Anniversary releases are built for two different people at once: the player who wants reprints of cards that have become expensive, and the collector who wants the special treatment printed on a favourite card. Quarter Century Bonanza sits squarely in that tradition, celebrating twenty-five years of the trading card game.

Reprints do the quiet work

The most useful thing about a celebration set is usually not the chase card. It is the reprints. When staples come back into print, their price on the secondary market tends to soften, which makes decks cheaper to build for everyone. If you play as well as collect, that is the part worth reading the card list for.

The anniversary treatment

The commemorative rarity is the draw for collectors: a familiar card, printed with a finish you cannot get from a normal set. Whether that finish holds its value depends on how many people keep their boxes sealed and how often the card is reprinted later. Treat any promise of future value with caution, including ours.

Open it or keep it sealed?

Sealed product tends to hold value better over long periods than loose cards, simply because most of it gets opened. If you want the cards, open it and enjoy the game. If you are buying as a collector, buy sealed, store it flat, away from sunlight and damp, and accept that you are making a bet.

Checking what you are buying

Anniversary product is often released in several formats, and the same set name can cover boxes, tins and display cases with different contents. Read the product description carefully, check the card count per pack, and confirm the edition and language before you order.