The Holy Grail of Hockey Cards and Price Tag Explained

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Important Details of the Wayne Gretzky OPC Rookie Card

The card is easily the most sought-after hockey card in existence, and it’s not even close — for now.

• It was produced by O-Pee-Chee (OPC), a Canadian company that was the only manufacturer of hockey cards in 1979. The Topps version from the same year is also highly coveted.
• The card features Gretzky as a rookie with the Edmonton Oilers after being traded from the Indianapolis Racers of the defunct World Hockey Association.
• Only around 7,500 copies of the 1979 OPC Gretzky rookie card were printed, making it extremely rare, especially in high grades.
• Only two copies have been graded a perfect Gem Mint 10 by PSA, the leading card grading company. A Gem Mint 10 copy sold for a record $3.75 million in a private sale in 2021.
• Even lower graded copies in good condition can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. A PSA 8 (Near Mint-Mint) sold for $720,000 in 2020.
• The card’s immense value is due to Gretzky’s unparalleled impact and records in the NHL, combined with the card’s rarity and condition sensitivity.

How Does the Holy Grail of Hockey Cards Compare?

In our other articles on the most expensive basketball cards ever sold and the most expensive baseball cards ever sold, the Gretzky card is a distant third. Check out our articles on those cards.