High-Grade Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card for Sale in PSA Vault Spotlight Auction

In the hobby world, hockey has one name that stands out above the rest: Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky put up other-worldly statistics during his playing days, breaking numerous records, some of which still stand today. While he has had key cards over the years, his rookie card is the one card that has consistently gained value over time. A high grade example is currently featured in the PSA Vault Spotlight Auction, where it sits at a five figure price tag on bid. The auction will end later this week, and it will be interesting to see what it sells for. As of writing, bidding has reached $23,000.

Here is the information that collectors need to know about the card and the ongoing auction, which also feaures cards from the personal collections of Tom Brady, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning.

PSA 8.5 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie card up for auction

The 1979 O-Pee-Chee set is notorious for being condition sensitive, as the card has blue borders. The card has an image of Gretzky skating on the ice, with the team name on the top of the card on a white banner. The team logo appears in the bottom of the card, along amid the backdrop of the blue border. Given that the set is over 40 years old, only so many copies are going to be in high grade condition. This particular copy is graded an 8.5, which does qualify it as NM-MT +. It is clear that collectors have their eye on this card, and bidding could get even more competitive as the auction gets closer to completion on Saturday.

One major reason the card has reached $23,000 in bidding already is that there are not many copies that are graded higher. According to PSA data from eBay, there are 96 copies that are graded a PSA 9, and only two copies graded a PSA 10. This does place a bit of a demand on the PSA 8.5 graded copy, and it is hard to say when a higher grade copy will come to auction.

Details about the PSA Spotlight Auction

The Gretzky rookie is part of the current PSA Spotlight auction, which is currently live, and ends on February 7th. The final hour of the auction will be broadcast live on the Sports Cards Nonsense eBay Live channel. The auction features many high end cards, including a mix of vintage and modern, appealing to all collectors. Some of these cards may not see the open market ever again. Even if purchasing or bidding on the cards is not in the equation, seeing aspects of hobby history is part of the appeal here.

Hockey collectors will want to look at the current PSA Spotlight Auction, as it contains a grail card. The 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card is currently up for auction, specifically a PSA 8.5. High grades of this card are difficult to find, and 50 bids have already been placed on it. The auction will run up until February 7th, leaving collectors time to check out what all is available. Cards of key and legendary players continue to dominate, and this Gretzky card is no exception.