1979 Gretzky's PSA 10
 

Looks like the OPC and Topps 1979 Gretzky PSA 10's will be coming up in the Heritage auction starting in mid November. Any guesses at the final prices.
https://i.postimg.cc/rmN0JJwq/lf-b.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/ZqkWzg9T/lf.jpg

still odd to me that the OPC 10 can look so crusty on the edges. i know that's how their stock looks but for over $1M purchase, that would irk me. still a sick card and i'd love to get even a 3 or a 4.

Didn't the last 10 sell for $457,000+ U.S or something like that a couple years ago, or has one sold higher since then?
I am real curious what it sells for as well but if I had to guess, I'd say around the same or just slightly higher? I know Gretzky RC's have taken off like crazy lately but I'm not sure when it comes to a high grade like this one, if the same money will be spent or not?

The famous OPC wire cut. Personally, being a CDN, I only purchase OPC cards if I can help it. There is just something nostalgic about them that I prefer, plus when you know that far fewer OPC copies were produced than Topps, it makes them all that more appealing as well, imo.

i have a ton of both topps and OPC, but would prefer to have all OPC (value vs actual eye appeal). got a few early 1980s gretzky cards that actually look mint vs that wire cut look.

Gentlemen ... gentlemen ...

These 79' OPC cards were not cut with wires! They were cut using a slitter machine - and a very old one! Ten sheets were inserted at a time and the ones at the bottom got the roughest edges.

I'd be suspicious of one WITHOUT a rough cut.

Interesting. Always heard wires and when they were dull you got rough cut.

Not saying what you said above is incorrect but I have never heard of that before either.
Was always told wire, and possibly an aircraft type quality wire.

I have pictures of the employees putting sheets through the slitter machine. I have lots of other pictures of the O-Pee-Chee plant as well. I can tell you right now that there were no aircraft wires in there.

And no, I cannot post these pictures on a public forum. They were sent to me by a Canadian researcher and he wouldn't be pleased if I did this.

that's some awesome intel. thanks for sharing.

The OPC last sold in 2016 for $465K. The Topps last sold a few months later in 2016 for $201K. Both are pop 2 in PSA 10 grade. Think about how much the card market has grown since then. I think the OPC sells for $1-2M minimum. It could go for $2M plus with buyer premium. I think the Topps goes for 40-50% of the cost of the OPC card. In 2016 the Topps sold for 43% of the OPC. I am looking to acquire an OPC in a PSA 9 grade as there are 89 of them and I think they will jump after the PSA 10 sale because they are the highest grade that are somewhat attainable.

The OPC 10 was on eBay for months and months at 1 Mil and no sale.

It will be interesting to see if the different venue brings out bigger money.

Looking forward to following these two.

I can't imagine that it won't bring out the big bucks. Would imagine that those with the means are much more likely to hand Heritage 2 mill than any ebay seller, even probstein or pwcc.

Agree with EJKaufman, maybe around 2 million for the OPC and somewhere in the 750 k to 1 million range for the Topps

https://youtu.be/66yNvHeePq4

This is the guy who had them listed and who must have consigned them.

I have seen this video before, but I totally forgot about his Gretzky! Well done, Peck!

I don't agree with this guy. He stated that the GOAT in football can always be debated. For example, some say it's Brady, others say it is Barry Sanders, others say Elway, etc. But in hockey, according to him, there is no debate. Now first of all, how can anyone compare a QB to a WR or a RB? It just wouldn't make sense to say that Jim Brown will always be better than Tom Brady. I think the same thing can be said about hockey. Yes, Gretzky is the greatest forward of all-time. However, the greatest d-man will always be Bobby Orr. And the greatest goalie? Now that would make an interesting debate!

Look at it this way in terms of GOAT in Hockey. Gretzky played on the most stacked team ever and scored and passed all day winning scoring titles but was non existent on defense. Orr was defenseman of the year 8 straight years AND won scoring titles AND MVP's as the best scorer of his era. He was defenseman of the year and was at the top of the scoring leaders every year also. The first 100 assist season was accomplished by Orr, a defenseman. Orr is the ONLY player in the sports history to do this. Not even an argument for me as who is the GOAT. He is undoubtedly the #1 5 tool player the sport has ever seen.

goalies
 

Here's one list anyhow. I am guessing Hasek tops more lists than anyone else.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...es-of-all-time

I would have no problem with Hasek at #1.

This is essentially the argument you will get from most Bostonians. I'm not sure that many people anywhere else buy it though.

Just a common sense argument for me. Played at the highest level on offense AND defense. Pretty much a no brainier for me.

I agree, and considering how short Orr's career was due to injuries from not being protected like Gretzky was, one can only imagine the feats he would have accomplished if he was.

The crazy thing is that Orr in only 9 seasons had a higher career +/- than Gretzky in a 20 year career.
Needless to say, both are 2 of the best and they are incredible on and off the ice.

I would say that is definitely not the general consensus among the hockey cognoscenti. Comparing goaltenders of past generations is difficult, and considering Hasek played in an era dominated by two better netminders in both Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, I don't think the appellation of greatest of all time could possibly be bestowed when he wasn't even the best of his generation.

ONE of the greatest all-time, of course, the absolute best though? I don't think so...

[QUOTE=Huysmans;2030198]I would say that is definitely not the general consensus among the hockey cognoscenti. Comparing goaltenders of past generations is difficult, and considering Hasek played in an era dominated by two better netminders in both Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, I don't think the appellation of greatest of all time could possibly be bestowed when he wasn't even the best of his generation.

Hasek beats both in career save %, GAA and total Vezinas (6 to Brodeurs 4 and Roy's 3 ). All this while a rookie at 26 yrs. old. Pretty solid case. Even won a couple of Hart's.

I would bet Hasek is on top of more lists than any other goalie, which is all I said.

Here's another.
https://www.thetoptens.com/best-ice-hockey-goalies/

[QUOTE=Tomi;2030250]Both Roy and Brodeur had longer careers and were more consistent. And each were more successful during the playoffs when it matters most. And you mention GAA and save %, with the difference between the trio miniscule.

Brodeur is the only goaltender in history with eight 40-win seasons, while Roy is the only goaltender to win a trio of Conn Smythe trophies - arguably the most prestigious award in the entire sport.

Additionally, Roy was selected as the greatest goaltender in NHL history by a panel of 41 writers, coupled with a simultaneous fan poll in 2004, while Brodeur is the NHL's all-time regular season leader in wins and shutouts.

Yeah, but all lists are not created equal....
some are more important, from more reputable sources....

https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=1923345

Hasek had the best nickname.

You could be right there.

Although...

Clint "Praying Benny" Benedict
Georges "The Chicoutimi Cucumber" Vezina
and
Jacques "Jake the Snake" Plante

are quite memorable as well.

https://i.postimg.cc/xTHbypSN/38145a-lg.jpg

Simple, and obvious. But still...

I am not from Boston and I agree with Orr as the GOAT. Could the GOAT in baseball be a DH? I would rather have a complete player over a one dimensional one.

Gretzky is the GOAT in any team sport and it's not even close. I'm so tired of the Bobby Orr guys trying to push their greatest of all time agenda. Yes, he was spectacular...for 6 years. Gretzky checks every damn box when it comes to greatness. Regular season records. Career records. Championships. Making his teammates better. People like to say he wasn't great on defense. Guess what - he wasn't paid to play defense!!!

9 years not 6. The GOAT is a 5 tool player, something Gretzky never was. His numbers were nothing in LA compared to what he did in Edmonton where everyone on his line was an all star. At least Gretzky was able to win many Lady Bing trophies as the nicest player.:)

Tony Esposito over Billy Smith? Curious list, indeed...:D

For what it's worth,Lemieux could do everything Gretzky could. An added bonus was he was bigger. Also extra points for playing in the more physical Patrick Division vs the Smythe Division.

Who's ready to discuss 80s hockey? Let's go, boys...

i keep seeing these GOAT arguments around competition for Gretzky. To me it's not even a discussion. Gretzky shattered the points and assists records by such a long-shot that his goal breaking records are an afterthought, and often overlooked. He has more career assists than any other player has total points! Think about that. On top of this, he is also the greatest goal scorer. What more are you looking for, lol.

I think the Hull/Lemieux arguments are crazy, but I always like to listen to what other people have to say.
Gretzky is the most dominant athlete in any sport.. Ever. I don't want to hear about golf, i am talking sports.

everyone on his line was an all-star. true. but another thing Gretzky is the all-time leader in is short-handed goals- and again its not close. So he was dominant with only 1/2 of those all-stars.

[QUOTE=Wid_Conroy;2030711]i keep seeing these GOAT arguments around competition for Gretzky. To me it's not even a discussion. Gretzky shattered the points and assists records by such a long-shot that his goal breaking records are an afterthought, and often overlooked. He has more career assists than any other player has total points! Think about that. On top of this, he is also the greatest goal scorer. What more are you looking for, lol.



I guess we see a GOAT in different ways. You see the GOAT as someone who scored the most points. I see a GOAT as someone who does EVERYTHING. Orr is the only player in the history of the sport who was the best defenseman and offensive player of the year. What are you going to say if Ovechkin breaks his goal record? He has a legit shot.

Don knows. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8lNMMLZn-E

Yes!!!

I said Orr was spectacular for 6 years. Do you really think he was amazing in 1966, 1967 and 1968 when he scored 41, 31 and 64 points? So that leaves 1969-1974. An other-worldly run for a defenseman, for sure, but 6 spectacular years is not nearly enough for a player to be considered the GOAT.

[QUOTE=Tomi;2030811]Not at all. it's not that Gretzky was the best scorer, it is that he completely shattered what was normal in the game, completely dominated. When you get 2.5 points a game, which was freakish, frankly you don't really need elite defense. creating that many goals puts your team in a position to win 99% of the time. Please don't get it twisted, this is very different than a James Harden type in the current NBA. Harden might score the most, but he is no where near an outlier in what he does.

wrt to Ovechkin, back to my original point.... Gretzky produced so many total points, that his goal-scoring is actually overlooked. it was an afterthought. It's almost if he effortlessly became the greatest goal scorer this game as ever seen. If he ends up 2nd all time in goals, It won't make a difference.

The GOAT designation is overused and pretty ridiculous when considering changes to professional sports over the decades. Orr was a monster and the very best of his generation. But how would you honestly compare him to an Erik Karlsson or Nicklas Lidstrom? What about Gretzky or Crosby? Richard or Jagr? Its nonsensical. Way too many variables. These decisions come down to emotion, bias, and our own experience with the game. GOTT makes a lot more sense to me. Records are records, but they don't tell the whole story.

Back on topic, both of those 10s are well off-center. The OPC especially has me scratching my head.

It's only one opinion, but I heard an interview with Gordie Howe who was asked the inevitable question, if you could pick one player to start a team, would it be Orr or Gretzky? He said Orr.

I wonder what Gordie would say today? Orr or McDavid? Its a very different game now. Orr was a generational talent that transformed the position.

old timers are typically bitter, and biased against newer players. Just like in basketball, when Jordan arrived there were those types who would claim they would build a team around Wilt or Russell.

Hockey GOAT?
 

How about Killer Carlson for GOAT? I'll see myself out now:)

And some players, like Phil Esposito, say Gordie Howe was the best ever.

Valid point and a true contender for GOAT as well, imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu3tvR30n1g

I don't think that was the case at all with Howe, he had only the highest praise for Gretzky, but wanted to start his dream team with Orr on defense.