Artist proof

Magic: the Gathering artist proofs are a type of collectible non-tournament-legal cards without a Magic card back. They are provided by Wizards of the Coast to the respective artists, to sign, give away, or be sold, usually with their art signature or a small sketch on the blank back.

Description

Artist proofs are white-backed versions of Magic cards given to artists after their artwork has been released in a published Magic set. They exist in extremely limited quantities, and thus are technically rarer than any regular card printed. They are only printed once per printing, meaning when an artist has sold or given away all artist proofs from a given set, they are gone forever unless found again on the secondary market.

For current sets, artist proofs are received for most cards that are printed, once for each printing that takes place. An artist expects to receive 30 foil versions and 50 non-foil versions of each card they do, and slightly more (approximately 60) if a card has no foil printing like in Commander decks or some Secret Lairs. Today, most cards that are printed receive Artist Proofs, including most all tokens and promotional cards. The most recent exclusions are all planeswalker-stamp reprints.

The proofs serve as a secondary income outlet for artists and a way for them to showcase their work. They usually arrive to artists anywhere from 4-12 weeks after the set is released, and at that point they can be used entirely at the artist’s discretion. Some artists like Ryan Pancoast post them to online stores. Others save them for in-person conventions or kickstarter promotions. It is more often than not that collectors commission artwork on the back of the card, and this could range from a $40 pencil sketch to a $300 (or more) painting across one or more cards. They often come signed in black Sharpie on the text box, with shadow, tri-color, gold and rainbow signatures also common possibilities.

History

Magic artist proofs have existed since near the beginning of the game. They were created as a compensatory tool for artists, to be used as business cards or otherwise an example of their published artwork for this brand name game. The blank white back could then serve as a place for an artist to write their information for potential clients or collectors, or to sketch something to be gifted or sold.

The first artist proofs emerged as part of the Beta release. Until 1996 quantities varied greatly and were available in several languages. Beginning in 1997, the tradition of 50 non-foil proofs for all major expansions became standard, and then in 2015, foils began to be proofed, with artists receiving 30 of this version as well. In 2020, tokens also began receiving proofs.