Last year, American rapper and singer Post Malone dropped $800,000 on a rare Black Lotus card signed by the artist who drew it, making it the most expensive Magic: The Gathering card purchase ever — until now. He may have paid as much as $2 million for The One Ring, a one-of-a-kind card released in June.
According to lore in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, the One Ring was forged in the fires of Mount Doom for the dreadful sorcerer Sauron. However, through fate or fortune — perhaps both — the trading card embodiment has landed in the hands of an unlikely hero, Mr. Malone.
He purchased the single-print card from TikTok user Brook Trafton, who posted a video on social media Tuesday after finding the card. In the video, which has racked up nearly 4 million views, Trafton's hand shakes as he examines the card. "LOOK WHAT I FOUND! LET'S GOOOO!" Trafton wrote.
The card was found to be in mint condition when it was rated by the sports and trading card grading company, Professional Sports Authenticator, or PSA.
𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝙂𝙍𝘼𝘿𝙀𝘿
— PSAcard (@PSAcard) June 30, 2023
The One Ring is found, authenticated, and now rules them all. pic.twitter.com/k4flMy8VXF
The purchase price for the card hasn't been disclosed, but the gaming news site TheGamer reported that the card received a $2 million bounty when it was first released in the Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set in late June.
Trafton wrote in a TikTok post that he has played Magic: The Gathering since childhood, and was tempted to keep the card for himself. But, he said, "[F]or a guy like me, being able to sell it is life changing. I just really hoped it would go to someone who would appreciate it as much as I do."
A die-hard Magic fan, Malone shared his story of spending $800,000 on one of the game's rarest cards, the Black Lotus, signed by the card's artist, Chris Rush, while on the Howard Stern Show in June 2022.
He even has cards made in his honor. Wizards of the Coast, creators of the game and a subsidiary of Hasbro, dropped the Post the Enchanter card in 2021, according to PSA, among others.
This is my dream come true, meeting @PostMalone and him buying the One Ring card from me is literally a moment straight out of a fairytale. @PostMalone @wizards_magic you’ve changed my life. Things like this don’t happen to people like me. Forever grateful 🙏 ✨ #mtg #onering pic.twitter.com/VMBlDA1HdD
— Brook Trafton (@BrookTrafton) August 1, 2023
Trafton shared a video Wednesday on TikTok and on X Corp, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which shows him meeting Malone for the sale of the card.
"Yeah, I'll take it," Malone said before laughing and hugging Trafton.
Trafton said the rapper's purchase changed his life and that he's forever grateful.
"This is my dream come true," Trafton wrote. "Meeting Post Malone and him buying the One Ring card from me is literally a moment straight out of a fairytale."
