The 10 Most Expensive Hockey Cards Ever Sold

Have you ever wondered what the 10 most expensive hockey trading cards ever sold or all about? Even if you don’t routinely follow hockey, there’s probably one or two names that you recognize, as they’re so popular in the game that they eventually became household names. You can bet that some of those cards from players like Wayne Gretzky are included here. If you’re curious to learn more, here is a list of the 10 most expensive hockey trading cards ever sold, ranked from number 10 to number one.

10. 1980 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #250 PSA 10 ($60,400)

This car was sold in March of 2021 by PWCC Marketplace. It’s worth noting that Gretzky only played three seasons in the World Hockey Association before he switched over to the National Hockey League. As such, any rookie card featuring him during his World Hockey Association days is worth a great deal of money. The fact that it’s in mint condition certainly helps as well.

9. 1911-12 C55 Imperial Tobacco Georges Vezina #38, Ungraded ($61,200)

Goldin Auctions sold this card in May 2021. The player featured on this card, Georges Vezina, was so valuable to the game of hockey that he eventually had a trophy named after him. That fact, coupled with the age of the card and its extremely rare condition, means it’s automatically worth a great deal of money. Despite the fact that this particular example is ungraded, it still fetched more than $61,000 at auction.

8. 1951 Parkhurst Maurice Richard Rookie Card #4 PSA 8.5 ($75,000)

Heritage Auctions sold this card in July 2021. Maurice Richard made a name for himself as one of the best players in the game, being the first player to ever score the ever elusive milestone of 500 goals. As far as the card itself is concerned, only five of them were ever produced. Even with a PSA score of 8.5 out of 10, this extremely rare card featuring one of the best hockey players in history has proven to be worth a great deal of money

7. 1985 O-Pee-Chee Mario Lemieux Rookie Card #9 PSA 10 ($80,100)

The card was sold in January 2021 by PWCC Marketplace. This individual played 17 seasons with the same team that drafted him, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Throughout that time, he scored an average of 1.88 points per game, one of the most impressive numbers of any player out there. In addition, this particular rookie card is very rare, especially with a PSA score this high.

6. 1958 Topps Bobby Hull Rookie Card #66 PSA 8 ($87,000)

Heritage Auctions sold this card in February 2021. This particular player stayed in the league for an amazing 23 years and became known as “The Golden Jet” for his ability to hit a puck so hard that it would hit the goal at a recorded speed of more than 118 mph. As such, he’s considered to be one of the greatest players in hockey history. Despite the fact that the card only scored an 8 out of 10, it’s still worth a great deal because of its rarity.

5. 2006-07 Upper Deck The Cup Dual NHL Shields Wayne Gretzky/Mario Lemieux #DASGL PSA 10 ($91,200)

Goldin Auctions was responsible for the sale of his card in October 2021. It’s very unique because it features Gretzky on one side and Lemieux on the other. During the 1981 and 82 season, Gretzky scored 92 goals. Lemieux scored 85 during that same season. This card is one of only two in the world listed as a Black Label PSA 10, meaning it’s absolutely perfect in all categories. It’s also the only card of its type ever produced.

4. 2015 Upper Deck The Cup Connor McDavid Rookie Card #197 PSA 9 ($135,811.20)

Leland’s Auction was responsible for this card which sold in June 2020. McDavid played for the Edmonton Oilers for 15 years, winning three Art Ross trophies, three Ted Lindsay Awards and two Hart trophies. It’s worth noting that out of these particular cards, only three of them have ever been rated higher than this example. When coupled with McDavid’s prowess as a player and his popularity, the card eventually sold for more than $135,000.

3. 1966 Topps Bobby Orr Rookie Card #35 PSA 10 ($276,000)

Aside from Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr is commonly referred to as the best hockey player to have ever existed. Many still consider him to be the best on defense that has ever been. As a result, it’s no surprise that this particular card sold for so much money when it went up for auction in February 2021. The deal was handled by Heritage Auctions. This is one of only two cards that scored a 10 out of 10 with regard to this particular example. Obviously, that also helped to drive the price up as well.

2. 1979-80 Topps Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card #18 PSA 10 ($720,000)

Heritage Auctions sold this card in December 2020. This particular example is very similar to the O-Pee-Chee card that also appears on this list, with one major exception. This particular card has a blurb on the back that’s in English, not French. It’s also worth noting that out of all of these particular cards that were ever produced, only this and one other has ever been scored a 10 out of 10.

1. 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card #18 PSA 10 ($3,760,000)

This card is almost identical to the one listed in the above paragraph. As previously stated, the difference here is that the blurb on the back is in French. It’s worth noting that just like the card in the previous paragraph, there are only two of these particular examples that have ever received a score of 10 out of 10. That fact alone, coupled with Gretzky’s overwhelming popularity and the fact that this is a rookie card, makes it worth a significant amount of money, more than $3 million.