Wayne Gretzky is adding his voice to the Stanley Cup Playoffs from TNT's studio, even as one of the most coveted pieces of hockey cardboard tied to his name surges at auction.
A 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card graded PSA 9 with a 10 Auto is drawing a current bid of $264,000 in the May Premier Auction at Fanatics Collect. The autographed card is a Pop 1, and PSA says it is the only signed 1979 O-Pee-Chee Gretzky card it has ever seen publicly sold. The card is one of the most iconic hockey cards ever produced, and the timing gives it a fresh spotlight just as Gretzky, long described as the greatest player in NHL history, appears on television during a postseason that is nearing a dramatic conclusion.
The numbers behind the card explain the heat. PSA has graded only 95 examples of the 1979 O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookie in PSA 9, and only two copies have reached PSA 10. That makes the signed version unusually scarce even in a market that already treats the base card as a trophy item. Produced in 1979, the card has moved from childhood collectable to high-end asset, and the current bid suggests buyers are still willing to pay heavily for a piece that connects directly to hockey's most recognizable name.
What makes this auction stand out is not just the grade, but the combination of grade, autograph and rarity. PSA says the signed card has never been sold publicly, which leaves the market with little precedent for where the final price may land. Fanatics Collect's May Premier Auction is giving bidders a chance to set that number in public for the first time, and the fact that it is happening while Gretzky is once again part of the playoff conversation only sharpens the attention around it.
For collectors, the card sits at the meeting point of sports history and scarcity. For viewers, Gretzky is back in the center of the game in a different role, offering insight from the studio while the postseason closes in on its decisive moments. The auction is a reminder that his name still moves more than conversation. It moves serious money.
