Wayne Gretzky has one true rookie card, number 18 in the 1979-80 hockey sets, and it was printed in two versions: the Canadian O-Pee-Chee and the American Topps. The O-Pee-Chee is the more valuable and more famous of the two. A genuine, worn O-Pee-Chee copy sells for approximately $400-1,200, a mid grade one in a PSA 5 to 7 holder for roughly $2,000-8,000, and high grades climb steeply into five and six figures, with the few PSA 10s in the millions. The Topps version sells for roughly a third to half of the O-Pee-Chee in the same grade. Because the card is so valuable, reprints, counterfeits and trimmed copies are common, so identification comes before any price.
Quick answer
- A bilingual English and French back with an O-Pee-Chee copyright means the O-Pee-Chee; English only with a Topps copyright means the Topps.
- Genuine copies in worn condition sell for about $400-1,200 (O-Pee-Chee) and $150-500 (Topps).
- Centering and edge chipping on the blue border drive the grade, and a high grade multiplies value many times.
How to check yours, step by step
- Check the card number and year. The back shows card number 18 and the 1979-80 season. Gretzky's statistics on the back end with his 1978-79 WHA season with Indianapolis and Edmonton. A different number or a later season means a different card.
- Read the back text. On the O-Pee-Chee, the biography and headings are printed in both English and French. On the Topps, everything is in English only.
- Read the copyright line at the bottom of the back. It names O-Pee-Chee and Canada on the O-Pee-Chee, and Topps and the USA on the Topps. A reprint usually adds the word "reprint" or a much later copyright year.
- Look at the front border. Both versions have a dark blue border that chips white at the slightest wear. Note any white along the edges and corners.
- Measure the card. A genuine card is 2.5 by 3.5 inches. If it is even slightly narrow or short, it may have been trimmed to sharpen the edges, which destroys most of the value.
- Check the cardstock. Genuine 1979 cards are on dull, slightly gray or cream cardboard with a matte front. A glossy front, bright white stock or a thin, flexible feel points to a reprint or counterfeit.
- Look at the print under magnification. Genuine cards show a fine, regular dot pattern of the period and crisp small text on the back. Blurry lettering, smeared color or flat, solid areas of color are warning signs.
O-Pee-Chee versus Topps
| Feature | 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18 | 1979-80 Topps #18 |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Printed in Canada | Printed in the USA |
| Back text | English and French | English only |
| Copyright line | O-Pee-Chee | Topps |
| Typical cut | Rough, often uneven edges | Usually cleaner cut |
| Typical centering | Often poor, left to right and top to bottom | Often off center, a little better on average |
| Relative value | The benchmark | Roughly a third to half of O-Pee-Chee |
The front designs are very close, so the back is where the version is settled. The O-Pee-Chee cards were cut on Canadian equipment that often left rough, "snowy" edges and poor centering. That is part of why high grade O-Pee-Chee copies are so rare and valuable: most never came out of the pack sharp.
Value by grade
These ranges are broad on purpose. The Gretzky rookie trades often and its price moves with the wider market, so a recent sales check is part of any honest estimate.
| Grade | O-Pee-Chee #18 | Topps #18 |
|---|---|---|
| Raw, heavy wear, creases | $400-1,200 | $150-500 |
| Raw, clean looking (buyers discount for trimming risk) | $1,000-4,000 | $400-1,500 |
| PSA 1 to 3 | $600-1,500 | $250-600 |
| PSA 4 to 5 | $1,500-3,500 | $500-1,500 |
| PSA 6 | $2,500-5,000 | $800-2,000 |
| PSA 7 | $4,000-9,000 | $1,500-3,500 |
| PSA 8 | $12,000-30,000 | $4,000-10,000 |
| PSA 9 | $80,000-300,000 | $25,000-80,000 |
| PSA 10 | Millions, only a couple exist | Six figures and up, very few exist |
The jump from PSA 8 to 9 is huge because few copies have ever reached a 9. Raw copies sell at a discount to graded ones of similar look, because buyers cannot rule out trimming, recoloring or a counterfeit without the card in hand.
Condition problems typical of this card
- Rough cuts. O-Pee-Chee edges often look slightly fuzzy or uneven straight from the factory. Graders accept some roughness, but heavy roughness lowers the grade.
- Centering. Many copies are badly off center, with one blue border much wider than the other. A card with 80/20 centering will struggle to grade above a 5 or 6 regardless of corners.
- Chipping on the blue border. Any wear shows as white flecks against the dark blue, especially at the corners and along the bottom edge.
- Print defects. Ink spots, print lines and slight color shifts are common in 1979 printing.
- Wax and gum stains. Cards sat in wax packs with a stick of gum, and some backs show stains.
- Repairs. Recolored edges with blue marker, pressed creases and trimming are the most common alterations on this card. They usually show under magnification and a raking light, and graders reject altered cards.
Counterfeits, reprints and what photos show
Counterfeits of this card have been made for decades. Some are crude color copies; better ones use old cardstock and careful printing. Fake PSA holders also exist, with a genuine looking label on a counterfeit card. Official reprints were issued by Topps and O-Pee-Chee over the years in tribute and anniversary sets, usually marked as reprints on the back or carrying a later copyright year.
What a set of good photos can show: the back text and copyright line, which separates the versions and catches most reprints; the cardstock color and finish; the sharpness of the small back text; obvious recoloring on the border; and the label and holder details on a graded card, which can be checked against the grader's online certificate lookup by serial number. What photos cannot settle: trimming within a fraction of a millimeter, a skilled counterfeit or a pressed crease. For those, the card has to be in a grader's or specialist's hands. WorthPic identifies the version and estimates value from what the photos show; it does not authenticate a card.
Other Gretzky cards that are not rookies
Many Gretzky cards are sold as "rookie" when they are not. These are the ones most often confused with the real thing.
| Card | What it is | Typical value raw |
|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee and Topps #250 | Second year card | $50-300 |
| 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Record Breaker and League Leader cards | Early subset cards | $20-100 |
| 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee and Topps base | Third year | $15-60 |
| 1982-83 to 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee and Topps | Prime career base cards | $5-40 |
| 1988-89 Topps and O-Pee-Chee #120 | First card as a Los Angeles King | $5-25 |
| 1990s Upper Deck, Score, Pro Set, Bowman | Mass printed | $0.25-5 |
| Reprints of the 1979-80 rookie | Later issues, marked reprint | $1-20 |
The same logic of mass production that makes 1990s basketball and baseball cards common applies here, as covered in basketball cards worth money, old baseball cards worth and old football cards worth anything. The rookie is in a different league because it comes from a smaller, older print run of the most important player in hockey history, much like the card covered in Michael Jordan rookie card value.
A worked example
Say a card turns up in a 1980 shoebox of hockey cards. The back shows number 18, English and French text, and an O-Pee-Chee copyright line, so it is the O-Pee-Chee rookie and not a reprint. A ruler shows full 2.5 by 3.5 inch size, and the cardstock is dull and slightly gray. On the front, the left border is roughly twice the width of the right, all four corners show white chipping, and there is a faint crease across the upper half that only catches the light at an angle.
That card would likely grade around a PSA 2 to 4, because the crease alone caps it. Honest value: about $700-1,500 raw to a buyer who trusts the photos, and roughly $800-2,000 once graded. Grading costs well under the difference and removes the doubt about trimming, so it makes sense here. If the same card had no crease and sharper corners, it could reach a 5 or 6, which moves it into the $1,500-5,000 range.
Common mistakes
- Calling a 1980-81 second year card a rookie. Only the 1979-80 #18 is the rookie.
- Missing the version. The back language and copyright line decide O-Pee-Chee or Topps, and the price gap is large.
- Pricing a raw card at the graded price for the grade it "looks like". Raw copies sell at a discount for good reason.
- Treating a reprint as original because the front looks identical.
- Touching up white chips on the blue border with a marker. It is easy to spot and turns a valuable card into an altered one.
- Trusting a slab without checking the certificate number on the grader's website.
- Storing the card loose or in a tight screw down holder that can mark the surface.
What to photograph
- The full front, flat, out of any sleeve, with all four borders visible for centering.
- The full back, sharp enough to read the French text and the copyright line.
- Close-ups of all four corners and the bottom edge, where the blue chips first.
- A shot with a ruler along the edges, to show the size.
- The front tilted under a single lamp, to show creases, gloss and surface marks.
- For a graded card, the full label and the back of the holder.
When to get it looked at in person
Any genuine looking Gretzky rookie is worth professional attention. PSA is the market standard for this card, with BGS, SGC and CGC also accepted. Fees depend on declared value: roughly $50-150 for cards in the low thousands, and a percentage of value at the top levels, plus insured shipping, with waits from weeks to months. A grade adds value through buyer confidence alone, because raw copies are discounted so heavily.
A respected local card shop or a sports card auction house can look at a raw copy first and say whether grading makes sense. For any copy likely above a few thousand dollars, a major auction house usually returns more than a quick sale to a shop.