Over 100 Magic: The Gathering cards from the Jeff Ferreira Collection that are certified by CGC Trading Cards® are being offered in an upcoming Heritage Auctions sale. Online bidding is already underway for Auction #7323, which is set to take place on March 24-25, 2023.
The Jeff Ferreira Collection is a special group of Magic: The Gathering cards, most of which have been signed, painted or customized by various artists that have worked on the Magic: The Gathering TCG. The primary focus of the collection are CGC-certified cards that have been sketched and / or signed by Christopher Rush, with the signature verified by Ferreira. Rush is best known as the illustrator of Black Lotus, and the auction includes a Black Lotus, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition (Beta) Artist Proof graded CGC 8.5 with sub-grades of 8.5 for Centering, 9 for Surface, and 8.5 for Corners and Edges (lot 36014). This card should become one of the most expensive Magic cards ever sold.
Ferreira’s collection also includes several cards from the Magic: The Gathering World Championships Pro Tour Decks. These cards were intentionally left blank so the owner could draw or paint their own designs on the front of the card. These cards are immensely popular with collectors who seek out Magic: The Gathering artists, to commission work on them.
One such example in the auction includes this Blank (2004) World Championship Deck Card graded CGC 8 with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering, 8 for Surface and Corners, and 9 for Edges (lot 36046). The blank front features a painted depiction of R2-D2 from Star Wars wearing a Santa hat looking at a Black Lotus. The card is titled “Black Lotus,” while the flavor text jokingly reads, “The Lotus awakens.” The CGC Trading Cards label includes a notation that the Christopher Rush signature is verified by Ferreira.
Another stunning hand painted example of the infamous Black Lotus occurs on one of the most popular basic land types in Magic: The Gathering; a Plains from the 1998 Unglued set which normally shows the art of Christopher Rush but was painted to showcase the iconic Black Lotus. This card is graded CGC 7.5. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the unaltered card and the masterpiece created by Rush.
Other CGC-certified highlights pedigreed to the Jeff Ferreira collection in the auction include:
a Blood of the Martyr (1994) The Dark, altered by Christopher Rush graded CGC 8 (lot 36040)
a Plains (1998) French Ice Age Artist Proof, with a Black Lotus Drawn on Back graded CGC 8 (lot 36059)
a Blank Card (1996) World Championship Decks, with a hand painted Black Lotus and heart graded CGC 7 (lot 36065)
a Quartet of Phyrexian Negator (1999) Urza's Destiny Artist Proofs, with hand painted backs making a mosaic graded CGC 8 and CGC 8.5 (lot 36070)
a Eureka, (1994) Legends graded CGC 9.5 (lot 37049)
a Hell's Caretaker (1994) Legends graded CGC Pristine 10 (lot 37054)
a Mirror Universe, (1994) Legends graded CGC 9.5 with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering, 10 for Surface, 9.5 for Corners and 9.5 for Edges (lot 37058)
a Ishan's Shade (1995) Homelands Artist Proof signed by Christopher Rush graded CGC 8.5 (lot 37120)
