By Brian Cooper |
Updated on February 16, 2024
In my search to find the Holy Grail of MetaZoo cards, the one card that EVERYONE is searching for, I determined this is a difficult task. There is simply not a lot of information out there about MetaZoo’s rarest card so it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.
I eventually found out that MetaZoo did print some very rare cards (promos and samples) in the very early days of the company. Those rare cards were more or less samples that were either one of a kind or less than 100 were made.
But I didn’t want to just talk about super rare one of one cards that no one could ever obtain. What’s the fun in that? I figured I would tell you what I found was the rarest MetaZoo card and then talk about some other extremely rare cards that you still might have a shot at finding yourself.
Some of these cards are NON-SERIALIZED cards meaning they are not individually numbered. I had to draw the line somewhere so we’re trying to focus on non-serialized cards that you can find in Booster Boxes. We’ll talk about the serialized cards (like the ones in UFO booster boxes) some other time. For now let’s focus on those super SECRET RARE cards found in box toppers and a card many didn’t even know existed!
So without further adieu, let’s first talk about the rarest single MetaZoo card in existence.
Contents
The Rarest MetaZoo Card:
MOTHMAN ALTERNATE ART 1/1
So you cannot get more rare than ONE OF ONE, the only card in existence. This Mothman Alternate Art card is that card and there is in fact only one that was ever made.
And as you’ll tell by the picture (which is really bad), there are few good images of this card out there. But it DEFINITELY exists!
As the story goes, this Mothman Alternate Art card was a sample card made by Mike Waddell on his home computer. This was back in 2019 before Cryptid Nation or even the Kickstarter cards were issued.
Mike had indicated in a letter that there were (12) other one-of-one sample cards that he hand made on his home computer as well. The identity or names of those (12) other cards was never released and those are most likely still in Mike Waddell’s possession to this date.
Mike eventually gifted this very rare Mothman Alternate Art card to his friend, American DJ and music producer, Steve Aoki back in June of 2021. This was just a few months after the MetaZoo Cryptid Nation Kickstarter was released and 1-month prior to Cryptid Nation: 1st Edition hitting shelves.
One could deduce that this gift was Mike Waddell’s attempt to lure Steve Aoki to MetaZoo as a partner in the company. His attempt was successful and in July of 2021, just a month after Mike sent Steve the very rare Mothman Alternate Art 1/1 card, MetaZoo announced that Steve would become a full equity partner and cofounder.
The value of this Mothman Alternative Art 1/1 card is hard to determine. My guess is that if this came on the market via auction, it would be worth 5-figures at the very minimum and possibly more. Eventually when MetaZoo becomes as household a name as Pokemon and Magic The Gathering (which will most likely happen), the card could be valued much more. Could it become the first million dollar MetaZoo card?
Cards like these very rarely hit the open market, via auction or even private sale. One-of-one sample cards are normally in private collections never to be seen again. So most collectors and investors are never able to see them, let alone add one to their own collection.
So what about the rest of us who want a chance at finding a rare MetaZoo card?
Is there something else that the common collector and investor could potentially find in packs or even on the open market? There sure are so let’s talk about the rarest card you can find in MetaZoo booster packs as well as cards not found in booster packs.
MetaZoo Rare Cards Found Only In Booster Packs:
The most rare cards you can pull from a MetaZoo Booster Box are the special SECRET RARE cards found only in the Box Topper packs. Each set starting with Cryptid Nation 1st Edition included a Box Topper pack where you could find these elusive cards.
Let me tell you about each one so you know what they are, where to find them and how much each is worth.
RED INK
RED INK is an extremely rare card, found only in box toppers of the Cryptid Nation 1st Edition Booster Boxes.
Back in July 2021 when Cryptid Nation 1st Edition was released, MetaZoo decided to go with the industry trend and add one box topper back to every booster box. This box topper included one single full art holographic Aura card. There were 10-different Aura cards you could find but there was also a chance you could pull the very SECRET RARE Red Ink!
There were 25,000 Cryptid Nation 1st Edition Booster Boxes made and so therefore there were only 25,000 box topper packs. There were only (100) Red Ink cards made so the chances of pulling this very rare card was ONE IN 250 BOXES!
How many of these Red Ink cards have actually been found so far is anyone’s guess. I’m certain there are still many booster boxes left unopened so my guess is there are very few of these secret rare cards on the market right now. Since many collectors will hold sealed booster boxes as an investment (I have a bunch of these myself), many Red Ink cards will remain hidden in packs for the foreseeable future.
How much is the MetaZoo RED INK worth? A PSA-6 graded Red Ink sold on eBay on February 23rd for $4,000. This was a very low grade and you can see how much it sold for. WOW!
There are only four on eBay at this time and they range in price from $6,000 on the low end to $15,000 for high graded examples. Just amazing and definitely worth investing in since there are few in the wild!
OLD SCRATCH
OLD SCRATCH is a very rare card found only in box toppers of the Nightfall Booster Boxes.
There were 50,000 Nightfall Booster Boxes made and each one contained a box topper pack. There were only (100) OLD SCRATCH cards reportedly printed so the chances of pulling this Nightfall Secret Rare was ONE IN 500 BOXES!
As with the other Secret Rare cards found in Box topper packs, no one knows how many have been pulled. Although there were 100 printed, there’s no doubt that many of those Old Scratch cards will forever be sealed up inside Booster Boxes that remain unopened.
How much is the MetaZoo OLD SCRATCH worth? A PSA-9 graded Old Scratch sold on eBay on February 6th for $4,866. There are also three available for sale on eBay ranging in price from $9,000 for a PSA-9 to $40,000 for a PSA-10!
Is it worth the investment? I think so if you can get it for a bargain of course. With a depressed market that is sure not to come back until later 2023, now is the time to find one at a low price. Plus I really think Nightfall could end up being one of MetaZoo’s greatest sets so that will help the value of this awesome secret rare.
BLUE INK
BLUE INK is the MetaZoo rarest card found only in box toppers of the Cryptid Nation 2nd Edition Booster Boxes.
There were a reported 75,000 Cryptid Nation 2nd Edition Booster Boxes made and each one contained a box topper pack. The problem is that no one has confirmed the exact amount of Blue Ink Secret Rare cards printed. Many times this has been brought up in the MetaZoo Discord but Mike Waddell has only replied that the print runs of the Secret Rares will be ‘similar.’ That being said, most believe there were 300-400 of the Blue Ink cards printed which is substantially more than the other Secret Rares.
How much is the MetaZoo BLUE INK worth? PSA-9 graded Blue Ink cards have recently been selling in the $1200-$1800 price range. There is definitely less interest in the Blue Ink because of the larger print run of the 2nd Edition and the uncertainty when it comes to how many Blue Ink cards were printed.
There are a number of PSA graded Blue Ink cards for sale on eBay. Many more than the other Secret Rare cards which tells me very simply that there are more out there on the market. Prices are still high on the ask side so expect to pay mid-high thousands for a graded version.
Is the Blue Ink worth investing in? I’m not so sure unless you get it for a steal. There is so much 2nd Edition on the market right now and definitely some uncertainty about how many Blue Ink cards were printed. It’s a great card to own, just not sure it’s worth the $1000+ investment.
MetaZoo Rare Cards NOT Found in Booster Packs:
For those of you familiar with MetaZoo, you’ll know that they are the absolute KINGS of promo cards, lotto cards, serialized cards and super special cards sent to collectors for any number of reasons.
Did you buy a MetaZoo NFT? YOU GET A SERIALIZED PROMO CARD. Did you win a MetaZoo Tournament? YOU GET A SERIALIZED PROMO CARD. Did you attend a convention or special event? YOU GET A SERIALIZED PROMO CARD!
They’re literally everywhere and MetaZoo does a good job making sure their fans receive special cards for all sorts of reasons. But we’re not here to talk about serialized cards. So what are the next best MetaZoo rare cards that are NOT found in Booster packs?
I would certainly say the SAMPLE CARDS that were originally printed back in 2020 are some of the best MetaZoo rare cards found outside of booster boxes and packs. With only 100 of each in existence, these special rare cards were mainly in the hands of the early pledgers during the initial Kickstarter phase.
Now it’s very difficult to locate any of these sample cards for less than $100. Most of the heavy hitters in the set (Mothman, Sam Sinclair, Headless Horseman, etc) are all bringing closer to $1,000+. By far these are some of the rarest and most expensive cards you’ll find in the world of MetaZoo.
Should you invest in MetaZoo Sample Cards? I don’t think it could hurt to add a few to your portfolio. Just don’t break the bank.
Sample cards are not notoriously great investments, but I think the MetaZoo samples are different. Their unique black borders and card list FULL of great cards could push interest in these cards over the long haul. It’s a gamble, but I think the right sample card might be worth it long term. Here’s my gamble below….Johnny Appleseed for the win!
Wrap Up
So there you have it. I think between the super 1/1 Mothman Alternate Art card, the very tough to find Secret Rares and the black bordered sample cards from 2020, you’ll easily find some of the rarest cards in all of MetaZoo.
If you’re lucky to have any of them, that’s awesome and I would definitely recommend holding them tight long term.
If you have any other questions about MetaZoo or would like to make any suggestions for any future stories about this awesome Trading Card Game, please hit me up on the contact page. Hope to hear from you soon! And oh yeah…..KEEP INVESTING IN MAGIC (and other TCG’s)!
