On the right, summer 2016, on the left, today May 7 2017. Total drop in format value from nearly 4000$ to 1200$.
Goldfish data, "fished" out with the Wayback machine.
The data you presented is incomplete. On the date you pulled, the modern staples section contained 236 cards; the current version is only 61. The new list is missing entire decks like Tron, Burn, and Scapeshift/Titan.
IMO, you are fine as long as you don't lie. Selling collections is normally at a discount anyways.
At rummage sales/swap meets, negotiate whatever price you are able, just don't claim something is worth less than it is if they ask. There is no obligation to inform them of value otherwise.
For one-on-one meets, I personally try to give them a good offer based on the collection I see, but you can negotiate whatever price you can (just don't lie).
Those who prey on the new/inexperienced within the community or use false information are sharks.
I had 4 different people commit to send to me this week; which I found surprising, since I've only had 4 trades since the site was "improved". Although, it's all just small stuff I added to entice trades.
There are several red flags if you know what to look for. You don't even have to analyze it under a microscope.
The words on the front face for the name, type, and artist are too white. They should appear grayish and contain rosettes. Cards were not printed with white words until 4th edition. This is the easiest and most obvious thing to spot.
You can see the rosette pattern in the black border of the front face clearly. It should be solid black barring printing errors, which were more common then.
The blue mana symbol has an incorrect dot pattern. It should be dithered (dots are in a grid).
On the back, the M of TM is much too bold and too sharp. It should be thin and jagged like the one on the left.
The text "The Gathering" has the wrong dot pattern, they should be dithered (dots should appear in a grid and blue dots get smaller near the top of the letters like the left picture). Also, there should be red highlighting around the letters.
Some of these could be caused by a print error but it isn't worth the risk IMO. If you want to buy dual lands, get a loupe, buy a couple cheap revised cards in every color, and study them. Review the text placement on dual lands (I have seen one on this site that had the text placement of Unlimited for name/type/artist but the rules text of Revised, very subtle but also just wrong).
I haven't played Standard for over 4 years and would continue to not play it. I don't really play modern or legacy either (because it's only on Friday nights when I just want to stop thinking). I just play casually.
I want to see the RL gone. The value of my collection be damned.
WOTC shows it can do reprints without tanking card prices, most RL cards are too terrible to reprint anyways. The original printings retain a large portion of their value. Plus, they could print foil duals and power.
Are you guys pulling that data from Oracle wording or actual printed card wording?
The data is oracle text. So some of the older cards that had keyword abilities spelled out (ie Vigilance) would have less words now than originally printed.
Yay statistics (don't know how to post a table, column names a bit off, tab delimited):
set setname setdate numcard totalwords averagewords
FUT Future Sight 05/2007 180 5339 29.6611111111111
TSP Time Spiral 09/2006 281 7985 28.4163701067616
CS Coldsnap 06/2006 150 4136 27.5733333333333
PLC Planar Chaos 01/2007 165 4477 27.1333333333333
MOR Morningtide 01/2008 150 4045 26.9666666666667
BOK Betrayers of Kamigawa 01/2005 165 4435 26.8787878787879
FRF Fate Reforged 01/2015 175 4574 26.1371428571429
AL Alliances 06/1996 199 5122 25.7386934673367
LRW Lorwyn 09/2007 281 7069 25.1565836298932
BNG Born of the Gods 02/2014 165 4138 25.0787878787879
DTK Dragons of Tarkir 03/2015 249 6204 24.9156626506024
IA Ice Age 06/1995 363 8852 24.3856749311295
FE Fallen Empires 10/1994 187 4526 24.2032085561497
DIS Dissension 04/2006 180 4353 24.1833333333333
ORI Magic Origins 07/2015 273 6476 23.7216117216117
ZEN Zendikar 09/2009 229 5418 23.6593886462882
SC Scourge 05/2003 143 3379 23.6293706293706
EVE Eventide 07/2008 180 4244 23.5777777777778
BFZ Battle for Zendikar 10/2015 249 5859 23.5301204819277
THS Theros 09/2013 229 5381 23.4978165938865
VI Visions 02/1997 167 3923 23.4910179640719
WWK Worldwake 01/2010 145 3372 23.2551724137931
SOK Saviors of Kamigawa 05/2005 165 3814 23.1151515151515
NPH New Phyrexia 05/2011 165 3812 23.1030303030303
JOU Journey into Nyx 05/2014 165 3801 23.0363636363636
SOI Shadows over Innistrad 04/2016 315 7240 22.984126984127
ARB Alara Reborn 04/2009 145 3329 22.9586206896552
TO Torment 01/2002 143 3276 22.9090909090909
AQ Antiquities 04/1994 100 2289 22.89
OGW Oath of the Gatewatch 01/2016 182 4151 22.8076923076923
JU Judgment 05/2002 143 3235 22.6223776223776
MI Mirage 10/1996 330 7408 22.4484848484848
PS Planeshift 01/2001 146 3260 22.3287671232877
TSB "Time Spiral ""Timeshifted""" 09/2006 121 2695 22.2727272727273
DKA Dark Ascension 02/2012 171 3804 22.2456140350877
CHK Champions of Kamigawa 09/2004 287 6379 22.2264808362369
NE Nemesis 02/2000 143 3169 22.1608391608392
DGM Dragon's Maze 05/2013 156 3426 21.9615384615385
RAV Ravnica: City of Guilds 09/2005 286 6250 21.8531468531469
AP Apocalypse 05/2001 143 3098 21.6643356643357
M15 Magic 2015 Core Set 07/2014 264 5709 21.625
CH Chronicles 07/1995 125 2690 21.52
LE Legions 01/2003 145 3119 21.5103448275862
DS Darksteel 01/2004 165 3546 21.4909090909091
GTC Gatecrash 01/2013 249 5348 21.4779116465863
FD Fifth Dawn 05/2004 165 3467 21.0121212121212
KTK Khans of Tarkir 09/2014 249 5224 20.9799196787149
AN Arabian Nights 12/1993 91 1902 20.9010989010989
ON Onslaught 09/2002 330 6891 20.8818181818182
GP Guildpact 01/2006 165 3443 20.8666666666667
WL Weatherlight 05/1997 167 3458 20.7065868263473
LG Legends 06/1994 310 6401 20.6483870967742
AVR Avacyn Restored 05/2012 229 4719 20.6069868995633
ROE Rise of the Eldrazi 04/2010 228 4681 20.530701754386
SOM Scars of Mirrodin 09/2010 229 4668 20.3842794759825
SHM Shadowmoor 04/2008 281 5680 20.2135231316726
RTR Return to Ravnica 10/2012 249 4990 20.0401606425703
EX Exodus 06/1998 143 2829 19.7832167832168
MBS Mirrodin Besieged 01/2011 145 2852 19.6689655172414
CFX Conflux 01/2009 145 2815 19.4137931034483
IN Invasion 09/2000 330 6352 19.2484848484849
ALA Shards of Alara 09/2008 229 4390 19.1703056768559
OD Odyssey 09/2001 330 6229 18.8757575757576
ISD Innistrad 09/2011 269 5073 18.8587360594796
DK The Dark 08/1994 119 2238 18.8067226890756
MR Mirrodin 09/2003 286 5365 18.7587412587413
UL Urza's Legacy 02/1999 143 2682 18.7552447552448
HL Homelands 10/1995 140 2603 18.5928571428571
SH Stronghold 02/1998 143 2597 18.1608391608392
4E Fourth Edition 04/1995 363 6431 17.7162534435262
5E Fifth Edition 03/1997 429 7592 17.6969696969697
M13 Magic 2013 07/2012 229 4031 17.6026200873362
M14 Magic 2014 Core Set 07/2013 229 4003 17.4803493449782
PY Prophecy 05/2000 143 2497 17.4615384615385
A Limited Edition Alpha 08/1993 285 4955 17.3859649122807
US Urza's Saga 10/1998 330 5737 17.3848484848485
U Unlimited Edition 12/1993 287 4979 17.3484320557491
B Limited Edition Beta 10/1993 287 4979 17.3484320557491
M12 Magic 2012 07/2011 229 3935 17.1834061135371
TE Tempest 10/1997 330 5591 16.9424242424242
UD Urza's Destiny 05/1999 143 2418 16.9090909090909
R Revised Edition 04/1994 291 4881 16.7731958762887
MM Mercadian Masques 09/1999 330 5427 16.4454545454545
M11 Magic 2011 07/2010 229 3667 16.0131004366812
10E Tenth Edition 07/2007 363 5673 15.6280991735537
M10 Magic 2010 07/2009 229 3400 14.8471615720524
9E Ninth Edition 07/2005 330 4528 13.7212121212121
6E Classic Sixth Edition 04/1999 330 4245 12.8636363636364
8E Eighth Edition 07/2003 330 4070 12.3333333333333
7E Seventh Edition 04/2001 330 3716 11.2606060606061
Source: Gatherer Extractor
Regex: \b[A-z]{2,}\b
Searches "ability" column for all words with 2 or more characters (excludes mana symbol text) but does include reminder text (could be a significant factor). I also excluded basic lands.
Overall, Future Sight and Time Spiral are the most wordy sets by a good margin, possibly due to lots of reminder text.
Ice Age has the most words in the set by almost 900 or about 10% more than Time Spiral but also has 82 (about 30%) more cards. Shadows over Innistrad has the 5th most words of any set.
Small sets tend to be more wordy than large sets. Core sets are generally the least wordy.
The customer sounds unreasonable, they want to you to replace the product without returning the original in full. You provided them an option and they refused.
That being said, toolkits are cheap and it may be worth the loss to make a customer happy.
Tombstone Stairwell (With so much self-mill I am shocked this isn't played more. I think people maybe don't see that it's each turn and not your turn )
It's also completely and utterly ridiculous in a Golgari shell. Imagine this next to Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest, Zulaport Cutthroat and Dictate of Erebos...
Thanks for reminding me, Gal... looks like I need to get my final three copies before a speculator reads this.
Stairwell destroys the tokens, not sacrifices. Works well with Eldrazi Monument.
Not a growing trend, just how it's always been. I've received cards from the current set in less than NM condition and pristine cards from as far back as Mirage. Some people have no concept of condition, others simply hope you don't bother opening a case.
One person who sent to me claimed their card was in perfect condition when the edge was repaired (poorly) using a marker.
The data you presented is incomplete. On the date you pulled, the modern staples section contained 236 cards; the current version is only 61. The new list is missing entire decks like Tron, Burn, and Scapeshift/Titan.
At rummage sales/swap meets, negotiate whatever price you are able, just don't claim something is worth less than it is if they ask. There is no obligation to inform them of value otherwise.
For one-on-one meets, I personally try to give them a good offer based on the collection I see, but you can negotiate whatever price you can (just don't lie).
Those who prey on the new/inexperienced within the community or use false information are sharks.
Some of these could be caused by a print error but it isn't worth the risk IMO. If you want to buy dual lands, get a loupe, buy a couple cheap revised cards in every color, and study them. Review the text placement on dual lands (I have seen one on this site that had the text placement of Unlimited for name/type/artist but the rules text of Revised, very subtle but also just wrong).
4 of the 5 lands are pre-ordering below $5 and dropping with 3 more weeks before real supply hits the market.
I want to see the RL gone. The value of my collection be damned.
WOTC shows it can do reprints without tanking card prices, most RL cards are too terrible to reprint anyways. The original printings retain a large portion of their value. Plus, they could print foil duals and power.
The data is oracle text. So some of the older cards that had keyword abilities spelled out (ie Vigilance) would have less words now than originally printed.
Source: Gatherer Extractor
Regex: \b[A-z]{2,}\b
Searches "ability" column for all words with 2 or more characters (excludes mana symbol text) but does include reminder text (could be a significant factor). I also excluded basic lands.
Overall, Future Sight and Time Spiral are the most wordy sets by a good margin, possibly due to lots of reminder text.
Ice Age has the most words in the set by almost 900 or about 10% more than Time Spiral but also has 82 (about 30%) more cards. Shadows over Innistrad has the 5th most words of any set.
Small sets tend to be more wordy than large sets. Core sets are generally the least wordy.
Fusion is smooth like the old sleeves but the quality and cut length matches the newer sleeves. Turq/Copper have a slight texture to them.
That being said, toolkits are cheap and it may be worth the loss to make a customer happy.
Stairwell destroys the tokens, not sacrifices. Works well with Eldrazi Monument.
One person who sent to me claimed their card was in perfect condition when the edge was repaired (poorly) using a marker.