READING ROOM

Articles

Everything written here about the 1979 Gretzky rookie card.
Number18Rookie.com
Why Is Wayne Gretzky's Rookie Card Number 18?
The 1979-80 set gave its stars the round numbers. Gretzky went between Willie Huber and Ron Sedlbauer, and a year later Topps made him card 250.
Read the article →
How to Spot a Fake 1979 O-Pee-Chee Gretzky Rookie
One grader saw a single Topps fake in twenty-one years, while the OPC is among the most counterfeited cards ever printed. What to check on the front, the back, the edge and the slab.
Read the article →
The Yellow Dot on Gretzky's Shoulder Is Not Yellow Ink
The jersey is orange, which is yellow with red printed over it. A particle blocked the red in one spot. It is called a hickey, and it is no longer proof the card is real.
Read the article →
A Dull Blade in the Basement of a Gum Factory
O-Pee-Chee were a confectionery company and did not print the cards. A former plant manager describes a dull blade, no cutting clamp, and a cutting rig in the basement. The frayed edges are not damage.
Read the article →
Every Million Dollar Gretzky Rookie Sale
Four PSA 10 sales, from $94,000 in 2011 to $3.75 million in 2021. Both versions sold as adjacent lots on one night, 1.8 times apart. And in December 2024 the record holder was deactivated.
Read the article →
The Grade Ladder
Fifteen thousand graded copies, two perfect ones. How the population and the record sales stack up at every grade, from well-loved 1s to the $3.75 million card.
Read the article →
O-Pee-Chee vs. Topps: Two Rookies, One Photo
Same design, two printers, two countries. How to tell the cards apart at a glance, and why the Canadian printing has commanded the premium at every grade.
Read the article →
What the (OC) Qualifier Actually Means
PSA's qualifier system explained: what an off-center 8 is, what it isn't, and why the discount it carries can be the smartest entry into the hobby's biggest rookie card.
Read the article →