The only O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky rookie card ever graded PSA GEM MT 10 will go on the auction block for the first time in five years this summer.
Goldin Auctions will offer the card as part of its Premium Live Auction held during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City on August 4. The event will feature 100 lots of memorabilia, each valued at $10,000 or above.
To date, PSA has graded 3,727 of the 1979/80 O-Pee-Chee #18 Gretzky rookie cards. Of those, 65 have graded an unqualified PSA MINT 9 but only one has been given a 10 grade.
The card being offered at auction has the normal OPC rough cut edges that typically don’t factor into a grade unless the corners are adversely affected.
The PSA 10 OPC Gretzky has proven to be a good investment for its owners. In 2006, the same card sold privately for $80,000. Five years later, it sold for $94,163 via SCP Auctions but market developments over the past couple of years could mean a much higher price this time.
“With the recent surge in interest among serious collectors for high-grade examples of rookie cards, we expect this Gretzky card to establish a new benchmark,” said Ken Goldin Founder of Goldin Auctions. “The average sales for a PSA 9 Gretzky’s has increase 600% in the past five years. If this card were to see a similar increase, it might become hockey’s first $500,000 trading card.”
PSA 9 OPC Gretzky cards have soared from an average of around $5,000 five years ago to nearly $30,000 over the last nine months.
During his 20-year career on the NHL with the Oilers, Kings, Blues, and Rangers, Gretzky won 9 Hart Trophies (MVP), scoring 894 goals, assisting on 1963 goals, and scored 2857 points while winning 4 Stanley Cups. He holds 40 regular season records, 15 playoff game records, and 6 All-Star game records.
To register for the auction or to receive a free catalog, visit www.GoldinAuctions.com. Goldin Auctions is also accepting consignments through June 3. A preview of the auction will be posted beginning on July 15. A corresponding catalog auction will run from mid-July through August 13 on the company’s website.
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