What if the alpha, beta, etc playtest cards had more certainty in all regards, such as how many copies there are, the provenance, if there is more around, etc. What tier cards would you put these in? It feels like these are a short term flip long term dip. However, if there was more certainty around them, they feel like S tier cards that would be an awesome addition to the hobby.
That is the question. Assuming they are completely legitimate (inc whether they were mounted on card originally or recently) and there are not other unknown variants to be released on the market, even if the supply is thousands per card I personally still rate them like trophies⊠I am not sure the wider market would necessarily agree with me. They are paper on card, not professionally made cards like the more traditional trophy cards. So it is important to look at them in their own category in comparison to anything else on the market.
But over the course of the next year, if supply continues to enter the market how will prices hold up? Even though I like the cards, if I spent a lot of money now only for the prices to decrease significantly I would feel it was reckless spending with too many unknowns. The hype already seems softer after the new supply hit the market right after the goldin sale ended with fairly high prices. Like with investing, you can be right but at the wrong time. So for the time being, I am tentatively interested. It could be that the price is dumped for a year or so and then a few years later the price appreciates once people feel they have a grip on the supply numbers and the cards are more evenly distributed. So if all details around authenticity/supply/variants checks out even with the worst case scenario dumping in the short-near term, with enough time they may still be considered S tier imo (if people do not find the paper mounted on card part too bothersome).
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Iâm confused:
Are you arguing they ARE or ARE NOT like trophies? Because Iâm understanding, youâre arguing both sides here, so Iâm confused.
There are a lot of unknowns with these, BUT if we are to assume more certainty in all aspects, I might put them in a similar tier to trophies, but a little below. I donât really like âtieringâ cards based on things other than their provenance, however. trophies are trophies, because they are such, not because of their value. There may be similar value in other cards, but that doesnât make them trophies.
Again, assuming more information and certainty around them, I would personally put them lower down. Compare them to the other test print cards weâve seen - eReader, for example - but more desireable because of the history behind them. I mean, if there were more, then absolutely? Itâs tought to answer without knowing more, THAT is why we want to know more. When we say âcompare them toâ we are really saying, âby what bar should we measure themâ. IMO.
Yes, I mean to argue both sides. Personally I rate them like trophies, but with the understanding they are quite a different beast (being paper mounted on card). Perhaps this different characteristic will put them below trophy cards in terms of how they are valued. Yes a trophy card is a specific type of reward card. Perhaps a better comparison is simply the highest tier cards that are non set cards. Before the introduction of these playtest/prototype/presentation cards you had things like the illustrator, snap cards etc if you wanted to buy the top tier. These new cards are added to the mix, will the market value them similarly? You are right that they are also different because they are cards not meant for release, rather experimentation/testing. Perhaps comparing them to other test cards is more apt.
All of this being said, yes there are too many things that we so far do not know to properly value them. Maybe there are thousands of each card, along with uncut paper sheets (who knows, maybe these âcardsâ were recently cut from paper sheets and stuck to card!?). A lot is up in the air, maybe in a year or so we will have a more clear understanding. Certain details have so far not been as forthcoming as we might like.
Yes, with items that are fresh to market we make comparisons to try and establish some idea of value. But without clear details around supply etc, that is an impossible task.
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This also makes me think of âofficial proxyâ cards - which exist now, thanks to WotC - the notion of which really makes me cringe from all but the kitchen table PoV⊠Then I realize those official proxies were hundreds of dollars, so even that PoV cringes. 
The distinction there is that these playtests are NOT commercially printed. Thankfully, they are significantly different beasts.
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Incidentally mtg printed âpresentationâ sheets of cards before the release https://youtu.be/y46KoMvwE_s?t=904 (cut and stick to card? 
)
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