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Library/Game/Magic: The Gathering
Grade A21 sourcesHIS-01324

Magic: The Gathering

Game · 1993 · Niche

31Editable slideCertificate

Magic's first printing sold out; annual revenue later reached a reported $1.72 billion.

CGC Pristine 10 Alpha Black Lotus
CGC Cards
Magic: The Gathering logo
Wizards of the Coast / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Magic card art from Wizards' Looking Back retrospective
Wizards of the Coast
The Mythic Invitational champion with the trophy
Wizards of the Coast
Players at a Magic Pro Tour qualifier in Rostock, Germany
Sebastian Rittau

Spread Score

How it works
Reach31Contagion10Breadth80Velocity0Longevity2631

Numbers

Observed peak date
Week of Jun 10, 2025
Aug 5 ’93 to Week of Jun 10, 2025
Platforms
4
Started on Retail
Origin
Mixed
Toys & collectibles

Mechanics

  • Scarcity drop
  • Variable rewardPrimary
  • Resale market
  • Maker origin
  • Platform jump

How it spread

Trace the origin

Magic reached game stores in August 1993, sold out Alpha, and drew players onto Usenet. Tournaments and YouTube videos widened its audience. Hasbro reported record annual Magic revenue for fiscal 2025.

Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia viewsApr ’92Sep ’93Jul ’94Dec ’96Jan ’04Feb ’11Sep ’16Jun ’19Nov ’21Oct ’24Mar ’26Observed peakRetailPressOpen webTwitch
RetailPressOpen webTwitch

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. July 1993

    Wizards of the Coast precursor · Jul 1993

    Wizards demonstrated Magic at Origins, with cards for demonstration rather than sale.[1][2]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. August 1993

    Wizards of the Coast / Richard Garfield seed · Aug 5 ’93

    Wizards released Magic's Alpha printing for public sale.[2][3]

  3. Gen Con buyers commercial · By end of Aug 1993

    By August's end, Magic had sold out the cards Wizards brought to Gen Con.[1][4]

  1. owner response · Oct 1993

  2. press · Nov 18 ’93

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Why it worked

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Origin
Mixed
Sector
Toys & collectibles
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade A

Spread the same way

Game · Retail · 202340

Disney Lorcana

Ravensburger (publisher); Disney (licensor)

Ravensburger reported 2.8 billion Disney Lorcana cards sold after launch shortages.

2.8B sold

1 / 8

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New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.