Is now the time to be buying or selling Alex Ovechkin cards as he closes in on Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record?
Is now the time to be buying or selling Alex Ovechkin cards as he closes in on Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record?
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is just 16 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's scoring record of 894 goals. Ovechkin's scoring pace is two goals per every three games played.
The Capitals have 27 games remaining. If Ovechkin keeps up his current scoring pace, he should break Gretzky's scoring record in one of the final two games of the regular season.
The Capitals eightieth, and final home game of the season is vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets. A pair of road games vs. the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins close out the Capitals season.
Can you imagine Ovechkin celebrating becoming the NHL's all-time scoring leader in Pittsburgh?
Will the Demand Outweigh the Supply?
It seemed likely that Ovechkin would break Gretzky's scoring record within the last few years. Meaning that people have been preparing for this moment.
So, what happens the moment Ovechkin breaks the record? Will Ovechkin's cards immediately shoot up in value? Should you be buying every Ovechkin card that you can get your hands on in preparation for the big moment?
There is no defined answer to the questions above. Yes, there will be people flocking to eBay and other places to buy Ovechkin's cards when the big moment happens.
However, a flood of Ovechkin cards hitting the market in the days leading up to him breaking the scoring record is likely to happen.
The Plan if You Intend on Buying Ovechkin Cards to Immediately Flip
Do not be basic. As mentioned above, there will be many Ovechkin cards hitting the market once he is gets to five goals from breaking Gretzky's record. If your plan is to make money off the Ovechkin hype, buy cards that you do not see everyday.
Population count matters. Do not go out and buy 50 Ovechkin Young Guns Renewed from 2024-25 Upper Deck Series One Hockey for $20 each and expect to flip them for $50 each when he breaks the record. If you want to play the volume game, there may be a window to flip these for $25-$30 when the record is broken, but the return on investment will be minimal. Especially when factoring commission fees.
Target cards with low population counts. Look for jersey number matches, 8/99 for example. Short print cards to 10 or less would be ideal.
In short, you want to have cards to sell that you do not have much competition on. Less competition means more control. The comps for short prints sold before Ovechkin breaks the scoring record can be thrown out.
Is Now, or When Ovechkin Breaks Gretzky's Scoring Record the Best Time to Buy His Cards?
This is the $895,000 question. As mentioned above, Ovechkin's cards will flood the market the closer he gets to Gretzky's scoring record. However, sellers will be selling the hype of you buying a card of the future all-time goals leader.
Now is the best time to search out short prints. Ovechkin cards that you do not see multiple of on eBay and other selling platforms. Those cards will carry a greater premium once the record is broken.
Sellers may be in a hurry to sell more common Ovechkin cards once the record is broken. Chances are that many sellers have been holding on to Ovechkin cards for this very moment, meaning they purchased them at a fraction of the current comp value. Use that knowledge to your advantage during negotiations.
Happy hunting and collecting!