Most Expensive Hockey Cards Ever Sold: Gretzky's $3.75 Million Rookie and Celebrini's $1.28 Million 1/1
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Most Expensive Hockey Cards Ever Sold: Gretzky's $3.75 Million Rookie and Celebrini's $1.28 Million 1/1

Written by:
Ilknur Gubel
Published
October 5, 2026
Updated
October 5, 2026
Macklin Celebrini 2024-25 Upper Deck Young Guns Outburst Gold 1/1 in a PSA holder next to a Connor McDavid 2015-16 The Cup rookie patch autograph in a PSA 10 holder
The $1,281,000 Celebrini Outburst Gold and a $264,000 McDavid The Cup rookie patch auto. Images: Goldin and Fanatics Collect.

The most expensive hockey card ever sold is a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie graded PSA 10, which sold for $3.75 million in a private sale brokered by Heritage Auctions and announced in May 2021, ESPN reported. The newest name near the top is Macklin Celebrini: his 1/1 Young Guns Outburst Gold rookie sold for $1,281,000 at Goldin in August 2026. Below are the most expensive hockey cards by confirmed sale, and why Gretzky still dominates the list.

Current as of October 5, 2026. Auction prices include buyer's premium where the auction house reports it.

The Most Expensive Hockey Cards Ever Sold

1. Wayne Gretzky, 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18, PSA 10: $3,750,000

  • Sale: private sale brokered through Heritage Auctions, announced May 27, 2021, per ESPN
  • Why it matters: still the hockey record. SI Collectibles reported on December 24, 2024 that PSA had deactivated the certification of this $3.75 million PSA 10, leaving one O-Pee-Chee Gretzky PSA 10 in its database. PSA gave no public reason

2. Wayne Gretzky, 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18, PSA 10: $1,290,000

  • Sale: Heritage Auctions, December 11, 2020, including a 20 percent buyer's premium, per CBC and NHL.com
  • Why it matters: the first hockey card past $1 million, and still the public auction record. The same card had sold for $465,000 in 2016, per ESPN

3. Macklin Celebrini, 2024-25 Upper Deck Young Guns Outburst Gold #451, 1/1, PSA Authentic: $1,281,000

  • Sale: Goldin Monthly Sports Elite Auction, closed late on Saturday, August 15, 2026 (U.S. Eastern time), after 58 bids, including buyer's premium ($1,050,000 winning bid)
  • Why it matters: the highest public sale for any non-Gretzky hockey card, and one of only four hockey cards to pass $1 million, per Sports Collectors Digest

4. Wayne Gretzky, 1979-80 Topps #18, PSA 10: $1,200,000

5. Wayne Gretzky, 1979-80 Topps #18, PSA 10: $720,000

  • Sale: Heritage Auctions, December 2020, in the same auction as the $1.29 million O-Pee-Chee, per CBC
  • Why it matters: CBC reported that PSA had graded 6,048 Topps Gretzky rookies and given only two a PSA 10

6. Wayne Gretzky, 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18, signed, PSA 9, autograph 10: $540,000

  • Sale: Fanatics Collect May Premier, May 22, 2026, including buyer's premium, per ESPN and the lot page
  • Why it matters: the most ever paid for an autographed hockey card, per ESPN

7. Alexander Ovechkin, 2005-06 Upper Deck The Cup Rookie Patch Auto Gold Rainbow 8/8, BGS 8, autograph 10: $381,000

  • Sale: Sotheby's Timeless Titans auction, April 21, 2025, per Yahoo Sports and the Sotheby's lot page
  • Why it matters: hockey's career goals leader, on the last of eight copies of his Gold Rainbow rookie patch autograph, per the lot page

8. Connor McDavid, 2015-16 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Rookie Spectrum Teal Autograph Shield #109, 1/1, PSA Authentic: $305,000

  • Sale: Heritage Auctions, May 16, 2025, per Yahoo Sports and the Heritage lot
  • Why it matters: a 1/1 McDavid rookie autograph with an NHL Shield patch

9. Bobby Orr, 1966-67 Topps #35, BVG 10 Pristine: $276,000

  • Sale: Heritage Auctions, February 2021, per Yahoo Sports and the Heritage lot
  • Why it matters: the most ever paid for an Orr card, per Yahoo Sports, and the top vintage card outside Gretzky on this list

10. Connor McDavid, 2015-16 Upper Deck The Cup Rookie Patch Auto #197, /99, PSA 10, autograph 10: $264,000

  • Sale: Fanatics Collect Premier, November 21, 2025, after 36 bids, including buyer's premium, per the lot page
  • Why it matters: it is one of three PSA 10 copies and the only one with a 10 autograph grade, per cllct via Yahoo Sports. The Hockey News reported in August 2026 that another PSA 10 copy sold for C$562,000 (roughly US$405,000) in December 2025. We could not confirm the venue or find a second report, so it is not ranked here

11. Bobby Orr, 1966-67 Topps USA Test #35, PSA 9: $240,000

  • Sale: REA, April 2025, per the lot page and Yahoo Sports
  • Why it matters: one of three PSA 9 copies with none graded higher, per the lot. The Test issue is far scarcer than the regular Orr rookie, per Yahoo Sports

#1 is a private sale. The public auction record is the $1.29 million O-Pee-Chee Gretzky at #2.

Bar chart of the most expensive hockey cards ever sold, led by the $3.75 million Wayne Gretzky O-Pee-Chee PSA 10
The biggest hockey card sales with a lot page or major outlet report. Checked October 5, 2026.

Why the Gretzky Rookie Rules Hockey Cards

Gretzky holds five of the top six spots. Three things explain it:

  • Condition was nearly impossible. Heritage's Chris Ivy told The Canadian Press that production issues in the late 1970s make a perfect O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookie extremely rare, per CBC
  • O-Pee-Chee beats Topps. "O-Pee-Chee has always outperformed Topps in hockey simply because they're the Canadian brand," Ivy said in December 2020, per CBC
  • Two PSA 10s per version. CBC reported that only two copies of each version had reached PSA 10 at the time of the 2020 sales

The New Generation: Celebrini, McDavid and Ovechkin

Modern hockey cards are catching up through 1/1s and rookie patch autographs. Celebrini's Outburst Gold is the clearest sign: a 2024-25 rookie that sold for $1,281,000, just $9,000 short of the $1.29 million the O-Pee-Chee Gretzky PSA 10 brought at Heritage in December 2020.

The next class is arriving now. 2026-27 Upper Deck Series 1 hockey releases October 7 with 49 Young Guns rookies, led by Anton Frondell, James Hagens and Porter Martone, as our Upper Deck Series 1 preview covers. Upper Deck is the exclusive licensed maker of physical NHL and NHLPA trading cards, under long-term licenses extended in 2021.

For how hockey compares with other sports, see our most expensive trading cards list and our most expensive basketball cards guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most expensive hockey card ever sold?

A 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie in PSA 10, which sold for $3.75 million in a private sale brokered by Heritage Auctions and announced in May 2021.

What is the most expensive hockey card sold at auction?

A 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie in PSA 10, which sold for $1.29 million at Heritage Auctions in December 2020.

What is the most expensive Macklin Celebrini card?

His 2024-25 Upper Deck Young Guns Outburst Gold 1/1, which sold for $1,281,000 at Goldin in August 2026.

Who makes NHL trading cards?

Upper Deck, the exclusive licensed maker of physical NHL and NHLPA trading cards under long-term licenses extended in 2021.

Where to Go From Here

Hockey's top tier is Gretzky and a handful of modern 1/1s, while most collectors chase Young Guns rookies. If you want to start with real cards at a friendlier price, the Polkastarter marketplace gives you a free mystery pack when you sign up, and every Lootbox lists its contents, values, and chances before you open.

Details checked October 5, 2026. Prices are past sale results and change over time. Nothing here is financial advice. Polkastarter is not affiliated with the NHL, the NHLPA, Upper Deck, Heritage Auctions, Goldin, Fanatics Collect, Sotheby's, REA, PSA or the other companies named.

Sources

Ilknur Gubel
Social Media Manager
BA, Sociology

Ilknur Gubel is a social media manager at Polkastarter. Ilknur has spent the past four years working as a project manager, marketing manager, and social media strategist across Web3. She has held marketing and project management positions at several crypto companies, including Polygen, Nitro League, Kaizen.Finance, and ChainPort.

At Polkastarter she has covered trading card releases, collectible market pricing, and how token holders can spend crypto on real cards and videogames.

Based in Istanbul, Ilknur earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Istanbul Aydın University.

You can connect with her on LinkedIn for more information.

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