The Greatest

There is no other hockey card both from the vintage and modern-era that elicits more excitement and debate than the Wayne Gretzky rookie card from the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee and Topps hockey sets. Widely known at it’s release as a ‘common’ card that was quite easy to pull from packs, card #18 has hit grail status for anyone who now owns raw or graded copies. For me, I’ve been chasing this card since I was 11 years-old and at a time where I could only see it as a black and white Beckett advertisement. Fast forward, and I wouldn’t see a live version until almost twenty years later when I re-discovered the hobby and attended the Sports Card & Memorabilia Expo in Toronto. My continued chase and obsession for this card continues to this day. Ideally rough-cut and with ’blue lines.’

Who knew little ‘blue lines’ would bring about so much debate and discussion? A variation exists only with the O-Pee-Chee release of this card that includes blue skate lines below the hockey player cartoon on the reverse of the card. Some believe that Gretzky rookie cards with these lines represent being a part of O-Pee-Chee’s ‘First Print Run’ and put greater value on these variations for perceived rarity. The reality is no one previously employed by O-Pee-Chee or Upper Deck (now owners of the OPC trademark) have publicly commented about this being either fact or fiction, so for now we can all keep on guessing.