At $1.29 Million, Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card Sets Record For Most Expensive Hockey Card Ever Sold

Topline

In the latest example of the booming sports card and memorabilia market, a 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie was sold for $1.29 million at auction on Thursday night by Heritage Auctions, setting a record for the sale of a hockey card.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote: 

“The journey from the O-Pee-Chee cutting table to a PSA Gem Mint 10 slab could be considered as perilous and unlikely as the journey from an Alcatraz cell to the San Francisco mainland,” read the Heritage Auctions description of the Gretzky rookie card. 

Key Background:

Last week, Michael Jordan’s 1986-87 Fleer rookie card sold for $150,000, and an unopened wax box of 1986-87 Fleer cards sold for $126,000 at Robert Edwards Auctions. Back in August, a rare signed rookie card by Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout sold for a record-setting $3.93 million (the previous record for the most valuable trading card ever sold was the T206 Honus Wagner card, which was purchased for $3.12 million in September of 2016). In May, a 2003 LeBron James game-worn Cavaliers jersey was purchased for $371,200. According to Craig Custance, a senior writer at The Athletic, “the global pandemic has lit a fire under an industry that was already starting to gain in popularity.” Custance adds, “the adoption of the grading system seems to have raised the confidence of buyers speculating in the high-end portion of the hobby.” 

Tangent:

Gretzky, who is affectionately known as “The Great One,” is widely considered the greatest player in the sport’s history. A nine-time National Hockey League MVP and four-time Stanley Cup champion, he holds the NHL’s all-time records in goals (894), assists (1,963) and total points (2,857). 

Further Reading:

Mike Trout Rookie Card Sells For $3.93 Million, Breaking The All-Time Record (Forbes)

 Wayne Gretzky rookie card sells for record $1.29 million (The Athletic)