The Gaffer Price
5 printings · 2 sets · first printed 2023
The Gaffer has been printed 5 times across 2 sets, first in 2023 and most recently in 2026. Right now the cheapest printing is Tales of Middle-earth Commander #12 at $7.16, while the most expensive is The Hobbit Eternal #55 at $19.03 — about 3× more. The median across 5 priced printings is $8.23. Reprint risk: HIGH RISK — Reprinted 5x, including dedicated reprint sets like Tales of Middle-earth Commander.
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Every The Gaffer Printing, Compared
Cheapest first · unpriced last| Printing | Year | Price | Dealer Buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tales of Middle-earth Commander #12 (R) Cheapest | 2023 | $7.16 | $6.40 |
| The Hobbit Eternal #15 (M) | 2026 | $7.36 | $5.50 |
| Tales of Middle-earth Commander #96 (R) | 2023 | $8.23 | $7.00 |
| Tales of Middle-earth Commander #414 (R) | 2023 | $13.82 | $9.50 |
| The Hobbit Eternal #55 (M) Foil | 2026 | $19.03 | — |
Prices are the latest nightly market price; a printing with no tracked price shows a dash. Dealer buylist is Card Kingdom's current offer via MTGJSON, shown where one exists.
Legality is a property of the card, not the printing, so it is identical for all 5 versions.
Official Judge Precedents
3 PrecedentsThe Gaffer's ability looks at how much life you've gained in the turn, even if it wasn't on the battlefield when you gained life. It doesn't care if you also lost life, even if you lost more life than you gained.
You draw just one card, no matter how much life you've gained past 3 life.
If you haven't gained 3 or more life by the time an end step begins, The Gaffer's ability won't trigger at all.