Are hockey cards worth anything anymore?

[YourMother]

My Uncle just gave me a boatload of old hockey cards which I have no use for. Just wondering if there is still a market for certain cards and if so how would I find out the value for cards?

[GreenLantern]

I remember the days of dealing with local collectors stores and the owner always trying to shimmy you down in price.. I used to hate those pricks.

Then ebay/the internet came around and became very popular and put those little cheap buggers out of business/in the poor house.

I laugh at them, because I would still give them business if they had just been nicer to a kid with good cards.

Anyway now that my rant is over, as far as I know Ebay is still the best option for determining value/selling them. Check what the cards you have are going for on that site.

[Komskies]

From 2 days ago:

California-based SCP Auctions listed a 1979-80 Wayne Gretzky O-Pee-Chee rookie card in their latest auction and the hockey treasure sold for a final bidding price of $94,163, a record for a modern hockey card passing the $80,000 bid for the same exact card in 2006. The all-time record for a hockey card is a tie between a 1910-11 C56 Newsy Lalonde and a 1911-12 C55 Georges Vezina that both sold for $100,000.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puc...urn=nhl-wp3887

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by YourMother

My Uncle just gave me a boatload of old hockey cards which I have no use for. Just wondering if there is still a market for certain cards and if so how would I find out the value for cards?

It depends on what cards you have. Almost anything from the 80s-90s boom is worthless unless they are rookie cards or rarer cards.

Pro Set, Upper Deck, etc. are worthless. O-Pee-Chee and more classic stuff from the 70s and earlier is worth a little more.

There's a thriving market for the new high-end cards released in the 2000s but it's a bubble.

[Prototype]

Hockey cards are worth as much as a person's willing to give you.

But if you want to know what should be worth more than others, grab a Beckett magazine (if they still make those).

[blankall]

Ebay is the best option for finding the value of a card. Like Prototype said, with vendors reoved from the equation, a hockey card is worth what someone is willing to pay.

[speede5]

Anything pre 89 will have value but highly subjective on condition. 90 on up, only the elusive chase cards have any value, and the market is so flooded with 'rare' cards it is hard to pin down the really valuable ones. Grab a beckett magazine and you can get an idea. Never pay book and never expect book value. Way overrated.

The other thing that has decimated the older cards value is grading. You can send your card off to get graded on a scale of 1-10, 10 being perfect, practically unattainable with older production methods. Collectors want the best and since most cards which have been stored in shoeboxes grade relatively low they become 'common'. Best to pull out what you like, protect it for your kids, and sell the rest on ebay.

Give us a rundown of what you have, years, sets, rookies, etc. Fun discussion then.

I quit in the 90's cause, IMO, the hobby went to the dogs. My best set is my 84 OPC, with Yzerman rookie.

[getbak]

Do autographs help or hurt a card's value? I assume it hurts if they're not certified.

Back when Tim Hunter owned the pro shop at the Southland Leisure Centre, he hosted a card show one summer and Gilmour was there signing autographs, and I got him to sign his rookie card, and a few others.

I also have an autographed Tretiak card from one time when he did an autograph signing at Co-Op.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by getbak

Do autographs help or hurt a card's value? I assume it hurts if they're not certified.

Back when Tim Hunter owned the pro shop at the Southland Leisure Centre, he hosted a card show one summer and Gilmour was there signing autographs, and I got him to sign his rookie card, and a few others.

I also have an autographed Tretiak card from one time when he did an autograph signing at Co-Op.

Depends on the buyer, and if you can authenticate the signature.

Some collectors just want the card as it came out of the package. Others consider a signature with proven provenience (usually a photo of the individual actually signing the item) to be an upgrade.

My advice? Have the player sign the non-mint cards.

I also wouldn't worry too much about a Tim Hunter card - that's going to have a lot of value for a Flames fan, but probably not elsewhere, so keep it for yourself. If you're anything like me you'll appreciate having it about 20 years on.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by Komskies

California-based SCP Auctions listed a 1979-80 Wayne Gretzky O-Pee-Chee rookie card in their latest auction and the hockey treasure sold for a final bidding price of $94,163, a record for a modern hockey card passing the $80,000 bid for the same exact card in 2006.

My wife got really excited when she heard that. She seems to be under the impression I should sell mine to help us buy a house.



She doesn't understand hockey cards at all!

(and before you think of robbing me - it's not mint, and it's in the safety deposit box at the bank)

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

My wife got really excited when she heard that. She seems to be under the impression I should sell mine to help us buy a house.



She doesn't understand hockey cards at all!

(and before you think of robbing me - it's not mint, and it's in the safety deposit box at the bank)

If your wife is anything like my ex I wouldn't be so sure of that.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

I also wouldn't worry too much about a Tim Hunter card - that's going to have a lot of value for a Flames fan, but probably not elsewhere, so keep it for yourself. If you're anything like me you'll appreciate having it about 20 years on.

No, it's a Gilmour card I have signed...and it already is about 20 years on (more than, since he was still a Flame at the time).

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by getbak

No, it's a Gilmour card I have signed...and it already is about 20 years on (more than, since he was still a Flame at the time).

According to Ebay, you're looking at a market of about $100 for his rookie card. So the autograph is probably worth more than the card itself (assuming it's not a rookie) to a Gilmour fan.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

If your wife is anything like my ex I wouldn't be so sure of that.

Oh wow . . .

[Northendzone]

as an aside, was there not some guy here in calgary who was thinking that he could get $1,000,000 for his gretzky rookie card - i seem to recall him saying he had a legitimate offer for $800,000 but he was holding out for the even mill.......

[Crispy's Critter]

hmm, might have to pull out my Gretzky rookie and see what I could get for it. It's in rough shape, but might still be worth something. I might even take a 2005 Cadillac CTS as a straight up trade for it Wonder if there's any of those around?

[macker]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

as an aside, was there not some guy here in calgary who was thinking that he could get $1,000,000 for his gretzky rookie card - i seem to recall him saying he had a legitimate offer for $800,000 but he was holding out for the even mill.......

Thats crazy! I remeber buying these cards from packs with pink powdery gum included in each pack and the first card was usually worthless as a result. Usually 25 cents a pack....I have the Gretzky Card and it is in good condition still as it has been in a case for years. I let my son take it for show and tell The industry lost much of its appeal when the cards became mass produced and you went from OPC and Topps to about 20 different companies with 40 different series etc and collecting lost much of its charm from the days when you would pick up a one of a kind Gretzky card #18 and read "Wayne debuted in WHA at age 17, Wayne is considered the best prospect to turn professional since Guy Lafleur, Purchased from IND 11-2-78. 110 points for rookie season Glad this one didn't make its way into my bike spokes.

[Northendzone]

i can recall in the early 90's (when cards made a bit of a comeback) guys i knew where buying cases of them and putting them away unopened in hopes that they'd be worth something one day - part of me could not help but think the resuragnece of cards had more to do with my generation finally coming into disposable income and some were looking for a way to reconnect with thier youth.

I was thinking that it would be interesting to see if the card market ever becomes robust again - but everything is so cyclical these days that I suppose it is just a matter of time.

I tried searching google to look for something about the guy and his $1,000,000 dream, but I could not find anything quickly......

I wonder if my old Pitt Martin card is worth anything?

[Flash Walken]

That gretzky card scenario is super fishy.

First, it was not an 'auction' as listed, but a brokered deal between the current owner, the previous owner (which I believe to be an auction house) and the guy who eventually bought it for the 93k.

Not an 'open auction' by any means.

[Hockeyguy15]

My favourite card is Joel Otto, it looks like it was taken in warm-ups and he is standing there blowing a bubble with gum. Got that one autographed when I was a kid at a red and white game at Father David Bauer.