Hockey cards may not be as ubiquitous as baseball and football cards, but that doesn’t stop them from having incredibly rare and expensive examples out there of the most iconic players the sport has ever seen.
Continue reading to learn about the 10 most expensive Hockey Cards out there.
10. C55 Imperial Tobacco Georges Vezina
Set#: 38
Year: 1911
Grade: PSA 7
photo source: PSA Card
By far the oldest card on this list is the C55 Georges Vezina card by Imperial Tobacco. This was before baseball cards had become centralized as their own collector’s items and were instead issued in gum and tobacco packaging. Some of these early examples have become pretty valuable!
The sheer scarcity of this card warranted its sale price at a May 2021 Goldin Auction for $61,200. The coveted #38 card has only been graded by the PSA 171 times, with only 2 warranting a grade as high as PSA 7.
Did you know?
This card celebrates George Vezina, also known as the “Chicoutimi Cucumber” in reference to his cool demeanor. In his career, Vezina was a goalie who won the award for the lowest points scored against him in the NHL 3 times and the NHA (National Hockey Association) 4 times
His career was cut short in 1926 when he died of tuberculosis. He was 39.
9. Parkhurst Maurice Richard
Set#: 4
Year: 1951
Grade: PSA 8.5
photo source: PSA Card
Parkhurst Maurice Richard is a post-war Hockey Card, Set# 4, released in 1951. It was graded NM-MT+ or 8.5 by the PSA and sold at a Heritage Auction for $75,000 in July 2021.
Maurice Richard, also known as “The Rocket,” is one of the most high-achieving scorers in the history of the NHL, being the first player ever to pass the 500-goal career milestone. He played for 18 years and won 8 Stanley Cups as well as 8 Montreal Canadiens.
The NHL honors the memory of The Rocket by awarding a trophy each year to the league’s highest scorer for the season, known as the Maurice Richard Trophy.
Did you know?
Only 421 of these cards are known to exist and only 8 have received a grade of at least an 8.5 through the PSA.
8. Mario Lemieux O-Pee-Chee Base
Set#: 9
Year: 1985
Grade: PSA 10
photo source: PSA Card
A Mario Lemieux O-Pee-Chee Base card, Set# 9, sold on the PWCC Marketplace in 2021 for $80,100. The first draft pick for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984, Lemieux played 17 years in the NHL, retiring after 915 games and 1,783 total points.
Only 4,433 of these O-Pee-Chee Base cards have ever been graded by the PSA, with only about 1% ever receiving the incredible grade of PSA 10.
Did you know?
The PWCC Marketplace features a weekly Sunday auction, monthly “premier” auction, and full-time fixed-price marketplace to offer sophisticated trading card buying and selling services. They also have a vault for archival purposes, designed to give investors a safe place to store high-value cards.
7. Upper Deck Sidney Crosby The Cup Rookie Card
Set#: 180
Year: 2005
Grade: BGS 9.5
photo source: Goldin Auctions
The Upper Deck Sidney Crosby The Cup Rookie Card is #180, released in 2005. It received a BGS grade of 9.5 and is the only known example of this card in that condition. These cards were only released in 99 examples.
In 2019, this card sold on eBay for $80,287, featuring the 3-time Stanley Cup winner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sidney Crosby is sometimes called “The Next One,” possibly in reference to succeeding Wayne Gretzky as the default “best player” choice. When he was only a teenager, Crosby won the NHL MVP, setting his career off incredibly strong.
Did you know?
Sidney Crosby has the third most points-per-game record in the whole NHL, with only Gretzky and Gordie Howe ahead. He has also been selected as the Penguins’ MVP 9 times.
6. Topps Bobby Hull
Set#: 66
Year: 1958
Grade: PSA 8
photo source: PSA Card
This Bobby Hull #66 card by Topps was released in 1958, making it nearly the oldest card on this list of Hockey holy grails. Bobby Hull is known (still) as the only man in the history of the NHL to score 7 times leading the league and to score 50 goals in one season.
After 15 full seasons, he had become the left-winger on the First-Team All-Stars 10 times, twice on the Second-Team All-Stars, and won the NHL’s Most Valuable Player award twice. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy.
This card sold at a Heritage auction for $87,000, making it this famous player’s most valuable.
Did you know?
This card was graded PSA 8, a grade that only two such cards have beaten out of 500 submissions to the PSA.
5. Upper Deck The Cup Dual NHL Shields Wayne Gretzky/Mario Lemieux
Set#: 1
Year: 2006
Grade: BGS Authentic
photo source: Goldin Auctions
The Upper Deck The Cup Dual NHL Shields Wayne Gretzky/Mario Lemieux card is the only one of its kind that has ever been released, number 1/1. It was assessed as “authentic” by the BGS and features the signatures of its two powerful icons, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
The picture on each side also features a game-worn patch of the NHL shield. The card came with a congratulatory, authenticating document verifying the signatures and the patches, as well as a UDA authentication label.
The card sold at a Goldin auction for $91,200.
Did you know?
Mario Lemieux, sometimes referred to as “The Magnificent One” or “Super Mario,” has played off and on in the NHL for 17 seasons, starting in 1984. He has won gold in the Canada Cup (1987), Olympic Games (2002), and World Cup (2004), making him one of the most decorated hockey players ever.
4. Upper Deck The Cup Connor McDavid Autograph – Patch
Set#: 97
Year: 2015
Grade: PSA 9
photo source: Beckett
Connor McDavid played for the Edmonton Oilers. He was the number one pick in the NHL Draft in 2015 and went on to win some of the sport’s most coveted awards. These include 2 Hart Trophies, 3 Art Ross Trophies, and 3 Ted Lindsay awards.
This rookie patch autograph card was limited in production number to 99. The one that sold at a Leland’s auction for this record amount was graded PSA 9, numbered 97/99. It sold for $135,811.20.
Did you know?
Connor McDavid has won the CHL Player of the Year award, the Red Tilson Trophy, and the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award. He even won gold medals representing Canada in several global competitions, including the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship (2015) and IHF World U18 Championship (2013).
3. Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Gold
Set#: 87
Year: 2020
Grade: PSA 8
photo source: Goldin Auctions
This Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Gold card once again features Sidney Crosby, in a severely limited-edition card numbered 1/1 of its type and 87 in its set. It was sold at a June 2022 Goldin Auction for $164,400, making it one of the priciest cards ever.
This card featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins captain and Stanley Cup Finals champion (3 times) is in the PMG or Precious Metal Gems series. The PSA graded it NM-MT or PSA 8.
Did you know?
Skybox has been a trading card company since 1989. However, in 1995, Marvel purchased them, which resulted in a merger between Skybox and Fleer. It is now owned by Alex and Roger Grass.
2. Topps USA Test Bobby Orr Rookie Card
Set#: 35
Year: 1966
Grade: BVG 10
photo source: Post War Cards
A Bobby Orr Rookie Card by Topps USA was graded BVS Pristine 10 before selling at a Heritage Auction for $275,000. This made it nearly the most expensive hockey card ever sold.
The 1966 card is one of just two examples that have received a BVS 10 rating. This is partly due to the card’s full-bleed color format, which blemished and faded easily. Finding one with every edge, border, and inch of color intact is no easy feat.
Did you know?
Bobby Orr played 12 seasons in the NHL, 10 for the Boston Bruins and 2 for the Chicago Black Hawks. For a defenceman, Bobby was fast, setting up plays like no one in the position had before. He won two Stanley Cups with the Bruins.
1. Wayne Gretzky O-Pee-Chee Base
Set#: 18
Year: 1979
Grade: PSA 10
photo source: PSA Card
The most expensive hockey card is the Wayne Gretzky O-Pee-Chee Base card. It’s only logical that the sport’s most sought-after card would be of “The Great One” himself. This card has sold many times for record amounts, including a 2016 sale for $465,000, which by itself could have been number two on this list.
But it’s an example rated PSA 10 that sold in May 2022 for $3.75 million that takes the cake in hockey card collecting. The PSA has graded this card nearly 7,300 times and has only awarded their highest grade of PSA 10 twice. That’s how rare this one truly is.
Did you know?
Wayne Gretzky played 20 seasons in the NHL from 1978 to 1999. He won gold in the Canada Cup three times (silver once) as well as silver in the 1996 Canada World Cup.
