Record-setting sale of a sealed Case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey cards containing Wayne Gretzky rookie cards sells for $3.1M
Record-setting sale of a sealed Case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey cards containing Wayne Gretzky rookie cards sells for $3.1M
Someone call the Guinness World Book of Records, we have a new leader in the locker room for the most expensive sealed case of sports cards ever sold.
Over the past few weeks, Heritage Auction House has been taking bids on what is the only known sealed case of the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey set in the world. Bidding finally closed early on the morning of February 25th, 2024, just after midnight for a record high of $3.1M, plus a $620,000 'Buyer's Premium'. That is a total purchase price of $3.72M (USD).
The backstory behind this item is fascinating. It was stored away in the basement of somebody’s house in Regina, Saskatchewan collecting dust for many years, and was thought to be the 1980-81 set. That was until recently when someone told them to double-check the boxes to make sure it wasn't the 1979-80 set.
Thus, the owner of the sealed case peeled back a small piece of the box and realized that it was, in fact, a case of 16 sealed boxes 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey hobby boxes instead. A difference that is worth millions.
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The reason why the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee set is so much more sought after is because it is the set that contains Wayne Gretzky’s flagship rookie card.
The Great One’s rookie card can vary in price based on condition, but most sell in the $1,000's range with a record-high sale of $3.75 million at auction in 2021. This was a perfectly mint PSA 10 graded copy which only two currently exist in the world.
However, that could all change with the sale of this box. Estimates have suggested that there could be as many as 27 pack fresh Gretzky rookie cards per case of 79-80 O-Pee-Chee based on the number of cards per pack/box and the 396-card checklist.
That said, there were many printing issues with this set right out of the factory. This is why only two out of the 11,905 PSA-graded cards came back a perfect 10. So safe to say, it would still be highly unlikely to pull a pack fresh perfectly graded PSA 10 version of the Gretzky rookie out of this case. Nevertheless, pack fresh pulls would give someone the best chance to have such a desired item in the collecting world.
Which is ultimately why this holy grail just sold for over $3M.
Many enthusiasts suggest the case should never be broken, however.
The reason is two-fold:
#1. Unless by luck and one of the Gretzky rookie cards inside that case does grade a PSA 10, the buyer will never be able to recoup the $3.72M cost of the item. There's a strong likelihood that the contents inside of the opened case will never sell individually for anything even close to the purchase price of this sealed case.
#2. The value of the sealed item will most likely continue to climb. The allure of the great potential of what 'could' be inside the case is what gives the item its enhanced value. So as long as the case remains sealed, it should not only hold value but appreciate even further over time.
Either way, It's got to be pretty cool to be the only known owner of a sealed case of hockey's most coveted card set.
Would you be able to keep this one-of-a-kind collector's item sealed or would you be dying to know how many Gretzky's are inside, and gamble that at least one of them could be in perfect PSA 10 condition?