How’s this for a hot start.
The first two Connor McDavid game-worn jerseys made available to the public sold for $60,000 combined.
MeiGray, which has partnerships with nine NHL teams including the Edmonton Oilers, sold them even before the teenage phenom took to the ice.
McDavid made his regular season debut October 8 in St. Louis, changing his visiting road top three times during the evening. He was allowed to keep the jersey he wore in the first period and the Oilers snared the warm-up jersey McDavid had donned earlier that night for their own archives.
The jersey McDavid wore in the second period sold to a collector for $35,000 according to MeiGray’s Barry Meisel while the third period shirt was purchased for $25,000. In each case, collectors had pre-ordered the jerseys through MeiGray’s game-worn program.
With the orders already in hand, Meisel was at Scottrade Center in St. Louis to authenticate the gear worn by McDavid, the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
McDavid and fellow rookie Jack Eichel have been the main topic of discussion among fans and collectors for months. Another former Oiler, Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, stated this spring that McDavid was “as good as I’ve seen in the last 30 years.”
Having held the Edmonton game-worn contract since 2002, MeiGray and Edmonton caught a lucrative break when the Oilers came away with the top pick in the draft when the hockey prodigy was ready to enter the pro ranks.
It’s also a bit of a first.
“Never before has a player of this magnitude had every one of his earliest jerseys immediately accounted for and authenticated so conclusively,” Meisel told SC Daily. “It’s good for the hobby.”
The jersey McDavid was wearing when he scored his first NHL goal on October 13 was also pre-sold to a collector for $25,000.
Meisel says he expects 15-18 first year McDavid jerseys to be available for purchase this year but many are already spoken for. The company has already received orders for 12 McDavid gamers from collectors willing to spend $12,500 each.
Meanwhile, Upper Deck unveiled the photo that will be used for McDavid’s 2015-16 Young Guns rookie card. The company held an online vote of images taken during his debut game and unveiled the winning photo on Thursday.
2015-16 Upper Deck Series One Hockey will be released November 5.
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