The 20 Most Valuable Hockey Cards From the 1980s

[@matthewelliott2213]

I love 80's/junk wax anything.... Best bang for your buck and reminds me of my childhood! Thanks Chris!

[@mattjvictory]

Your hockey knowledge and presentation has clearly grown. ANYONE who can pronounce "Jari Kurri" properly has been doing their homework - well done, Chris!

[@brentwalker5726]

I started collecting hockey cards before I really knew the players. I always struggled with the French-Canadian names. I bet I messed up Patrick Roy (sounds like "wah", not Roy) for at least a year before someone finally set me strait. SO embarrassing! I can forgive my 10 year old self,, i suppose. I actually never messed up Jari or Jaromir Jagr because of the old football kicker Jan Stenerud.

[@stephenm8725]

@@brentwalker5726 true, but nice to get some culture. I learned the hockey names right from Sportscenter and the announcers on tv

[@jeffreypeace2696]

Chris Sewall: Only Man alive that can get me to watch a Hockey Card Video.

[@sweetswing1]

Go to a nhl playoff game and you'll be hooked.

[@jeffreypeace2696]

@@sweetswing1 In Ohio...well ..you know.

[@sweetswing1]

@@jeffreypeace2696 Ah yes haha, that would make it difficult.

[@nau97]

Thanks for the Hockey countdown, not enough hockey card videos on youtube! Much appreciated.

[@Optable]

Played puck with Austin, Mario’s wicked fast son for two years in north Pittsburgh. Never have I felt more worthless on the ice before. He would stand away in the back for about half of our games completely silent. As soon as he got spotted by the rink mom mafia he immediately found the nearest exit, but for the most part parents completely respected it and gave him space to breathe. If you’re a dad out there that knows absolutely nothing about hockey, get to play it again sports and lace up some skates. It’s the coolest thing my father got me to enjoy and there wasn’t a lick of hockey in our blood. Haven’t looked back for over 26 years

[@sweetswing1]

Great story 👊

[@scooterscards6888]

I'm from Noth pgh too!!

[@scooterscards6888]

North*

[@ianschwartz2496]

Thanks for giving the hockey fans some love, Sewall. 70's and 80's hockey is largely affordable (with some exceptions like you featured), tons of reasonably-priced fun to be had!

[@williambartenslager8040]

The Joe Sakic 1989 Topps rookie typically sells for over $200 in a PSA 9, one of the rare times the Topps version is worth more than the OPC.

[@jackiechapman8189]

I'm not a big hockey guy but I can certainly appreciate some of these HOF superstar player's and their cards.. Thanks for the great video Chris.. Love it. Stay safe all..👍💕🔥⚾🤗🤙

[@sweetswing1]

If you have access go to a live game, especially a playoff game. You'll get a whole new appreciation.

[@sweetswing1]

What a great video Chris, thank you for including us hockey card fanatics in your videos 🙏👊🍻. What a massive jump in the Mario RC from a psa 9 to a 10.

[@montrealsports29]

Starting with the 1981-82 set, I would buy a full box of OPC hockey cards every season (instead of just buying a bunch of packs here and there). The only time I got a full set in a box was 1981-82, but it was usually fairly easy to finish off my sets. In 1985-86, the box I bought didn't have the Mario card and I couldn't find it anywhere. Finally, I came across one later in 1986 at a card store in Ottawa that I always went to when I was in that city. It wasn't in the best of condition. The guy wanted $3 for it, which I thought was a lot of money for a new card in lesser condition. I said to the guy, "But it's not even mint," so he said I could have it for $2. So, my 1985-86 OPC set consists of 263 pack fresh cards and 1 not so fresh Lemieux rookie.

[@sweetswing1]

Hahaha, thats too funny.

[@chippedicehockey]

What a great story! Back then I didn’t even know you could buy full sets. I hunted packs for an entire year to complete my 1983-84 OPC! Haha! Still have them.

[@montrealsports29]

​@@chippedicehockey Back then, it was still a little difficult buying complete sets. You needed to have a card store near you or order through ads in magazines. Nowadays, I only buy complete sets because pack prices are insane now.

[@user-hm5zb1qn6g]

That's a good story.

[@JohnJohn-gs8md]

Loved watching hockey in the 80's. Seabass coming in at #20.

[@mr.btheband]

Only sport I collect so it’s a bonus when I see hockey content. But love all of Chris’ video/stories.

[@mdm5216]

Back in the late 80's I walked into this small cards shop. They had packs of O-Pee-Chee from Yzerman's rookie year. A little hand written sign on the box advertised which player you could get in a pack and Steve was one of them. I bought one pack and sure enough he was in there. Still got it.

[@redwing1214]

I have most of these cards. Back in 1998 I bought 2 Steve Yzerman rookie cards. 1 was the O-Pee-Chee rookie and the other was Tops. It was the card you see in the video. Back then I got both of them for 85$ what a steal. I also did the same with Brett Hull’s rookie. One was the Canadian brand O-Pee-Chee the other was Tops. I paid around 55$ for both of them combined. Most of my hockey cards are O-Pee-Chee.

[@Jamie-y5f]

My mom just passed away and she saved all my hockey cards. Just got them for 30 + years. I think I have a lot of these. Going to see a collector tomorrow.

[@user-hm5zb1qn6g]

Best card channel on KZbin, hands down.

[@jasonthieme8926]

Great video. Lifelong NYR fan but always liked Mike Gartner. He ran a summer hockey camp out of Towson MD and i went two summers. Got a chance to skate with him it was awesome

[@warrenimeson2434]

Thanks for giving Hockey some love.Sad to see I traded my Bourque rookie. Lol.

[@brycerocha365]

I am someone who collects primarily baseball but recently have been expanding to collecting other sports than the big three. Hockey is one of them. This video should be a great educational tool for someone like me! Maybe you could do videos of the top 10-20 hockey cards from other eras. Thanks Chris

[@sweetswing1]

Second that!

[@btsportscards4485]

Thanks for sharing and help educate the hobby on hockey cards - so very undervalued still.

[@drawstraw4483]

Wow more than a little thankful here ❤️ I just bought a 82 hockey set my local sports card shop, and was very pleased with the information inside this video on a lot cards that are in that set. I have not collected in many years and when I did it was baseball, basketball... pretty much everything, but recently I have really been into hockey, the actual game play I love more than any other sport! You broke down some records of really many cards within that set I was not even aware of, and hockey is a frustrating game to get to high marks as far as records go.. I found your channel through an interview with another guy you did on your position in the hobby, and he shared his too... since just last night I e been watching your channel, and plan to watch a lot more of it because I have always loved the vintage cards growing up in a time late 80's collecting the, then modern cards, but always fascinated with the cards beneath the glass at the sports cards shops I could NEVER afford and that still is the case..I must say I really enjoy all types of collector's for the most part. It is a truly unique feeling that we get when we want a card that is truly special to us, and that part of one's collection is something that transcends the money aspect of it when it goes back to a certain afternoon in our childhood we couldn't even begin to live without. I'm glad to be back collecting again. I didn't even know how much I missed it until I bought a box of heritage off the shelf at a Walmart this year, and pulled an incredible player's autograph redemption. I always liked the 73 design Topps, but many more too! It's great to be back, and thanks to the whole KZbin community for their enthusiasm in this very special hobby. Thank you again 👌

[@burkilonious]

that Bourque rookie was my Holy Grail card as a kid.

[@CS-kk3hx]

Love this video. Thank you. Beautiful cool old cards. Those prices seem so affordable for such low pop cards. Legitimate scarcity there

[@williambartenslager8040]

Have most of these in a PSA 8 or 9, great stuff. I think some of your prices are quite low though. Please do a 90s hockey video, but that will take your research department a bit longer since there were so many more manufacturers then.

[@adamlee1562]

and believe it or not hockey cards are waaaay under valued and appreciated. Thanks for the video Chris!

[@Probasaur]

This is where i recognize the most cards from my collection. Really wanna get my Yzerman graded more than any card in my collection its at least an 8, if not a 9 or 10.

[@patrickmel8728]

Not big into hockey cards but this was a fun watch for sure!!!

[@brentwalker5726]

Thank you for the 80s hockey love! I've been collecting complete sets from every year in the 80s. I actually have at least 1 from every year except 1986 (no Roy RC for me). I've tried to get the OPC sets but a few are just too rich for my blood...

[@chrisjones6289]

Love this video. The first packs I got was the 82-83. Still have my Fuhr and Hawerchuck (still see the dents from the elastic band lol)

[@robertlanham7830]

Great content as always! Love the hockey cards of the 70s and 80s!

[@NuthinFancyCollectibles]

Thanks for yet another fantastic video, Chris.

[@billkhan3789]

Thanks for showing hockey some love! I wonder what the 1980-81 Topps versions would go for in PSA 10s because of the scratch-offs over the names.

[@michaeltheriaultfdf840]

Yes, thanks for doing a hockey video!

[@willg.2045]

Fun list! Now I have to look back through my 80s hockey rookies to see if any are in great condition. Also, I'm surprised that Pat LaFontaine's rookie didn't make the top 20 but Wendell Clark did. Maybe it's a pop count thing.

[@sweetswing1]

Clark is also a legend in Toronto, and it being the second biggest hockey card market, it makes more sense.

[@ultimatewarrior3310]

@@sweetswing1 where's the first?

[@sweetswing1]

@@ultimatewarrior3310 Montreal

[@ultimatewarrior3310]

@@sweetswing1 I can't see how since late 90s not too many french Canadians were drafted. As we all know how Quebec feels alienated all the time😂🤣

[@CorePositionTrading]

I always fantasize ... getting in that way back machine and walking into a bar and asking the bar tenders to keep all the baseball cards (T209) from freshly opened packs of cigs and I'd pay them for them ... no doubt I'd have boxes full ... but in hockey, no way anyone in Canada would give up there hockey cards LOL!

[@theloudcollector]

Sports Cards Live brought me here ... top notch Chris!! Thanks for hitting up some hockey!!

[@realbillymiller1011]

"You'll have to sell your Toyota Camry to buy that one" 😆

[@JonsSportsCards]

I love this one Chris! I have all of the cards on the list minus the 1986. For some reason I didn’t pick up the 1986 O Pee Chee release. My Mario RC is a BGS 9. I’ve featured it on the channel several times along with multiple sets from the 80’s. Great content as usual!

[@spic0li]

Great List your much more well versed in your hockey db. Honorable mentions to Scott Steven's rc, dino ciccerelli rc, Tom Barrasso rc, pelle Lindbergh rc, John vanbessbruck rc, Glenn anderson rc, Andy Moog rc, luc Robitaille rc.

[@dporter2112]

Cam likes boilermakers

[@wesleyhodge9457]

Great video Chris! It’s amazing how much those PSA 9s and 10s go for on those Top Tier players!!

[@speach73]

Great video Chris. Glad to see more hockey cards on the channel and the timing couldn't have been better. I just packed up two 1986 opc Patrick Roy and Wendel Clark's to send to SGC. Wish me luck. Loving the tuxedos.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Good luck with those!

[@Teabagonyou]

Sent my Roy RC in Topps recently to PSA. H Bought it for $20 maybe thirty years ago. Got a PSA 8. Only one I could find in my area at shows at the time.

[@hlamp1]

Thanks for the hockey card coverage👍👍

[@JC-bj5cv]

Love this video, my stash is most of these cards and it brought back great memories. Thank you.

[@rayfromphilly6969]

this was a great video. great selection of hockey cards.

[@ugghhhyoutubeisawful646]

I suspect others have mentioned it too, but the Sakic 1989-90 Topps is often more than some of the cards on the list. Also, a neat story is the "Tembec Test" versions (aka...'wth, why are these junk era cards so expensive?'...versions of the 1989-90 cards). Anyway, love this channel. Thanks.

[@larrygitlin6017]

Thanks for the review of the greatest of hockey player cards of the 80s. Watched all play but too bad did not collect the rookie cards of more hockey stars. I do own many early OPee Chee and Topps unopened packs.though, plus a Lemiieux Roy, Sakic and Hull rookies. Ready for the playoffs ,go AVS.

[@Teabagonyou]

Awesome!!!! Love to see you on hockey.

[@reubyville]

I own 19 out of 20 of those. Need that MacInnis rookie. As an Oilers fan, I'm only going to pick it up once the Flames are eliminated

[@sweetswing1]

That is fair hahaha

[@chippedicehockey]

Really enjoyed the video, thanks for sharing the research! I have a few of those cards and my crown jewel is my Yzerman rookie card. I’ve sent it off, along with my Cam Neely rookie card, to get graded. Hoping for good results!

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Thanks, and best of luck with the grading!

[@dustendawin4657]

Thanks for the video. I am going to buy and grade bunch of these cards. Psa 8's that go for $100 and 9s that go for $300.....sounds like a good investment.

[@funnyhandle]

bear in mind that, particularly for early 80s, that hockey is arguably a more condition-sensitive sport than perhaps the others (OPC was pretty notorious for centring and cutting issues). the difference in values probably has more to do with how difficult it is to come by PSA 9s and 10s (as the pop counts in this video attests to) rather than a significant market undervaluation of PSA 8s or lower. I do think hockey is the one of the major sports with the furthest to climb and the lowest to fall though, so I do think the sport is probably a wiser long-term investment in early 2022 than the others.

[@dustendawin4657]

@@funnyhandle I plan on buying bulk copies of some of the rookies in this video. I know that I will be lucky to find 3-5 worthy cards in 100. The other cards go to Comc and I can get all of money back and then some on just those and the good ones I can send in for $50 a card.

[@funnyhandle]

@@dustendawin4657 yeah that’s a smart approach, so long as you’re going in with eyes open. I was just concerned that people who know other sports better imagine high quality pick ups are about as common as in their favoured sports when it’s not really the case. certainly lower production runs, lower quality product in the first place (particularly early 80s OPC), the junk wax era starting later in hockey (88 at the earliest and more like 90) means there is certainly a shorter supply. which is actually good for their long-term value imo. but yeah hockey bulk lots have largely been very picked over too, it’s not exactly like hockey is this untapped or ignored market even if it gets a small fraction of the attention other major sports do. good luck though, you are taking the right approach

[@kidt3068]

OPC was brighter colors but the rough cut edges from the lack of sharpening of the factory machines is common

[@bryanl3659]

If you haven’t already, can you do ultramodern hockey ? We do exist and we collect hard .

[@ijksmom99]

very nice - I recently acquired a 1980 Wayne Gretzky OPC 2nd year - PSA 9 - but the back says printed by Topps. This is the first I ever seen like this. What are your thoughts on this?

[@mosthighb]

Hey thanks for the information. I have an autographed Steve Yzerman card, the same one in your video. I wonder how much the value gos up ?

[@dennisneto6334]

Thanks Chris I enjoyed that video!

[@bleepbleep1961]

What an amazing Video ! I have many of these in mint condition ... a full set of opeechee 1981 incl some sealed packs ! Also a full uncut sheet from 1981 incl Gretztky !!! How much would that be worth ?? 🤔

[@BeEasyChamp]

Were these cards harder to grade ? The edging was always rough and off centering was issues...

[@FischerFan]

I have all but three of these cards. I don't have the RCs of Wendell Clark, Al MacInnis, and (ouch!) Patrick Roy! The Roy RC is a nice card!

[@johnsherman8649]

I picked up an o-pee-chee 1984 hockey set recently and this video is very informative.

[@scottbuckley6578]

My dad has everyone of these cards along with full sets of every team in binders

[@trevorogden8330]

Just in time for NHL playoffs!

[@reignsupreme503]

I used to have this Roy rookie o pee chee card, I used to have a principal when I was in grade 4, and we made a deal for me to do good in school and keep my behaviour in check and at the end of every week he would give me 10 hockey cards, he gave me so many rare rookie cards telling me they’d be worth money one day, sadly I my home was flooded as a young kid and all my cards were lost to water damage 😢 I had 4 full binders with 9 card holder pages, I still think about them

[@relayernj]

Thanks Chris!

[@gregabreu7346]

Dose PSA ding the O-pee-Chee cards for the cut on the top. I have multiples of all these RC’s and want to get them graded.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Yes, they do factor in the cut

[@gregabreu7346]

@@collectorinvestordealer thank you.

[@KickAssets]

2 think the year of Yzerman....I had 1000s of those...I had like 7 Yzerman rookies and around 12 Neely. My mom trashed them all when she got drunk and pissed.

[@masonrahal6980]

The Brett Hull RC PSA 10 price is surprisingly very high.

[@pete5691]

Why do you say that?

[@masonrahal6980]

Great post. Thanks Chris.

[@scottleppard288]

Great insight and video. I have a few 1979 and 1980 Topps hockey cards with the scratch off puck that reveals the players name. I was advised that if you don't scratch the puck the card will hold more value, is this true?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Yes, it is more valuable unscratched

[@scottleppard288]

@@collectorinvestordealer Thanks, friend.

[@Nerdsplayingcards]

I just found your channel , I ❤️ vintage hockey cards , hmm canadian

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Welcome to the channel!

[@winstonrumfoord7927]

I can change the pop count on a bunch of those if I dig out the tub of cards in my spare room. I have a lot that were shown here. Most in good condition

[@davidthompson62]

Now I have a collection of cards dating from the late 60’s to 2009. I haven’t bought or looked at card prices since then but my question; HOW COME THE EXPLOSION IN CARD PRiCES? I sold a Topps Gretzky rookie card (the best out of 4 I own) in the mid 2000’s for $300 bucks!! I think it’s time to pull out the collection as the mid to later baseball stars must be going for mega-money now.

[@len6482]

Hockey is criminally undervalued

[@robdemare8250]

I can attest to the fact that the 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee cards were tough to get in high grade(s). They were usually horribly off-centered, with bad edges. I'm guessing that the OPC factory in London, ON didn't sharpen those blades too often! Also, there was horrible bleeding on the fronts, as the backs of the cards were bark blue in colour. Opened many of those packs!

[@billerickson4339]

Great video.....thank you!

[@Intensity-qz2jx]

Great content as always. :) The Edmonton Oilers dominated in the 80's. That was my favorite Hockey Team but after they dismantled that team I got mad and dropped them as my favorite team. After all that I quit buying Hockey for years. Why did Marion Lemieux miss 3 Season? Did he retire and then came out of retirement?

[@blueodum]

He had a combination of Hodgkins and back problems. He came out of retirement twice after lengthy rest.

[@BlueToronto]

@@blueodum It was the back. The Hodgkins only stopped him for a couple of months or something like that, and he still won the scoring title that season. Lol.

[@jasonmilling7259]

Great video! Now how do I find a buyer!

[@TheJankmaster]

Stastny was 2nd in points behind Gretzky in the 80s

[@johnpowell5538]

Just bought a 1980-81 Topps hockey set unscratched ex mt condition

[@frontseatdog4296]

Ty Chris!

[@nkmason8284]

Good stuff

[@miggslor9985]

Coffey only won 3 cups with Edmonton. He than went on to win 2 with Pittsburgh. Great Vid though... very informative.

[@tonyalmeida5684]

Card numbers different too,at least that Yzerman!

[@chrisd4222]

Just curious why you don't include junior league, European, local or non-major brands. The 1989 Swedish Semic Championship Hasek may blow by a lot of these over time - if you can find one in any condition, grab it. Only 17 ever graded to date. top grade is PSA 8. 1978 SM Liga Jari Kurri from Finland is so tough too. Only 6 ever graded top being an 8. Looking like the 1990 Foodland Jagr, locally issued in Western PA may end up being his best RC long-term. only 15 in PSA 10 to date. Not 4000 in psa 10 like opc premier. There were some scarce gems around in the junk wax era if you look hard enough.

[@PoorMansInvesting]

Love the Hockey Love!!

[@michaelcalland801]

Surprised Glenn Anderson isn't on this list. His 82 OPC rookie is way up there. And anyone collecting the Oilers with Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Fuhr & Coffey has to have Anderson which would drive up the price. I think ?

[@michaelcalland801]

Rookie is 81 rather

[@funnyhandle]

Anderson if anything gets lost in the shuffle because of the glare of the bright light of the all-time greats around him. Gretzky, Messier and Coffey are amongst the very best in their position. Kurri had higher production and is paired with Gretzky in the public imagination. Fuhr benefits from the fact that, like pitchers in baseball, hockey goalies get more attention/hobby love. Anderson was undoubtedly productive and consistent but he also played on the 3rd line of a dynasty. I don’t think anyone would put Anderson in as a top 100 and certainly not a top 50 player of all time. I do agree his market value is maybe a bit below what it should be but I also get why he’s overlooked.

[@michaelcalland801]

All great points. No doubt… Kevin Lowe is another HOFer in that group of oilers . But still, this isn’t a list of 20 greatest players but 20 most valuable cards & if you check out PSA Anderson’s rookie in a PSA 10 & 9 is way up there. I’ll check it out & see what it’s most recent sales were

[@funnyhandle]

@@michaelcalland801 that’s partially because the 1981 opc set is notoriously condition-sensitive and off-centre but sure, he still gets some real hobby love but still probably not enough. I’m surprised a bit by how low a lot of the non-RCs of non-Gretzky/Messier oiler greats sell for. early 80s Kurris or Coffeys don’t sell for as much as I think they should. the 82 oilers cards have great eye appeal

[@michaelcalland801]

@@funnyhandle Yes.,, The 82 OPC oilers are some of my favorite hockey cards. The blue & orange borders match the uniform perfectly & as you said you can pick them up at a reasonable price: Undervalued in my opinion

[@tdotjones5380]

1980 Gretz just sold for 33K psa 10 on pwcc

[@leelantern805]

Lots of goats on this list, surprised Wendel Clark is in the top 20 as he was known as a fighter with a deadly wrist shot

[@jesiah1992]

Really need to get my dad to grade his set pretty sure he has 90% if not more and duplicates of these cards in very mint condition only taken out of the box to show me basically a couple times 😂even has the rolls he won from a contest

[@Scott6794]

I have the Borque

[@thehighlanders607]

Thanks for the hockey content!

[@joeyj5538]

Thanks for the hockey vid!!

[@jbscardbreaks4389]

I used to love hockey in the 90s I’m not sure why it fell off the map so hard maybe just tv coverage isn’t as prevalent.

[@scooterscards6888]

Thanks for the top 20 of the 80's how about one for the 70's in topps?

[@ksteege120]

Is there a semi-constant (or average) conversion factor between Topps and O-Pee-Chee card for the same card? For example, are 1985 O-Pee-Chee cards generally worth, say 2X their Topps counterpart?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Its not very consistent year to year but 2x is a very rough estimate

[@funnyhandle]

@@collectorinvestordealer yeah usually no less than 2x and often no more than 3x, except for maybe 1981 Topps, which seemed to be produced in sky high numbers. Very easy to find unopened packs or raw cards in near mint or mint condition for far less than the highly condition and centring-sensitive 1981 O-Pee-Chee. great way to get kids into some near-vintage though where they can have virtually the same card visually for a fraction of the OPC price.

[@alltimesportscards]

The one exception is probably 1989. I believe OPC ramped up their production that year specifically.

[@alltimesportscards]

Note that Topps did not make hockey cards in 1982 or 1983, only OPC

[@funnyhandle]

@@alltimesportscards yeah 1989 is strangely the one year where there are more OPC than Topps in circulation

[@tdotjones5380]

Great video

[@seifman2027]

MORE HOCKEY!!!!

[@sweetswing1]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@KeyKiller74]

I passed up on buying that PSA 9 Mario RC for $125 10 years ago 😭

[@Concatenate]

I'm a total weirdo when it comes to my sports card collection. I think hockey is my weakest area but I've spent the most money on hockey cards than any other sport. I have the Gretzky Topps and OPC rookie, 2 Patrick Roy OPC rookie cards, and Lemieux Topps (and just recently purchased his OPC) rookies. None of them in good enough shape for PSA 9 but still great cards to have and I think will only appreciate in value over time.