The most expensive card deck is always special in one way or another. This article will mention antique card decks, one of a kind cards, decks with lavish decorations, and more. What you need to know when you go on a “hunt” for top-sale cards is to check the sale information and quality of the cards. This rule is just as important with the online sale as store-bought or collector’s items.
Our article is divided into sections dedicated to distinct types of decks and cards. Below, you can find jump links to the paragraphs you might be interested in. If you choose to read from head to start, then you might find useful information. Don’t forget to check our FAQ section at the end of the article and see our readers’ questions about the most expensive deck of cards.
Antique Playing Cards
Playing cards’ history begins over 12 centuries ago when the first gambling games appeared in China. The “leaf game” played in the year 868 AC by Princess Tongchang, daughter of Emperor Yizong of Tang, is one of the first written card games evidence. It is known that the “leaves” were pages of a book in a dice game. Unfortunately, the rules of the game were lost in time.
As the years went by, the first forms of card decks spread around the world. They conquered the rich houses and gambling dens in Egypt, Persia, Arabia and reached Europe. By the 15th century, the Mamluk 52 playing cards deck with symbols of polo-sticks, coins, swords, and cups became a stable base of the modern playing card decks and tarot decks.
Europe welcomed the innovation and soon every country created unique card designs. Most of the drawings on the cards were replaced or removed completely. The symbols received different names and image depending on the country that issued the cards. The modern cups, spades, clubs, and diamond symbols appeared in the last couple of centuries.
| Country | Hearts | Spades | Wands | Diamonds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Hearts | Pikes | Clovers | Tiles |
| Germany | Hearts | Leaves | Acorns | Bells |
| Italy | Cups | Swords | Clubs | Coins |
| Russia | Chervil (Red or Gold) | Piki (Lance) or Vinni (Vine leaves) | Cresty (Crosses) | Bubi or Bubny (Bells) |
| Spain | Cups | Swords | Clubs | Coins |
| Swiss-German | Roses | Shields | Acorns | Bells |
In the Albert Field Collection of Playing Cards, we can find information about over 6000 card decks from over 50 countries that date back to the 1550s. In the 1000 volumes of George Clulow and United States Playing Card Co. Gaming Collection, you can find even more information about the history of cards and the different antique decks and expensive playing cards.
Today, the ancient playing cards are valuable collectables for people from all around the globe. The price of the most expensive deck of playing cards in the world can go up to tens of thousands of pounds, dollars, or euro. That is so because the decks are easily scattered or destroyed by people’s actions or with time. Sometimes even preserving the card decks can’t stop the disintegration of paper or colours from fading.
Most Expensive Deck of Cards with Unique Features
What makes card decks valuable are age, preserved images, unique features, and even previous owners. The highest prices you can find at online auctions start from a few hundred dollars or pounds and reach thousands. Those are some of the most expensive deck of cards you can buy online right now with the highest price of up to £3,500:
- “Transformation Playing Cards” are a 52 cards deck created by H.F. Muller in 1818 in Vienna,Austria.
- The “Arms of English Peers” 1688 playing cards set with museum-quality is one of the decksthat draw attention.
- In 1909, the “Alaska Yukon Pacific Seattle Explosion” was released by World’s Fair PlayingCards. The 52 cards in the deck show images of the Alaska, Yukon, and Seattle landmarks, people, and technology from the 1900s.
- The “Ovale Salon Spielkarten” Playing Cards were released in 1880 by A. Twietmeyer. Those antique German cards have an oval shape in a limited edition, and today can be found just a few full decks.
The most valuable playing decks offered at famous auction houses are always complete decks in excellent condition. Those cards are not used for playing because they are purchased as an investment, as an addition to a personal collection, or as part of museum exhibitions worldwide. If you feel inspired to get an antique card deck, certain facts about playing cards can ease your choice.
Modern Playing Cards
The most expensive playing cards today can be purchased at the manufacturers’ shops or online. Many printing companies and card manufacturers offer personalised luxurious card decks with gold and silver incrustations. The cards are created by top designers and artists and are always printed on top quality paper.
Depending on the deck owner, some of those cards are kept as an investment, a personal item of value and only a few are used for playing. There are even cases where alternative and less expensive versions of those decks can be sold on the wide market or even used as an example for cards at some of the top-rated poker sites. Here are our picks of the most expensive card decks most people can afford:
As we can see, the most expensive card deck today has stunning drawings and gold stamped decorations. Other decks are part of collections or have an extremely limited number of decks printed. If you think that the prices are too high, look for a similar deck with adequate price. The alternative is to leave the paper cards and enjoy their digital version at online blackjack UK casinos and other gaming sites.
Tarot & Oracle Cards
You may find it strange, but some of the most wanted and most expensive deck of playing cards in the world are used for divination and oracle practices. As you can read in the antique card decks paragraph of this article, the first cards ever made had the popular tarot cards symbols of swords, coins, rods, and cups.
The separation of the tarot decks from the best playing cards around the world happened long ago. The most substantial difference is the divination cards’ vivid and complex images, while the normal playing cards are simplified to the maximum level. Despite the differences, tarot and oracle cards went through a transformation in art style, size, and manufacturer specifics.
When looking for the most expensive tarot decks or oracle cards, we see the same rules as the standard decks. The highest value hold centuries-old full decks in great condition. This is a list of just a few of the divination expensive playing cards you can easily find online today:
- “Antique Vintage Gypsy Hegenauer Tarot Cards” deck from the 1800s has 32 cards and can be found online for about $10,000.
- “Alchemical Tarot Card” by Rosemary Ellen and Robert M. Place costs $8500.
- The 35 cards in the “Round of Angels Oracle Cards” are evaluated as a $6000 item.
- An autographed “Tarot of Andrea Pici And Pici” can be found for $6000.
- The full deck of “Spoila Tarot Cards 2nd Edition” has an astonishing number of 94 cards and a price of $5000.
- The 21 Major Arcana card deck, “Le Tarot de Marseille”, can reach up to $5000.
- The “Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot Cards” are priced at about $4000.
- The first edition of “Mermaid Tarot” by Dame Darcy costs about $3200.
- “Cards of Nostradamus Tarot” by Isa Donelli can be bought for $3000.
- The world limited edition “Cartomanzia Italiana Tarot” can be found for $3000.
Buying used divination cards online can be dangerous because of frauds. If you are looking for something specific amongst the most expensive deck of cards, contact the owners of Tarot and oracle cards collections. Keep in mind that it is best to see the deck personally to expect the quality and “feel the energy”. If you plan to buy your first oracle deck, we recommend starting with a cheaper brand-new deck.
Sports Cards
Sports players have always delivered incredible excitement and entertainment to the masses ever since the days of the gladiators and the first Olympic Games.
We love watching athletes win and encourage them into every competition. To the fans’ favourite sportsmen, there are no physical challenges that could stop them on the way to the prize since age is just a number.
Today, all kinds of merchandise is offered to the fans as souvenirs and mementoes of great games. The most popular collectable items with athletes are cards, buttons, hats, and other small items that are easy to carry. You may not know this, but the most expensive playing cards in the world have pictures of sportsmen.
| Player | Sport | Year | Printing Company | Current Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mickey Mantle | Baseball | 1952 | Topps | $5,200,000 |
| Mike Trout with autograph | Baseball | 2009 | Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects | $3,936,000 |
| Honus Wagner | Baseball | 1909-1911 | Topps | $3,323,760 |
| Mickey Mantle | Baseball | 1952 | Topps | $2,932,287 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo with autograph | Basketball | 2013-2014 | Panini National Treasures | $1,857,300 |
The highest prices for sports cards are for baseball, basketball, and American football players from the USA. In the table, we listed only five of the many playing and collectable cards sports fans dream of owning. Going further down the list of the MVPs worldwide, you will find football, hockey, polo players, swimmers, gymnastics, and more athletes.
CCG and TCG Cards – Children Card Games Worth Millions
It may not be easy to find the most expensive card deck, but when you look for the most expensive cards globally, the task becomes a real quest. The most valuable cards may have images of sportsmen, but the rarest in the world are from collectable card games (CCG) also known as trading card games (TCG), which are next in line.
The $2,000,000 Tournament Black Luster Soldier is a Yu-Gi-Oh! card. This card is not as strong as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the Dark Magician, or Slifer The Sky Dragon. It is valuable because the image was printed on stainless steel and given as an award during the 1999 Championship in Japan.
One of the rarest TCGs has limited editions like the pre-release Raichu sold for $250,000. People say that the only 10 copies ever made from this Pokémon are solely for Wizards of The Coast employees.
Despite the scares sale information, experts value this card high, and the price goes up. Another Pokémon with incredible price tag is a Pikachu Illustrator card for $224,500.
It is rumoured that only four of those cards are in circulation on the market. Unbelievably, there are all kinds of bets related to Pokémon, starting from the winner of tournaments, Pokémon Go betting, and wagers on who and when will get the next rarest card.
The Kangaskhan Parent/Child Promo Card ($133,000) was created and given as an award to the contestants in the 1998 parent/child Pokémon tournament.
It is amazing how a single card’s value because of the emotional attachment and experience of the players can exceed the monetary value of the most expensive deck of playing cards in the world. The Alpha Black Lotus sold for €27,000 is a Magic card banned from tournament play. Only 1100 cards were created in the early days of the game, and that makes it one of the most expensive Magic cards in the history of the game.
Most Expensive Playing Cards Popular Questions
We started our article on the most expensive playing cards far back in time and moved until the present day. Now you know about the most valuable sports and collectable card games, and the playing and oracle cards. All that is left to do is answer the popular questions our readers have.