Crypto Trading Cards: Everything You Need to Know
If you follow crypto news, you likely heard about one lucky GameStop customer who found a Bitcoin tucked into a pack of crypto trading cards. But what are these cards exactly, and who makes them?
Don’t fret; we’ve got all the answers, so keep reading to learn more about cryptocurrency trading cards and whether or not you should buy a pack.
What Are Cryptocurrency Trading Cards?
Cryptocurrency trading cards were created by Cardsmiths, and they are a variety of cards depicting crypto themes. The themes range from a variety of currencies (such as Bitcoin and Ethereum) as well as large players in the cryptocurrency world (Michael Saylor for example).
These cards were first invented in 2022, and the company is reportedly on its third printing now. They are considered to be collector’s items, and the rarer cards are worth more.
Related: Who is Michael Saylor?
What Are the Rarest Crypto Trading Cards?
New cards are added each time there is another print run of crypto trading cards, but as of the writing of this article, the rarest cards are as follows.
· Meta-Rare Refractor
· Gemstone Refractor
In addition, some packs of cards contain redeemable cards—which are cards that can be immediately redeemed for a specified cryptocurrency. One lucky customer earlier this week opened his back to find a redeemable card worth 1 BTC.
Where Can You Buy Crypto Trading Cards?
Crypto trading cards are available for sale in most GameStop locations. Due to the decline in the purchase of physical video games (most people buy online now), GameStop has shifted to become a store that sells collectibles of all types.
In addition to crypto trading cards, GameStop also sells Pokémon cards as well as trading cards for all sports. They additionally continue to sell game consoles as well as games for older systems, like the Nintendo DS, which cannot be purchased digitally.
How Many Packs Do You Need to Buy to Win?
On the Cardsmiths website, they have detailed information about your chances of winning a particular card—but these trading cards are just that—a game of chance. This means we cannot predict how many packs you would need to buy to get a big redeemable card.
The individual in the Decrypt article linked above admits that it was his 12th pack of trading cards that made him a winner. At $35 per pack, he spent approximately $420 to become a winner.
According to the creator of the cards, Five 1 BTC cards were printed in the first run of crypto trading cards. To date, two have been found and announced publicly. It is unclear if the others have been found and not announced or remain unfound. However, one of the employees who was responsible for adding the redeemable cards says he believes there is only one left that has not yet been redeemed—meaning it is more likely that there were some silent redemptions that when unpublicized.
Are Crypto Trading Cards NFTs?
The crypto trading cards we are speaking about in this article are not NFTs. They are regular cardstock trading cards, just like Pokémon cards. They are not actually attached to the blockchain in any way unless you are lucky enough to win a prize that must be redeemed on the blockchain.
This information confuses some individuals, as GameStop announced in 2022 that it was entering the NFT market. While they did begin research and development, they found that the regulatory requirements were too steep, and they shut down their NFT program in 2023.
Should You Buy Crypto Trading Cards?
Crypto trading cards are a bit of a new market. Because they just launched in 2022, it is impossible to know if certain cards will one day be worth hundreds of dollars. Currently, they are mostly worthless unless you happen to buy a pack which contains a redeemable card.
Generally, we don’t recommend buying crypto trading cards as they are basically the same as gambling. But instead of having a required rate of return as most casinos do, there is no guarantee you will get any return from a pack of cards.
While sports trading cards and Pokémon cards have turned out to be worth the investment, we aren’t sure if the same thing will happen with crypto trading cards, which is why we don’t recommend spending your money on them just yet.
But if you want some cute cards with crypto memes, go right ahead—after all, there are worse ways to spend your money, and you could win big!
Related: The Best Bitcoin ETFs to Invest In
Check Out a Cryptocurrency Casino
If you like the idea of winning crypto, then it might be worthwhile to check out an online crypto casino. While this may not seem as fun for you as buying a package of trading cards and finding the winning ticket, crypto casinos will, in general, be a better use of your money.
Online cryptocurrency casinos, especially ones like MintDice.com, use algorithms to decide the winner of certain spins. These algorithms are more likely to make you a winner than buying hundreds of packs of trading cards and looking for the one remaining 1 BTC redeemable card.
While you may not win quite as big as with the 1 BTC trading card, at least it won’t cost as much to get something back from your return! Plus, you’ll save yourself several trips to the store, so it’s a win-win situation.
Overall, while it is so cool that Cardsmiths has created these cryptocurrency trading cards, we don’t think the idea of there being one grand prize left is enough to encourage you to go out and buy some. But, if you believe in the future value of these cards, pick up a pack next time you go to GameStop and see if you might be the lucky winner!
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