1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18 RC

Topps's cousin to the north

In 1979 two companies issued nearly identical hockey cards. Topps sold its set in the United States; O-Pee-Chee, the Canadian company often described as Topps's cousin to the north, sold its version in Canada. Card #18 in both sets was the first NHL card of an 18-year-old center from Brantford, Ontario: Wayne Gretzky.

The fronts share the same photo and design. The O-Pee-Chee is identified by its back, printed in both English and French for Canadian distribution, and by a tiny yellow ink mark on Gretzky's left shoulder that shows up on every copy and is absent from the Topps card. The O-Pee-Chee stock is also brighter white and glows more strongly under a blacklight.

Fewer O-Pee-Chee cards were produced than Topps made for the larger American market, and the Canadian cards were rougher. A 2021 comparison noted that many were cut with dull knives, leaving a rough paper edge, and a 2025 report said the lighter stock makes even a PSA 7 a real accomplishment.

The 18-year-old who rewrote the book

Gretzky was born January 26, 1961, in Brantford. On June 12, 1978, at 17, he signed a seven-year personal services contract with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association worth US$1.75 million. Eight games later he was sent to Edmonton, and on his 18th birthday he signed a 10-year contract with the Oilers. In his one WHA season he had 46 goals and 110 points in 80 games.

The photo on this card was taken during that WHA season, on November 9, 1978, at an Oilers game against the New England Whalers. On June 22, 1979, the WHA folded and four of its teams, Edmonton among them, joined the NHL.

In his first NHL season, 1979-80, the year this card was issued, Gretzky scored 51 goals with 86 assists for 137 points, tying Marcel Dionne for the league lead. Because of his WHA experience he was ruled ineligible for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, but he won the Lady Byng Trophy and became the youngest player ever to win the Hart Trophy as MVP.

He went on to win nine Hart Trophies, 10 Art Ross Trophies and four Stanley Cups, scored 92 goals in 1981-82 and 215 points in 1985-86, and finished with 894 goals and 2,857 points in 1,487 NHL games. On August 9, 1988, he was traded to Los Angeles. He played his last game on April 18, 1999, at Madison Square Garden; the NHL retired number 99 league-wide, and the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its waiting period to induct him that year.

From $465,000 to $3.75 million

Only two O-Pee-Chee Gretzkys have earned a PSA 10. One sold for $465,000 in 2016. On December 11, 2020, one became the first hockey card to sell for more than $1 million, at $1.29 million, although some experts questioned the grade because of rough edges on the right side from cutting. About five months later, in May 2021, a PSA 10 sold privately for $3.75 million, the most ever paid for a hockey card. Both buyer and seller asked to stay anonymous.

Below the top, prices have climbed steeply. A PSA 9 sold for $1,034 in 2004 and about $85,000 by early 2021; in March 2026, PSA 9 copies sold for $115,900 and $106,750.

PSA 8, the grade tracked here, is where many serious collectors land. A May 2025 report put the PSA 8 population at 830 and recent sales between $11,000 and $16,000. In 2026 recorded sales ran from about $15,000 in the spring to $26,000 in August, with a copy bringing $25,620 at auction on April 30, 2026.

How to tell OPC from Topps, and real from fake

Turn it over first: French text on the back means O-Pee-Chee, English only means Topps. On the front, look for the small yellow ink mark on Gretzky's left shoulder, present on every O-Pee-Chee. The O-Pee-Chee stock is whiter and fluoresces more strongly under a blacklight than the duller Topps stock.

The sky-blue borders are what make the card recognizable, and they are also its weakness: they expose every chip along the edges. Combined with the thin stock, rough cuts and print blemishes across the production run, high grades are scarce. In a 2021 count, the most common PSA grade for both versions was 7.

The numbers

1979-80 NHL season, Edmonton (card year)

79 GP, 51 G, 86 A, 137 PTS; tied Marcel Dionne for the league points lead. Hart Trophy (youngest winner) and Lady Byng Trophy. Age 18-19.

1978-79 WHA season (Indianapolis, Edmonton)

80 GP, 46 G, 64 A, 110 PTS

Best seasons

1981-82: 92 G, 212 PTS; 1985-86: 52 G, 163 A, 215 PTS

NHL career (1979-1999)

1,487 GP, 894 G, 1,963 A, 2,857 PTS

Honors

9 Hart Trophies, 10 Art Ross Trophies, 2 Conn Smythe Trophies, 4 Stanley Cups; number 99 retired league-wide

Hall of Fame

Inducted 1999, waiting period waived

Timeline

1. Jan 26, 1961

   Wayne Gretzky is born in Brantford, Ontario.

2. Jun 12, 1978

   At 17 he signs with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers.

3. Nov 9, 1978

   The photo later used on card #18 is taken at an Oilers game against the New England Whalers.

4. Jan 26, 1979

   On his 18th birthday he signs a 10-year contract with Edmonton.

5. Jun 22, 1979

   The WHA folds; Edmonton and three other teams join the NHL.

6. 1980

   Finishes his first NHL season with 137 points and wins the Hart Trophy.

7. Aug 9, 1988

   Traded to the Los Angeles Kings.

8. Apr 18, 1999

   Plays his final game; inducted into the Hall of Fame that year.

9. 2004

   A PSA 9 sells for $1,034.

10. 2016

    A PSA 10 sells for $465,000.

11. Dec 11, 2020

    A PSA 10 sells for $1.29 million, the first hockey card past $1 million.

12. May 2021

    A PSA 10 sells privately for $3.75 million.

13. Mar 2026

    PSA 9 copies sell for $115,900 and $106,750.

14. Aug 21, 2026

    A PSA 8 sells for $26,000.

The world in 1979

• Mar 29, 1979

  The Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania.

• May 22, 1979

  Canadian voters elect Joe Clark's Progressive Conservatives, ending Pierre Trudeau's run.

• Jul 11, 1979

  Skylab falls back to Earth.

• Sep 16, 1979

  The Sugarhill Gang release Rapper's Delight.

• Oct 17, 1979

  The Pittsburgh Pirates win the World Series in seven games.

• Nov 4, 1979

  The Iran hostage crisis begins in Tehran.

• Nov 10, 1979

  A train derailment in Mississauga, Ontario, forces the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.

Price record

A realized auction price is what a buyer actually paid on the date shown, including the buyer's premium where the sale reported it. It is the strongest kind of reference price, and it is a record of one sale of one object on one day, not a promise of what the next example will bring.

By reference price, 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky #18 RC is number 51 of 100 in the trading cards entries of the FLOAT 100. 97 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (65 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• Every O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookie has the same tiny yellow ink mark on his left shoulder; the Topps version does not.
• The photo on the card was taken while Gretzky was still playing in the WHA, on November 9, 1978.
• Gretzky tied for the NHL scoring lead as a first-year player but was ruled ineligible for rookie of the year because he had played a season in the WHA.
• Only two O-Pee-Chee Gretzky rookies have ever received a PSA 10.
• When the $1.29 million PSA 10 sold in 2020, some experts questioned whether it deserved the grade because of rough cutting on one edge.
• A PSA 9 that sold for $1,034 in 2004 would have fetched more than $100,000 in 2026.