Collectors' Edition

The backs of all CE cards featured a distinctive gold border.

The Collectors' Edition of Magic: The Gathering was released on December 10, 1993. Approximately 9000 sets were printed for the U.S. and Canada ("CE"), and another 5000 were printed for international release (International Edition, "ICE"). The boxes (WOC6800, ISBN 4281806800) retailed originally for US$49.95.

Each set was sold in a collector's box with 363 cards. This included one of each of the 302 cards from the Limited Edition Beta printing plus an additional 61 basic land cards. The cards were separated into 6 plastic-wrapped groups. The sorting and order of the cards related to the printing sheets and sorting process used, which explains the rare Islands.

The faces are identical to the Beta printing, but have square corners. The reverse side has gold borders around the edges and gold printing saying either "Collector's Edition" or "International Edition".

The bottom of the box has this message:

"This special collectors' edition of Magic: The Gathering contains all 302 cards from the original Deckmaster series of playable trading cards. The complete set is augmented with duplicates of the many land cards, making a total of 363 cards. These cards are produced in a special collectors' format with square-cut corners and gold borders. So pick up the Magic: The Gathering Collectors' Edition and explore the whole world in one box."

Existing sets

The original announcement for the sets said that there were to be 10000 sets of the CE sets printed but, quoted in this newsgroup posting, Peter Adkison stated:

"Originally we were only going to do 10,000 factory sets, and we announced it that way. But then sales started coming in for WAY more than that. And then it started to take off in Europe. So, we decided to print another 5,000 for distribution primarily overseas, and call those the International Editions. Originally we intended to sell the Collectors Edition ones only in the US and Canada, and the International Editions only overseas.

But then the printer shorted us nearly 10% of the print run, i.e., nearly 1,000 less than what we ordered, on the Collectors Edition cards. And, as I said, we had orders for way more than 10,000 to begin with so the distributors (and consequently the retailers, and consequently y'all) were already pissed off (or would have been) at being pro-rated. Rather than pro-rate them again, we substituted in some of the International Editions."

Over time, a vast majority of the sets have been opened for various reasons, such as for play, storage in card binders, or individual sale. Some of the cards, especially the ones representing the Power 9, were made into counterfeits, usually by rounding the corners and either "re-backing" them or carefully scraping the gold layer off.

Contents

Here follows a list of the contents of the set, arranged according to the order packaged within the sealed groups.

Pack 1

Timetwister Armageddon Aspect of Wolf Wheel of Fortune Darkpact Dingus Egg Underground Sea Wrath of God Web Power Surge Mind Twist Stasis Braingeyser Veteran Bodyguard Fastbond Rock Hydra Nether Shadow Time Walk Blessing Kudzu Shivan Dragon Will-O-The-Wisp Island Drain Power Reverse Damage Time Vault Living Artifact Plateau Two-Headed Giant of Foriys Royal Assassin Nevinyrrals Disk Island Jayemdae Tome Sedge Troll Clockwork Beast Copy Artifact Kormus Bell Purelace Verduran Enchantress Helm of Chatzuk Earthquake Scrubland Demonic Hordes Mana Vault Mox Jet Thoughtlace Personal Incarnation Living Lands Illusionary Mask Goblin King Fork Bayou Howling Mine Demonic Attorney Gauntlet of Might

Pack 2

Psionic Blast Phantasmal Forces Crystal Rod Green Ward Plains Karma Juggernaut Wall of Brambles Forest Channel Camouflage Goblin Balloon Brigade Mountain Dwarven Demolition Team Hypnotic Specter Swamp Black Knight Cursed Land Black Vise Phantom Monster Siren's Call Red Ward Resurrection Wall of Swords Celestial Prism Plains Wanderlust Lifeforce Forest Wooden Sphere Dragon Whelp Mountain Tunnel Uthden Troll Glasses of Urza Wall of Water Water Elemental Lance Plains Jade Statue Blue Ward Regrowth Ley Druid Forest Mountain Fire Elemental Wall of Fire Soul Net Sacrifice Scavenging Ghoul Gloom Swamp Wall of Air Island Air Elemental

Pack 3

Island Flight Psychic Venom Island Circle of Protection: Green Plains Samite Healer Forest Craw Wurm Forest Fog Stone Rain Gray Ogre Mountain Earthbind Weakness Swamp Drain Life Island Blue Elemental Blast Phantasmal Terrain Island Holy Strength Disenchant Plains Pearled Unicorn Shanodin Dryads Forest Regeneration Mountain Disintegrate Hurloon Minotaur Mountain Raise Dead Swamp Pestilence Swamp Merfolk of the Pearl Trident Island Spell Blast Circle of Protection: White Mesa Pegasus Plains Holy Armor Forest Grizzly Bears Stream of Life Forest Mountain Dwarven Warriors Firebreathing Scathe Zombies Swamp Terror Paralyze

Pack 4

Creature Bond Island Island Invisibility Circle of Protection: Red Healing Salve Plains Wild Growth Forest Ironroot Treefolk Tranquility Mountain Fireball Mons's Goblin Raiders Mountain Swamp Drudge Skeletons Unholy Strength Jump Island Prodigal Sorcerer Power Leak Plains Circle of Protection: Blue Guardian Angel Plains Forest Scryb Sprites Llanowar Elves Ironclaw Orcs Red Elemental Blast Mountain False Orders Dark Ritual Plague Rats Swamp Fear Power Sink Twiddle Island Plains Benalish Hero Circle of Protection: Black Mountain Giant Growth Forest Wall of Wood War Mammoth Hill Giant Shatter Mountain Swamp Frozen Shade Swamp Sinkhole Sea Serpent Island Unsummon Death Ward Plains Giant Spider Forest Lightning Bolt Mountain Howl from Beyond Swamp

Pack 5

Sol Ring Consecrate Land Plains Serra Angel Conservator Ice Storm Wall of Ice Forest Basalt Monolith Flashfires Orcish Artillery Simulacrum Bog Wraith Swamp Animate Artifact Clone Icy Manipulator Plains Conversion White Ward Obsianus Golem Lure Forest Tsunami Hurricane Copper Tablet Wall of Stone Iron Star Mountain Earth Elemental Evil Presence Sengir Vampire Swamp Counterspell Steal Artifact Island Lifetap Swords to Plowshares Plains Ivory Cup Castle Forest Thicket Basilisk Instill Energy Keldon Warlord Mountain Living Wall Burrowing Deathgrip Swamp Wall of Bone Animate Dead Throne of Bone Feedback Control Magic Black Ward White Knight Library of Leng Berserk Rod of Ruin Orcish Oriflamme Stone Giant Mountain Demonic Tutor Nettling Imp Swamp

Pack 6

Island Sanctuary Pirate Ship Balance Island Gaea's Liege Smoke Deathlace Tropical Island Ankh of Mishra Zombie Master Lich Island Volcanic Eruption Volcanic Island Mahamoti Djinn Farmstead Force of Nature Roc of Kher Ridges Warp Artifact Lord of Atlantis The Hive Chaoslace Forcefield Word of Command Vesuvan Doppelganger Savannah Lions Meekstone Timber Wolves Mox Pearl Granite Gargoyle Badlands Contract from Below Cyclopean Tomb Birds of Paradise Mana Short Crusade Natural Selection Taiga Mana Flare Lord of the Pit Disrupting Scepter Blaze of Glory Mox Ruby Cockatrice Magical Hack Northern Paladin Fungusaur Raging River Mox Sapphire Bad Moon Black Lotus Ancestral Recall Righteousness Savannah Lifelace Chaos Orb Sleight of Mind Tundra Animate Wall Sunglasses of Urza Elvish Archers Mox Emerald Manabarbs Jade Monolith Nightmare Winter Orb

Gallery

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  A sealed CE box.

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  An ICE Air Elemental front and back.