Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card: the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18
The Canadian-printed O-Pee-Chee is the Gretzky rookie that sets records. What to look for, what PSA 10s have sold for, and where to see one in person.
By Card Shows & Shops · October 21, 2026 · Prices checked October 21, 2026
Gretzky has two rookie cards from 1979-80: the American Topps and the Canadian O-Pee-Chee. They share the number, 18, and the photo. The O-Pee-Chee is the one collectors chase: it was printed in smaller runs on rougher card stock, and its dark blue borders show every chip.
Centring, corners and those borders decide the grade. Most surviving copies grade between PSA 4 and PSA 7; a PSA 10 is close to unheard of.
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)
Heritage Auctions sold one of the two PSA 10 copies for $1.29 million in December 2020, then brokered a private sale of a PSA 10 for $3.75 million announced in May 2021, the record for a hockey card at the time.
If you have one, do not trim it, clean it or press it: a grader will catch it, and an altered card is worth a fraction of a genuine low grade. Bring it to a card show and ask two or three dealers before you sell.
Questions collectors ask
- Is the Topps or the O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookie worth more?
- The O-Pee-Chee, in every grade. It had a smaller print run and its blue borders make high grades much rarer.
- Should I get my Gretzky rookie graded?
- Yes, almost always. A graded copy sells for far more than a raw one, and grading protects you from buying or selling an altered card.
Sources
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