On April 16, 2020, the original painting of Ali from Cairo by Mark Poole, from Magic: the Gathering’s first expansion set Arabian Nights, was sold on eBay for $56,200.
Ali from Cairo by Mark Poole. Traditional. 7” x 8.25” matted to 9” x 11”
Mark Poole is one of Magic: the Gathering’s original 25 artists. His Ali from Cairo is a traditional work that exclusively appeared in Arabian Nights in 1993. While original Magic artwork is often painted much larger for current sets, this size is all but standard for the time period, as it had to be small enough to fit on the scanners of the day at Wizards of the Coast headquarters. It has only been digitally reprinted one time for Masters Edition IV for Magic Online.
The work was offered on eBay via auction, beginning at $9.99 with no reserve. It carried the follow description:
TONIGHT WE HAVE 2 ORIGINAL PIECES OF ARTWORK FOR THE 1993 MAGIC THE GATHERING MORALE AND ALI CAIRO CARDS. THEY WERE GIVEN TO THE OWNER OF ONE OF THE DISTRIBUTORS WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT BACK IN 1993. AS A THANK YOU FOR BEING ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR DISTRIBUTORS FOR THE CARDS. WOW WHO WOULD IMAGINE THAT THEY WOULD BE WORTH A FORTUNE NOW. WITH ORIGINAL CARDS GOING FOR UPWARDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN SEVERAL CASES. JUST IMAGINE HOW MUCH THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK IS WORTH!!! THEY ARE BOTH DONE ON ARTBOARD AND ARE MATTED AND READY TO FRAME EACH PIECE OF ART IS 8 1/4 INCHES LONG BY JUST UNDER 7 INCHES TALL. THE MATTING IS 9 1/2 INCHES BY 11 INCHES, THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME FIND. TO COME FROM THE ORIGINAL 1993 CARDS. THE LAST PICTURE IN THIS AUCTION SHOWS HOW THE ART LOOKS AS IT APPEARS ON THE CARD.
As the bidding climbed, several posts on the various Magic art-related Facebook groups called into question its authenticity, as several areas seem to not match as to what was on the card. Look closely at the red jewel on his turban and compare it to the card above.
However, an astute observation by Magic artist Aaron Miller hypothesized that the printed art probably underwent both stretching and compression during the early printing process to make it fit the frame, and that this could be the root cause of the inconsistencies. It was further proven authentic when Jeff Ferreira, Poole’s longtime agent, confirmed with a simple, “They are legit.” Ferreira and Poole have worked together for a very long time, and he knows the artist’s work better than anyone alive.
It would be a classic fight to the finish in the closing minutes of the auction. When the final bell rang, the artwork was sold for $56,200, another “peak” in the ever rising market for original Magic art.
Market Comparison
In the past few years, only a few examples of Arabian Nights original artwork has been offered in the public marketplace. On July 22, 2018, the original painting for Shahrazad by Kaja Foglio was sold by Heritage Auction for $72,000 including Buyer’s Premium, which was a news breaking and record setting price at the time. It was one of several catalysts that spurned the market for original MTG artwork as is responsible for the current strength of the market.
On November 24, 2019 Heritage Auction sold another Arabian Nights painting, Ydwen Efreet by longtime and also one of the original 25 MTG artists, Drew Tucker. A lesser known card and considerably smaller work at 5.5 inches by 7 inches, it sold for $19,800 including Buyer’s Premium, still a very strong price considering the market it was sold in.
Large sales such as this often encourage new works long since forgotten to appear in the market. As of the writing of this article, no such thing has happened, but be sure to stay tuned for Hipsters of the Coast for more Art Market Minutes as the tide of original Magic: the Gathering art continues to rise.