Booster box

A booster box, or booster display, is a sealed case holding many booster packs from the same set. In current English sets it normally contains 36 packs. It is intended both for shops, which show the packs in the box, and for collectors who want to open or own many packs from the same set.

Contents and construction

The box is wrapped in factory plastic, and the packs sit in a cardboard case that can be opened and used for display. The number of packs and cards per pack varies between sets and eras, and older sets had other sizes. The product description on the box is the reliable source. A booster box is part of the group of sealed products, along with, among others, the Elite Trainer Box.

Opening or leaving it

Many people open boxes because they give a large number of packs from one set. The outcome is nonetheless random, and nobody can promise particular cards. How the rarities are distributed across packs is not officially stated; see pull rates. Others leave the box unopened. The difference between the two choices is described in sealed versus singles.

How to assess an unopened box

• The plastic should be intact, tight and without signs of having been opened and closed again.
• Check the barcode, language and set name against the product description.
• Look at the seller. There are boxes where packs have been swapped; see resealed and weighed packs.
• Storage matters: moisture, sunlight and pressure can damage both the case and the plastic.

Price and availability

The price of a box depends on the set, demand and how many exist. The last is rarely known. Sets can be easy to get while they are new and harder later, but there is no rule for this. Look up current prices on the sealed products page.

In summary

A booster box is a set quantity of packs from one set, and it can be either opened or stored unopened. Read the product description to see what the box contains, and check the plastic and the seller if the box is secondhand or comes from a private person. The yield from an opened box is random, and boxes from the same set can give different results.