Wayne Gretzky
NHL season opens with valuable Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid rookie cards up for bid
As the NHL drops the puck on the 2022-23 season Tuesday, stars like Connor McDavid, Austin Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon will take center stage.
McDavid and Matthews will again look to lead the league in scoring, while MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche hope to defend their Stanley Cup title.
Veteran stars like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, meanwhile, will attempt to add to their Hall of Fame careers, while numerous young stars will begin to build their own legacies.
As the season starts, there are several impressive NHL cards and memorabilia on the market.
Any conversation about hockey cards must begin with “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky — the Mickey Mantle of NHL collectibles.
Gretzky’s 1979 O-Pee-Chee rookie card (PSA 10) holds the all-time hockey record, selling for $3.75 million in 2021. The Topps American version of the card also set a record recently, selling for $1.2 million last month at Heritage Auctions.
PWCC Marketplace has copies of both the O-Pee-Chee and Topps Gretzky cards in its October Premier Auction.
The 1979 Topps rookie #18 is graded PSA 9 and has a current bid of $18,000. Of the 8,844 copies that have been graded by PSA, only 127 have been graded 9, with only two receiving a 10 grade.
The more rare Canadian O-Pee-Chee rookie #18, which has the same iconic Gretzky image, is graded PSA 8 and has a current bid of $13,000.
Heritage currently has three O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookies, each graded PSA 6, in its October Showcase Sports Auction. It also has three 1979 Topps Hockey wax packs.
PWCC also has several vintage hockey cards in its October auction, including: a 1951 Parkhurst Gordie Howe Rookie #66, graded 7.5; and a 1966 Topps Bobby Orr Rookie #35, graded SGC 7.
The top modern cards are highlighted by a 2015-16 Upper Deck The Cup Connor McDavid Rookie Patch Autograph card, which has topped six figures three times in recent months, including a record $228,000 (Heritage Auctions). Goldin Co. has a copy in its October auction with a grade of BGS 9.5 with a 10 autograph and a current bid of $92,000. Goldin has multiple McDavid rookie cards up for bid, including an 2015-16 The Cup Quad Patch with a current bid of $8,000.
PWCC also has a 2015 UD The Cup Honorable Numbers Connor McDavid Rookie Patch Auto card numbered to /97 (BGS 9.5) with a current bid of $8,000 and a 2015 Fleer Showcase Precious Metal Gems Connor McDavid PMG RED rookie card numbered to /150 (PSA 9) with a current bid of $5,000.
MacKinnon’s 2013 The Cup Nathan MacKinnon Rookie Patch Auto card numbered to /99 (BGS 9) has a current bid of $6,000 at PWCC, while a PSA 9 copy has a current bid of $9,000 at Goldin.
Goldin also has cards of the two active legends — Crosby and Ovechkin. Crosby’s 2005-06 UD The Cup Rookie Patch Auto card (BGS 9) has a current bid of $48,500.
Ovechkin’s 2005-06 UD The Cup Honorable Numbers (BGS 8.5) has a current bid of $9,500.
Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
