Facebook Pixel

Rare 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Case Fetches $3.72 Million in Record-Breaking Heritage Auction Sale

* Links contained within our site and articles, may earn us a commission

In a landmark auction event, a full case of 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards, discovered in Saskatchewan and believed to house multiple Wayne Gretzky rookie cards, achieved a sale price of $3.72 million. The case, the only known full case of its kind, had been kept by a collector since its release. Heritage Auctions facilitated the sale after retrieving the case from Canada, where it was hidden behind numerous other items. The case's 16 boxes, each containing 48 packs with 14 cards per pack, were authenticated upon their U.S. arrival.

The auction attracted a Canadian buyer with a winning bid of $3.1 million, escalated to $3.72 million with the buyer's premium. This sale significantly surpassed the previous record held by a 1986-87 Fleer Basketball case. The auction also featured a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card that sold for $2.37 million, contributing to the auction's nearly $26 million total sales.

Other highlights included rare Topps baseball boxes and a Boston Red Sox postcard featuring Babe Ruth, alongside memorabilia from hockey legend Mike Bossy and a Hank Aaron jersey. The auction also unveiled a previously unknown poster from Albert Spalding's 1888-89 Baseball World Tour, selling for $240,000. Despite the withdrawal of a Babe Ruth-signed glove from the auction, the event underscored Heritage Auctions' commitment to authenticity and marked a historic moment for sports memorabilia collectors.