Legendary Misprints and the Wild World of Error Cards
A perfectly centered image, sharp corners, clean edges, and a spotless surface. It’s the dream of every collector to pull a beautiful, high-quality card from the package and slide it right into a waiting sleeve. These perfections are testaments to the manufacturer’s technology and dedication, and those lucky enough to grab them treasure the memory for the rest of their lives.
But what about when things go wrong at the factory? Not just poor quality. There’s nothing special about a chipped edge or an off-kilter graphic.
We’re talking really wrong. Like, “how did this make it out the door,” wrong. Something so strange or unexpected that it passes straight through the realm of uninteresting mistakes and into a category all its own.
Masterpiece from madness. Beauty from the bizarre. That’s right: today we’re in the world of legendary misprint cards.
In this blog, we’re going to cover 4 of the most interesting (and valuable) misprint cards ever created. We’ll ask how, why, and answer the most pressing question of all: how much do these things go for?
The $216,000 Blastoise with a Magic: The Gathering Back
In 1998, just 5 years after founder Peter Adkison had firmly established Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) as a U.S. CCG giant with Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon was looking for a partner. Having fully gained steam in the Japanese market, Pokémon needed a U.S. manufacturer that could meet the booming demand quickly, and WoTC was perfectly positioned.
The licensing agreement was a no-brainer for both parties. In 1999, when Pokémon officially hit stores in the U.S., the company sold 400k packs of cards in just six weeks.
But, before they could have ever hoped to match the demand Pokémania had thrust upon the U.S. market, WoTC needed to prove their capabilities–to themselves if no one else.
Thus, the fabled “Blastoise with MTG back” was born.
What Does a Blastoise with MTG Back Sell For?
According to former WoTC employee Chris Nitz, the four known Blastoise with MTG backs (plus one featuring Growlithe) were produced as part of a testing process and were never meant to see the light of day. They didn’t until September 2016 when they were uncovered (and ruthlessly analyzed) in a Facebook group.
5 years later, one sold at auction for a staggering $216,000.
Given their unique backstory, unlikely existence, and the nostalgic marriage of two of the most widely-loved CCGs of all time, that surely won’t be the last we hear of these incredibly rare frankencards.
And yes, yes, technically this wasn’t a misprint card, but the story was too interesting to ignore. However, this next one fits all the qualifications!
The Myth, the Hoax, the Holy Grail: Prerelease Raichu
When Wizards of the Coast was preparing for the launch of the Jungle set in 1999, the company printed a small batch of Clefable cards stamped with the word “PRERELEASE” in gold foil, a now-standard promotional practice to build early hype. But somewhere in the chaos of pre-launch production, a sheet of Base Set Raichu cards accidentally received that same gold stamp.
At first, few believed it. The idea of a Prerelease Raichu floated around message boards like an urban legend. Many knew someone who knew someone who had seen one, while others called it a prank. Wizards employees refused to confirm its existence, and no official documentation seemed to exist.
But that all changed when a few blurry photos emerged in the mid-2000s. The internet was ablaze with speculation–some still clinging to the notion that this was all just an elaborate hoax–until former WoTC employee Lee Stanchak eventually confirmed the mistake. These cards were never supposed to leave the print factory, but a few did, and live on today as mythical creations sought after by Pokémon lovers around the world.
Estimating the Worth–And Rarity–of Prerelease Raichu Misprint Cards
Estimates put the total number of genuine Prerelease Raichus at fewer than 10 to 11. One sold for around $10,500 back in 2006. Today? A confirmed authentic version with a high grade could fetch six figures with ease.
In the world of misprint cards, few tread the line between myth and material like this one.
The Rarest Storm: Summer Magic’s Blue Hurricane
In the wake of the error-ridden Revised Edition of Magic: The Gathering in 1994, Wizards of the Coast attempted a quiet fix. They printed a limited “corrected” run internally dubbed Summer Magic. It was supposed to be a stopgap to resolve glaring issues like incorrect artwork and color mismatches. Instead, they created a new misprint so iconic that it’s now one of the rarest MTG cards in existence: the Blue Hurricane.
Hurricane, a green sorcery that damages all flyers, was printed with a blue card border and blue mana symbols, despite having no place in blue’s slice of the color pie. Wizards quickly scrapped the entire print run, ordering most of the boxes destroyed. But a few slipped through.
Today, only an estimated 40–50 copies of Blue Hurricane are known to exist. Most are in the hands of veteran collectors who rarely let them go.
Why Blue Hurricane Commands Premium Prices
Because of its rarity and the bizarre nature of the error, Blue Hurricane is widely considered a crown jewel among MTG misprint cards. Copies have fetched $20,000–$30,000 or more in private sales, with near-mint examples potentially worth even more.
The Profane Bat: Billy Ripken’s “F* Face” Misprint Card
In 1989, Fleer released its annual baseball card set, unaware that one of its commons would soon ignite a national controversy. The culprit? A photo of Baltimore Orioles infielder Billy Ripken, casually posing with a bat. Etched on the knob, in crude capital letters, was a phrase that would become infamous: “F*** FACE.”
Nobody at Fleer caught it. Not the photographer, not the editors, not the printers. Packs shipped. Kids opened them. Moms got angry. Dads chuckled, then got angry. The story exploded. Fleer scrambled to cover the blunder, issuing multiple censored variants: white-out, black boxes, scribbles, and even airbrushed shadows. But by then, thousands of uncensored copies were already in circulation.
How a Joke Became a Collectible
Though not rare by print-run standards, the original error card quickly became a collector’s curiosity. Prices surged to over $100 during the peak of the frenzy. Today, a PSA 10 “F*** Face” Ripken can sell for $1,500–$2,000, depending on condition and variant. It remains one of the most notorious error cards in sports history, and proof that sometimes, a little mischief (and zero proofreading) is all it takes to create a legend.
Misprint cards may start as accidents, but they often become the most legendary (and valuable) pieces in any collection. From rare production errors to infamous oversights, these cards remind us that perfection isn’t always the goal. Sometimes, it’s the unexpected quirks that capture the imagination.
If you’re lucky enough to snag a misprint of your own—or just want to protect your most prized pulls—Goat Armor’s premium card sleeves and binders are built to safeguard what matters. Whether you’re chasing pristine PSA 10s or off-center oddities, keep your collection safe, sharp, and showcase-ready with gear designed for serious TCG players and collectors.
