At the end of his legendary 20-year National Hockey League career, Wayne Gretzky held or shared 61 NHL records. On Aug. 4, however, The Great One will officially set a record off the ice.
Gretzky’s 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee rookie card is being auctioned off by Goldin Auctions and bidding is up to $280,000 for this piece of hockey history. The auctioneer currently estimates that the card will sell for more than $400,000 by the time bidding ends. This smashes the previous record that the card set back in May 2011, when it sold for $94,163.
Wayne Gretzky’s 1979 rookie card setting new record at auction (by @almuirSI) https://t.co/1zWYvWTFfX pic.twitter.com/Xx1rxf1Zdp
— SI NHL (@SI_NHL) July 16, 2016
The card, Gretzky’s first as an NHL player, is a one-of-a-kind collectible as it has received a Gem Mint 10 grading by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). PSA is an independent company that assesses the authenticity and condition of sports cards, autographs and other collectibles.
PSA has reported that it has graded 3,727 copies of Gretzky’s rookie card and this is the only one receiving a Gem Mint 10 — its highest grade. The card has received this grade based upon its nearly perfect corners, straight edges and centering; all of which were less common during that era due to the way the cards were cut during production.
Absentee bidding for the card ends on Aug. 4 at 1 pm, and will culminate in a live auction being held later that evening at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, NJ.