The Most Valuable Hockey Cards: Real Sales, Rookie by Rookie
Gretzky, Orr, Howe, Lemieux and the modern Young Guns: the hockey rookie cards that bring the most money, with real sale prices and dates.
By Card Shows & Shops · October 22, 2026 · Prices checked October 22, 2026
This list sticks to the key rookie cards of the biggest names: the cards that turn up at Canadian card shows and in old collections, not one-of-one patch autographs. Prices are in US dollars because most big sales happen at US auction houses.
Two things move a hockey card more than anything: the player and the grade. A rookie of an all-time great in a high grade is worth many times the same card a grade or two lower.
1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18
| Grade | Recent sale | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $3,750,000 USD (private sale, Heritage) | May 27, 2021 |
| PSA 10 | $1,290,000 USD (Heritage) | December 11, 2020 |
PSA 10: 2 copies (as reported in 2021)
The most valuable hockey card ever sold publicly. Only two PSA 10s are known. The full Gretzky guide covers what to look for.
1966-67 Topps Bobby Orr #35
| Grade | Recent sale | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 9 (USA Test issue) | $204,020 USD (Lelands, Feb. 2019) | — |
| PSA 8 | $51,600 USD (Collectrea, Summer 2024 auction) | — |
The regular card has English and French backs. A rarer all-English "USA Test" version, with lighter wood-grain fronts, sells for several times more. See the Orr guide.
1951-52 Parkhurst Gordie Howe #66
| Grade | Recent sale | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 6 | $18,836 USD (SCP Auctions, June 2022) | — |
| PSA 2.5 | $8,400 USD (Collectrea, March 2021) | — |
Mr. Hockey’s rookie is from the first Parkhurst set, printed in Canada. Even well-loved copies bring thousands, and the card often measures narrow, which can keep it out of a PSA holder.
1985-86 O-Pee-Chee Mario Lemieux #9
| Grade | Recent sale | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $39,600 USD | November 19, 2023 |
| PSA 10 | $28,800 USD | April 18, 2024 |
Our Lemieux guide has more.
2005-06 Upper Deck Alex Ovechkin Young Guns #443
| Grade | Recent sale | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $4,680 USD (Robert Edward Auctions, June 2023) | — |
The rookie of the man who passed Gretzky’s goal record in April 2025.
2005-06 Upper Deck Sidney Crosby Young Guns #201
| Grade | Recent sale | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $3,200 USD | April 15, 2025 |
2015-16 Upper Deck Connor McDavid Young Guns #201
| Grade | Recent sale | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $2,250 USD | April 13, 2025 |
Like Crosby’s a decade earlier, McDavid’s Young Guns is card #201.
Have one of these? Check the grade first, then compare real sold prices, not asking prices. Our guide to hockey card values walks through it, and card shows near you are the easiest place to get a few offers.
Questions collectors ask
- What is the most valuable hockey card ever sold?
- A PSA 10 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18, sold privately for $3.75 million USD in 2021.
- Are O-Pee-Chee hockey cards worth more than Topps?
- Usually, for the same card in the same grade. O-Pee-Chee was the Canadian printing, with smaller runs and borders that chip, so high grades are scarcer.
Sources
- CBC Sports: Gretzky rookie card sells for $3.75M
- Beckett: 1966-67 Topps USA Test Bobby Orr sells for over $200,000
- Collectrea: 1966-67 Topps #35 Bobby Orr PSA 8 (Summer 2024)
- SCP Auctions: 1951 Parkhurst #66 Gordie Howe PSA 6
- Collectrea: 1951-52 Parkhurst #66 Gordie Howe PSA 2.5 (March 2021)
- Sports Card Investor: 1985 O-Pee-Chee #9 PSA 10
- Robert Edward Auctions: 2005-06 Upper Deck #443 Ovechkin PSA 10 (June 2023)
- Sports Card Investor: 2005 Upper Deck Young Guns #201 PSA 10
- Sports Card Investor: 2015 Upper Deck Young Guns #201 (McDavid)
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