Unopened case of vintage hockey cards sells for millions at auction
A Canadian bidder has won a case of 16 boxes of unopened 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards after spending millions of dollars at an auction this morning.
The cards, which could contain multiple copies of an extremely valuable Wayne Gretzky rookie card, were initially discovered by an anonymous Saskatchewan family in their attic. Sensing that they could be worth a lot of money, they decided to put the cards up for auction.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, the final bid on the case of 16 boxes clocked in at $4,180,815 CAD, making this attic discovery a life-changing find for the family.
The card that the anonymous winner hopes to find multiple copies of in this case is the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18 rookie card. That card is not only one of the most sought-after from hockey collectors but also one of the most valuable cards in all of sports.
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
In 2021, a copy of that card in mint condition sold at a whopping $3.75 million at auction, shattering previous records for a single hockey card. For those curious, the highest a card from any sport has sold for at auction was a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card that sold for $12.6 million in 2022.
As for what the winning bidder could do with the case, they might not choose to open all the packs directly. They could instead opt to sell each of the 16 boxes to individual collectors who want a chance of landing the fabled Gretzky card. Doing so could help them make a profit on their purchase and leave the risk of not getting the card in the hands of other collectors.
Collecting sports cards might have initially started as a hobby for kids to enjoy with their pack of gum back in the day but, as the popularity of the cards skyrocketed, and collectors became more prevalent, they now hold the power of potentially bringing millions of dollars to those who have the right ones.
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