Sheldon Menery Secret Lair Breaks Hasbro Donation Record

The goodwill of the Magic: The Gathering community knows no limits.

In February, Wizards of the Coast released the Secret Lair: Sheldon's Spellbook as a way to honor the "Godfather of Commander's" legacy and impact on the format, with 50% of the proceeds of the seven-card set benefitting the American Cancer Society (ACS). 

That final donation tally has been revealed, and it's significant: the $2,140,640 raised is the largest fan-driven gift for Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro, and is the single largest Secret Lair charitable donation, as per a Reddit post by an official ACS representative on r/magicTCG.

Menery passed away in September of 2023 after a seven-year battle with cancer. A founding member of the Official EDH Rules Commitee, Menery is credited as one of the creators of the format known today as Commander, and was heavily involved in its development from its inception in the late 90s onward. He was frequently seen at Magic events championing his favorite format, and had the opportunity to collaborate with Wizards designers on the cards and art selected for the Secret Lair in his honor:

The Secret Lair's bonus card was:

The donation associated with the Secret Lair was only accrued between Feb. 26 and March 24, with foil sets sold for $49.99 and non-foil sets $39.99. Wizards had pledged to make a minimum donation of $250,000, with the actual donation, thanks to the Secret Lair's popularity, totalling nearly 10 times that amount.

"Words cannot express our gratitude to the entire community for their amazing generosity and desire to honor an incredible person. We wish Sheldon could have seen your amazing achievement himself, but we know he would have been overjoyed with the response," wrote the ACS representative on Reddit. "Sheldon believed in the power of connection and shared experiences across the table to bring people together. This transformational gift will help advance the American Cancer Society's mission, elevating cancer prevention and early detection and helping ensure every individual has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Which means we'll be fulfilling Sheldon's wish for all of us to play more games, meet new people, and stay around the table even longer."

To learn more about the American Cancer Society, click here.