Are you a diehard hockey fan? Do you keep up with all of the latest games, players, statistics, and rivalries?
Hockey cards have made a big comeback in recent years, and hockey fans who know their cards are making excellent side money by flipping cards online.
Below, I’ll go over 12 hockey cards worth money (hundreds of thousands of dollars!), share some of the best sites to find promising hockey cards on, give you my top picks for potential money makers, and offer some tips to help you identify valuable cards.
How To Make Money Flipping Hockey Cards
There’s big money to be made in hockey, and not just as a professional player.
NHL refs, for example, can earn anywhere from $220,602 to $482,226, depending on their years of experience. NHL linesmen can earn between $141,291 and $292,027.
Flipping hockey cards could turn into a lucrative side hustle. If you’re passionate about hockey, there’s also the bonus of getting paid to do what you love.
Some of the most popular sites to buy, sell, and flip hockey cards on are:
- Flip Collect: A place to purchase sports cards, memorabilia, and more. This site carries various brands and products, including hockey cards.
- Center Ice Collectibles: This website specializes in hockey cards from all major leagues, with over 700,000 different hockey cards in stock.
- COMC (Check Out My Cards): The advantage of COMC is that all cards are held by the company, simplifying the shipping process.
- Dean’s Cards: A marketplace focused on vintage sports cards, including hockey. They are known for offering their best price upfront when they bid on your sports card collection.
- StockX: This platform is a marketplace for buying and selling officially licensed NHL hockey trading cards from Upper Deck.
- eBay: A well-known marketplace for various items, including sports cards. You can buy, sell, and flip hockey cards here.
- Hockey-Card: This online store sells Upper Deck Young Guns and O-Pee-Chee rookie cards. It also runs hockey card draws, an interesting method to acquire rare or rookie cards.
Hockey Cards Worth Money: Look Out For These
These hockey cards have sold for small fortunes and are regarded by authorities as some of the rarest, most valuable hockey cards on the market. If you can get your hands on any one of these timeless classics, it’ll likely be worth an even greater fortune in the future.
Keep in mind that there’s never a guarantee, though.
When buying hockey cards, make sure you perform your due diligence so you don’t get scammed with a fake card and have a good reason why you think the card will be worth the money.
1. 1979 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $465,000
In 2016, this card set the world record as the most expensive hockey card ever sold.
Wayne Gretzky is widely recognized as one of the most gifted players ever to grace the icy stage. This rookie card showcases Gretzky In his signature Edmonton Oilers kit.
Finding a high-quality Gretzky card with a top PSA grade of 10 like this is akin to unearthing hidden treasure, hence the monumental value.
2. 1966 Topps USA Test #35 Bobby Orr Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $205,000
One of hockey’s most sought-after collectibles, this card represents the legendary defenseman’s first professional card.
It’s a rare, limited-release card that’s highly valued among enthusiasts. This particular card is unique from its standard version. The USA Test card exhibits lighter wood-grain border tones and is printed solely in English.
3. 1979 Topps #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $200,000
This rare card is among the most coveted hockey collectibles on the market. This card marks Gretzky’s outstanding debut year in the NHL and is in high demand among collectors even after more than four decades.
The value varies significantly based on the card’s condition, with higher-grade cards fetching prices in the thousands and the rarest selling for a whopping $200,000.
4. Alexander Ovechkin 2005-06 Upper Deck “The Cup” Rookie Patch Autograph /99 BGS 9
- Top Sale Price: $105,780
This limited-release card is a testament to Ovechkin’s burgeoning career in the NHL and commemorates his talent as a goal scorer. Limited to just 99 copies, the card features a vibrant autograph as well as a patch from a game-worn jersey, making the card even more valuable.
5. Connor McDavid 2015-16 Upper Deck Exquisite ’03 Tribute Gold Spectrum Rookie Patch Autograph /5 BGS 9
- Top Sale Price: $72,000
This card features the NHL star early in his career with the Edmonton Oilers. It’s a rare, autographed card with a BGS rating of 9, indicating a near-mint condition. Only five copies of this card were ever released, which is one of the reasons why it’s so expensive.
6. 2005 The Cup #180 Sidney Crosby Rookie Card Autograph
- Top Sale Price: $30,000
This collector’s card features an action shot of Sidney Crosby with his autograph on it, and is associated with the player’s rookie year. Only 250 cards were released per set by Upper Deck. While it’s not as rare as some of the other cards on this list, finding one is still a considerable achievement.
7. 1912 C57 #1 Georges Vezina
- Top Sale Price: $25,000
Georges Vezina was an iconic player in his early career with the Montreal Canadiens and holds significant historical value as Vezina is remembered for his remarkable performance, backstopping the Habs to their first Stanley Cup championship three years after the card’s issue.
8. 1953 Parkhurst #27 Jean Beliveau Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $20,000
Known as “Le Gros Bill”, Beliveau was renowned for his size, strength, grace, and fluid stickhandling. He boasted significant accomplishments, including 507 goals, 712 assists, 10 All-Star selections, and 10 Stanley Cup Championships with the Montreal Canadiens. He also served as the team’s captain for several years.
9. 1951 Parkhurst #4 Maurice Richard Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $17,500
Playing alongside Beliveau for the Montreal Canadiens, Richard made significant contributions and was the first player to reach 500 regular-season goals, with 50 goals in 50 games during the 1944-45 season. These stats weren’t seen again until 1981.
10. 1910 C56 #12 Art Ross Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $15,000
This is the only recognized rookie card of Ross, who was a notable defenseman and innovator in the sport. Art Roos was an accomplished player and later a coach and general manager for the Boston Bruins.
This card was part of the 1910 C56 hockey tobacco card set, which consists of 36 pieces and includes other era stars and future Hall of Famers.
11. 1910 C56 #15 Cyclone Taylor Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $15,000
This is another rookie card from the legendary 1910 C56 tobacco card set. Known for his fast-paced playing style, Cyclone played defence for Ottawa and Renfrew, earning his nickname for his furious rushes.
12. 1985 O-Pee-Chee Box Bottoms Mario Lemieux Rookie Card
- Top Sale Price: $10,500
Mario Lemieux, also known as the “Magnificent One” or “Super Mario,” was an exceptionally gifted hockey player with a career that marked him as one of the all-time greats in the sport.
This card was part of the 1985-86 O-Pee-Chee collection, including 16 different box bottoms – special-release cards that were printed on the wax bottoms of card boxes.
What Determines A Hockey Cards Value?
A hockey card’s value is determined by a number of variables, including:
- The card’s scarcity
- The featured player (and their career/history)
- The card’s condition
- Special features (autographs, typos, etc.)
The player featured on the card is one of the most important factors. Players who achieved fame and status, won championships, or significantly impacted their team and the sport as a whole is highly sought after.
Scarcity or rarity also plays a significant role in a card’s value. A rare card in pristine condition could fetch up to $50,000 or more. Some of the more passionate collectors out there spend years searching for select hockey cards and have no problem paying the price of a car for these cards.
A card’s condition also correlates with its value; even rare collector’s cards can become worthless if they have creases, stains, discoloration and other imperfections.
How To Find Valuable Hockey Cards
In 2016, a 1979 Wayne Gretzky rookie card produced by O-Pee-Chee sold for a whopping $465,000, setting a world record for the most expensive hockey card ever sold.
These sales are very rare. However, it’s not uncommon for modern collector’s cards to sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. If you’re a hockey fan who knows their history and has an eye for detail, flipping hockey cards could turn into an excellent side hustle.
Some of the best ways to find valuable hockey cards are to look for:
- Autographed cards
- Rookie cards
- Misprinted cards
- Limited edition cards
- Historical cards
Autographed Cards
Autographed hockey cards are easily some of the most valuable collector’s items on the market. These cards are signed by the featured player, adding an element of personalization and rarity that drives up their value.
Rookie Cards
The date a card was manufactured can also impact its value. For example, rookie cards issued years before a player got famous tend to be particularly valuable. Today, there may be thousands of cards with a player’s face on it, with their current team and stats.
Hockey collectors may spend years searching for old cards that would have been previously disregarded or overlooked in the past. Card collectors live for that feeling that they were able to find “the diamond in the coal mine.”
It’s like being able to say that you were friends with a now-famous celebrity in secondary school when they were just a normal guy.
Random Misprints And Errors
Misprints and errors are the easter eggs of the card-collecting world. A simple misspelled word, number, or date could dramatically increase the value of a card, as these errors are rare and occur infrequently.
Limited Edition Hockey Cards
Special edition or limited-release cards are another potentially valuable category. These cards are often produced in limited quantities or feature special designs or commemorations, making them unique and highly sought after.
Take, for example, the 1923 V145-1 #25 Bert Corbeau Rookie Card. 40 cards were released in each set, and it’s said that Corbeau offered to give a pair of skates to anybody who could collect all 40 cards.
Although the player and his promise are long gone, the legend lives on and has driven up the price of these limited-release cards to $40,000.
Conclusion – Is Flipping Hockey Cards Worth It?
Flipping hockey cards (or any sports cards, for that matter) can be profitable. However, you have to know the sport, its history, and its key players very well. Finding high-value cards like the ones listed above is incredibly rare. It’s far more likely that you’ll be flipping cards for a $15 to $100 profit.
Looking for more great ways to make extra money? Take a look at my list of the best online jobs for students next!
