Magic: The Gathering Artist Proofs have become a rare collector’s item

Maximum Magic the Gathering At events, you will see guest artists with card binders priced very differently than you would expect. These are likely artist proofs, also known as “whitebacks” or “APs”. So what are artist proofs and why should you care?

First of all, you don’t have to worry about it. Whitebacks are an entirely optional thing magic, just like Secret Lair falls off to some extent. But they represent an interest in the hobby that’s just a step above the ordinary. It has always been common for illustrators like me who work with Wizards of the Coast to receive free copies of products that feature our art, so we have printed samples for our portfolios, such as copies of Dungeons & Dragons Books we illustrated. This is common across industries. If I’ve worked on other clients’ books or magazines, I usually get free copies as well.

but magic is randomly packed, with different cards getting different levels of rarity. Just giving each artist a box of booster packs wouldn’t guarantee that we’ll get examples of our own art on finished cards. However, if they gave us real cards, their values ​​would vary wildly in the secondary market. I would have several free copies of Storm

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Therefore early in the history of magic, Wizards came up with the idea for artist proofs. The company decided to print real cards in fixed quantities, but with the card back blank—hence the name “Whitebacks”. These are then distributed to artists, solving both problematic issues: artists were guaranteed copies of their art in print, and issues of rarity and card value were taken off the table as the cards weren’t “real” cards. Early in my career, they proved extremely useful. I even remember sending some away in the physical portfolios I sent to potential clients.

The revised editionpublished in 1994, may have been the first set of regularly issued artist proofs. beta There are also proofs printed retrospectively a few months after this release. There were none alpha or Arabian Nights evidence at all.

Soon after they were made, however, players began to get curious. After all, these are official Wizards printed items, and as such, they are extremely rare. How rare? Usually they are printed with only 50 copies per card. In fact, this was even stated in contracts with the artists that go back a long way. So if you see a magic Whiteback in the wild, it’s one of only about 50 in the world.

Photo: Randy Gallegos

There are of course exceptions. Early on, Wizards attempted to print artist proofs in foreign language localizations. I started to illustrate ice age; that was the last set where this was attempted and i received one a lot of from ice age Proofs. All the English ones are long gone, but I still have some versions in other languages. Fourth edition

At some point, some artists had the brilliant idea of ​​numbering their proofs. (As far as I can tell, this may have been Mark Poole, who began numbering some early proofs but found the practice irksome and abandoned it for a number of years.) The numbering underscored the true limited edition status of these cards and most Artists have followed suit. I started numbering mine from 2013 gate crash Extension.

On rare occasions, artists have received more than 50 copies – sometimes fewer. I once got a stack of proofs for another artist and had to forward them. For Shadows over Innistrad, I numbered Dead Weight to 100, plus 30 slides. For Levels of Loyalty, I received and numbered my proofs, then some time later another 50 copies of Vindictive Vampire turned up! I had already signed mine so I threw away the extras. But no oops. Limited means limited!

So these unusual collectibles were there almost from the start. But why own these? They’re not even tournament legal. Some players wrap them up and use them casually, others try to sneak them into tournaments. I’ve met at least one person who tried to build an entire cube of artist prints as well!

In addition, they are considered extremely rare magic cards go. This is also the reason why their prices are often higher than their counterparts.

Image: Randy Gallegos

Many artists create art on the white backs of their artist’s proofs. These are natural canvases, and drawing on the back was common from the start. With a little preparation, these cards can also be painted very well with acrylic and oil paint. You may find some cards already have custom artwork on them, and often you can commission the artist to create something just for you. There is also an active secondary market where collectors buy, sell, and trade their artist copies for custom artwork. Unfortunately, as paper materials change, so does artist’s proofs, and some materials draw poorly. (amonkhetI’m looking at you!)

Image: Randy Gallegos

Above all, artist prints make great keepsakes of your favorite artists. It may not matter much today, but since some of us have passed away, these can be very special keepsakes later. Even more than a signed card, these are items straight from the artist’s studio and outside of the secondary market, they come straight from the hands of that artist. In fact, buying direct from the artist is a cool way to support their work.

Of course, as a bonus, these are physical items, so players Magic: The Gathering Arena have no digital counterpart. One can envision a future where NFT signatures are introduced that kind of overlay your in-game maps, but I wouldn’t hold my breath to wait.