria for ~$12USD and Treachery and Deceit goes for ~$600. The game seems to have more of a cult following than anything else at this point, so what sustains the crazy prices on Hunters and Treachery?

Alternatively, what do people use for obtaining cards? eBay? Or are these other specialized sites like tcgplayer for Magic that aggregate listings?

[thetimewarptrio]

My guess is (I don't know the actual statistics) that sets such as MoM, and all TT blocks are cheaper and easier to find because the game was at its highest popularity, and thus in its highest print, which means there are more sealed cards in general still around for lower prices. I stopped paying attention to LOTR TCG after block 10, so I can't say for certain how popular Expanded was, but I would assume that it started to decline in popularity and thus print, which means it's a lot harder to find. The vendors aren't necessarily selling their product at those inflated prices (maybe they are and I'm just oblivious), but that's what it's "worth".

I typically use eBay myself, or try and find some local "barn finds" at 5 belows, or Kmarts and the like. If I'm really trying to hunt something down, I'll shop around on Amazon, eBay or other card retailers that pop up in a google search. Prices are typically compatible, but the more you hunt the better deals you can find.

[Ringbearer]

The last sets, T&D and RoS, were in very limited print runs, so there is much less around, especially unopened. Mines was the first expansion and thus was printed a lot more while the game was fresh and new.

[everial]

The last sets, T&D and RoS, were in very limited print runs, so there is much less around, especially unopened. Mines was the first expansion and thus was printed a lot more while the game was fresh and new.

Same for Hunters? Or are Hunters expansion cards priced higher due to the way it has good commons/uncommons?

[Ringbearer]

Anything post Bloodlines has been printed in less stock. Decipher had a cashflow problem due to internal fraud, and the game was in decline due to the decision to revamp shadow cultures.

[samthehobbit]

Yes why is the hunter hard to find and im looking to get these following booster packs seiege of gondor, bloodlines, rise of saurman are these easy to get hold of and do you guys have any sealed booster packs I could trade or buy of you. Many thanks lotr fans

[Air Power]

Yes why is the hunter hard to find and im looking to get these following booster packs seiege of gondor, bloodlines, rise of saurman are these easy to get hold of and do you guys have any sealed booster packs I could trade or buy of you. Many thanks lotr fans

Best price I've seen recently on Siege  of Gondor was ~$130
Bloodlines is a bit cheaper around $70
Rise of Saruman, good luck: along with Hunters and Treachery and Deceit, if you can find a supplier, they will probably want $600+ for it.

(All prices are US dollars)

[everial]

Yes why is the hunter hard to find and im looking to get these following booster packs seiege of gondor, bloodlines, rise of saurman are these easy to get hold of and do you guys have any sealed booster packs I could trade or buy of you. Many thanks lotr fans

Best price I've seen recently on Siege  of Gondor was ~$130
Bloodlines is a bit cheaper around $70
Rise of Saruman, good luck: along with Hunters and Treachery and Deceit, if you can find a supplier, they will probably want $600+ for it.

(All prices are US dollars)

The thing that's even weirder to me is the way some of the older sets are cheaper/more available, too. For example, it's pretty easy to find a sealed Mines of Moria booster for around 20 USD, but I haven't seen Realms of the Elf-lords available anywhere I've looked. Similarly, it's a little surprising that Fellowship and Two Towers boosters come cheaper than Return of the King.

Were Siege of Gondor, Battle of Helm's Deep, and Realms of the Elf-lords really that much better than Mines of Moria and Ents of Fanghorn?

On a somewhat unrelated note, what are people's experience with Reflections? Are the non-reflection cards just total junk, or is it like getting a normal booster with a rare, a couple of uncommons, and commons?

[hsiale]

Siege of Gondor was really great. It had many playable rares and most of them were cards you wanted 3-4 copies of (Promise Keeping, Castamir, Corsair Marauder, Ships of Great Draught, Saved From the Fire, Gorgoroth Assassin, Grond, Blood Runs Chill, Between Nazgul and Prey). Also RotEL was way better than MoM - Mines didn't have any very noticeable cards (A Promise became strong only after Sam, GEW was released) and RotEL had Gondor Bowmen, Horn of Boromir, Elrond HtGG, Aragorn HttWC and Saruman KoI.

[samthehobbit]

Thanks that was helpfull.

sam
Yes why is the hunter hard to find and im looking to get these following booster packs seiege of gondor, bloodlines, rise of saurman are these easy to get hold of and do you guys have any sealed booster packs I could trade or buy of you. Many thanks lotr fans

Best price I've seen recently on Siege  of Gondor was ~$130
Bloodlines is a bit cheaper around $70
Rise of Saruman, good luck: along with Hunters and Treachery and Deceit, if you can find a supplier, they will probably want $600+ for it.

(All prices are US dollars)

[/quote]

Best price I've seen recently on Siege  of Gondor was ~$130
Bloodlines is a bit cheaper around $70
Rise of Saruman, good luck: along with Hunters and Treachery and Deceit, if you can find a supplier, they will probably want $600+ for it.

(All prices are US dollars)


[/quote]

[samthehobbit]

Yes why is the hunter hard to find and im looking to get these following booster packs seiege of gondor, bloodlines, rise of saurman are these easy to get hold of and do you guys have any sealed booster packs I could trade or buy of you. Many thanks lotr fans

Best price I've seen recently on Siege  of Gondor was ~$130
Bloodlines is a bit cheaper around $70
Rise of Saruman, good luck: along with Hunters and Treachery and Deceit, if you can find a supplier, they will probably want $600+ for it.

(All prices are US dollars)

The thing that's even weirder to me is the way some of the older sets are cheaper/more available, too. For example, it's pretty easy to find a sealed Mines of Moria booster for around 20 USD, but I haven't seen Realms of the Elf-lords available anywhere I've looked. Similarly, it's a little surprising that Fellowship and Two Towers boosters come cheaper than Return of the King.

Were Siege of Gondor, Battle of Helm's Deep, and Realms of the Elf-lords really that much better than Mines of Moria and Ents of Fanghorn?

On a somewhat unrelated note, what are people's experience with Reflections? Are the non-reflection cards just total junk, or is it like getting a normal booster with a rare, a couple of uncommons, and commons?

thanks

[samthehobbit]

Siege of Gondor was really great. It had many playable rares and most of them were cards you wanted 3-4 copies of (Promise Keeping, Castamir, Corsair Marauder, Ships of Great Draught, Saved From the Fire, Gorgoroth Assassin, Grond, Blood Runs Chill, Between Nazgul and Prey). Also RotEL was way better than MoM - Mines didn't have any very noticeable cards (A Promise became strong only after Sam, GEW was released) and RotEL had Gondor Bowmen, Horn of Boromir, Elrond HtGG, Aragorn HttWC and Saruman KoI.

Thank you

[samthehobbit]

I've only been Aware of these Lord of the rings trading cards for well under a month and i've got New and sealed booster packs sealed and i am a collector and am thinking where to get the rare booster packs are there private sellers (Not ebay) Dont seem to sell Packa like Hunter, etc.. Someone help thanks..

[everial]

Siege of Gondor was really great. It had many playable rares and most of them were cards you wanted 3-4 copies of (Promise Keeping, Castamir, Corsair Marauder, Ships of Great Draught, Saved From the Fire, Gorgoroth Assassin, Grond, Blood Runs Chill, Between Nazgul and Prey). Also RotEL was way better than MoM - Mines didn't have any very noticeable cards (A Promise became strong only after Sam, GEW was released) and RotEL had Gondor Bowmen, Horn of Boromir, Elrond HtGG, Aragorn HttWC and Saruman KoI.

Ok, thanks for the rundown. Same thing happening with Return of the King vs Fellowship/Two Towers? Or is that a lower print run effect? And Ents of Fanghorn also forgettable?

[Ringbearer]

Fellowship had a massive print run since it was the first set, and TTT didnt really have that much useful rares (mostly ATAR, Eomer, Legolas DH and Simbelmyne). RotK added quite some 4-ofs with the nazgul, Small Hope, Morgul Brute, various besieger cards).