Great One’s Card Fetches A Great Price
By Wyatt Earp | May 3, 2011
Wayne Gretzky is my favorite hockey player of all time. I have a replica of his Rangers and Oilers jerseys, an autographed stick – thanks to Mrs. Crankipants – and several other pieces of memorabilia. My college lacrosse jersey was #99, as is my current ice hockey jersey. Simply put, he’s my sports idol.
When the missus and I were dating, we saw a sports card show at the local mall. While browsing the kiosks, I saw a Gretzky rookie card. It was 1993, and the price tag on it was $700. The future missus – in an obvious moment of delirium – said she would buy me the card for Christmas. I knew then that I had to marry this girl, but I couldn’t let her spend that much on me. Thinking back, maybe I should have.
Sports cards have turned into big business over the past 25 years and as time has gone on, certain ones have garnered interest beyond the rest, such as the famous Honus Wagner T-206 that has enamored collectors for years and saw one sold for $2.35 million in 2007.
California-based SCP Auctions listed a 1979-80 Wayne Gretzky O-Pee-Chee rookie card in their latest auction and the hockey treasure sold for a final bidding price of $94,163, a record for a modern hockey card passing the $80,000 bid for the same exact card in 2006.
$94,163. If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go smack the wife around.
Topics: Ice Hockey | 9 Comments »
May 3rd, 2011 at 7:47 pm
When you’re done, have her give me a call so I can start the paperwork. I’ll need photographs and descriptions of the injuries she sustains. We can do this as outreach rather than intake since you all live so far away.
May 3rd, 2011 at 8:34 pm
When the conversation turns to sports memorabilia, I always mention that I have a Michael Jordan rookie card.
His baseball rookie card.
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Kim – No worries, since I’m pretty sure she can take me.
Fozzy – OUCH!
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:24 pm
C’mon, Wyatt! If you had all that cash, you’d probably just waste it on food and gas!
May 3rd, 2011 at 11:21 pm
Umm she was going to buy the card for you, so shouldn’t you smack yourself?
And based on personal what if situations, you probably would have sold the card for $800 as soon as your first kid was born.
May 4th, 2011 at 6:41 am
Shoot……I have a whole ice chest full of hockey cards- mostly form the 1990s……..but my pride and joy is the 16 X 20 autographed Bobby Orr photo I just had framed last week- I lined up 3 trading cards underneath it in the frame, too…one vintage and two newer ones. Words cannot be used to describe how freakin’ awesome it is, so I lugged it to one of the sports bars to show off during Game 7 against Montreal….
As much as I love my ‘new’ acquision, I don’t think I could get $94,000 for it.
May 4th, 2011 at 7:56 am
Proof – And Pez!!!
Ingineer66 – Yeah, I would have sold it because deep down inside, I’m an idiot.
Fenway – Nah, probably not. And by the way, my oldest son wants a sweep in this series, so see if you can make that happen. My 7-year old is a Lightning fan, and the 10-year old is a Bruins fan. If they both make it to the next round, there’s gonna be a civil war.
May 4th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Sadly, Wyatt, you’re gonna have to referee a civil war in your household.
May 4th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Bob – On the way home from lacrosse practice, Kyle said, “I hope the Capitals win. The Bruins can’t beat the Lightning.”