Topps hockey cards...underappreciated?

goodriddance189 · April 5, 2004 7:02AM

i've noticed a decent increase in demand for 1975-1988 OPC PSA graded cards over the past year or so. yet during this time, Topps hockey still remains stagnant. i understand that Topps will always play second fiddle to their OPC counterparts, but some of the recent closing prices have been ridiculously low. i've seen 4 Sharp Corners list 1978 PSA 9 HOFers with a $5 starting bid and a $10 BIN. very few get bids. i mean c'mon, $10 bucks for a 25 year old PSA 9 card? Topps baseball routinely sells for $35 or higher. DSL has a PSA 10 Ciccarelli rookie at $49.99. no bids on a PSA 10 rookie card of a 500 goal scorer and future hall of famer.

of course, Topps isn't as popular, easier to find in high grade, and higher production than OPC. but some of the prices are ridiculous! does anyone see a spike in price of these cards in the near future?

tripoli · April 5, 2004 7:21AM

Often it's a question of supply and demand. Too much printed by Topps, look at all the wax still available for some years.

zsz70 · April 5, 2004 8:44AM

Most hockey collectors love OPC because it is Hockey/Canada.

Most serious baseball collectors will NEVER collect OPC because Topps is Baseball/America.

The two go hand in hand.

I've always been into OPC because hockey is Canadian.

I personally think that the Topps hockey product from 1975 on will never excite anyone.
The only cards that will be desirable will be some of the Gretzky/Lemieux/Bourque/ Roy rookies.
But the serious card collectors who have the cash will always search out the OPC version first.

However, to each their own, but I've never seen a huge demand for the newer topps hockey.
Vintage Topps hockey is OPC anyway. So that will always be in demand.

marc

magellan · April 5, 2004 9:41AM

I feel one of the reasons that Topps is so much less desirable than OPC is set size........OPC has the longer set in most vintage years so tends to contain BIG cards that Topps doesn't. Collectors tend to chase the star cards more and develop a brand affinity.

I have no real interest in OPC baseball, it's Topps for me but when it comes to hockey I choose OPC . I own many Topps cards & packs but I value my OPC packs & cards more . Aside from the values they just seem more hockey-ish.

Dave

grilloj39 · April 5, 2004 11:03AM

I guess I am in the minority. I prefer all Topps issues to OPC issues.

RedHeart54 · April 5, 2004 1:00PM

However, there is that one contemporaryTopps set that is still so elusive in PSA 9: 1989-90. Why aren't more of these graded? There appears to be a lot of unopened material available but so few PSA 9 singles ever come up for sale. Aside from Gretzky (which I have noticed a considerable spike in the number offered of late) and the very scarce Sakic or Leetch offering, they are virtually non-existent. (There is a PSA 9 Lemieux on ebay however).

goodriddance189 · April 5, 2004 1:04PM

i bought a PSA 9 Leetch for $8. i have a few others as well (Trottier, Shanny, Hull, Fuhr). im sure this set will never catch on, but theyre tough to find in high grade.

taka · April 5, 2004 1:09PM

I love Topps hockey cards, especially 1979-80. I agree that there is alot of wax out there but most boxes from the 80's aren't that cheap (at least for me).

ydsotter · April 5, 2004 1:23PM

It surprises me that the opc issues are in such less demand in baseball... they are shorter printed and more condition sensitive and sometimes have cooler backs... like 1971 topps baseball...

I don't collect much hockey, but I am strongly considering starting a run of ken dryden... opc's

yawie99 · April 5, 2004 1:28PM

Hey, Mike, there was a PSA 9 Topps Sakic rookie get listed just the other day along with a Lemieux and Gretzky, I believe. Is the Sakic already down? Can't remember if it had a BIN or not, but the opening bid was $99.

goodriddance189 · April 5, 2004 1:29PM

still up

thinking about picking it up, since the last one on ebay didnt meet reserve at $125 or so

NewbietoPSA · April 5, 2004 2:46PM

One example why opc over Topps......Mark Messier, 1980 OPC, his rookie, no 1980 topps cards. 1981 Topss card, his first topps card. How many players from the 70's and 80's got short changed for their rookies by topps? that's why topps goes for less.

NewbietoPSA · April 5, 2004 2:48PM

<< <i>still up

thinking about picking it up, since the last one on ebay didnt meet reserve at $125 or so >>

goodriddance, save your money. within a year there will probably be over 50 of that card in a 9.

Howitallbegan · April 5, 2004 6:13PM

<< <i>goodriddance, save your money. within a year there will probably be over 50 of that card in a 9. >>

Goodriddance when you get ready to buy this card make sure you avoid ebay seller "thebiddingstopshere" Ive heard he has been kicked off of ebay like 25 times and still keeps coming back

zsz70 · April 5, 2004 8:08PM

Howitallbegan,

Two non-joking questions.....

1- Is newbietoPSA the guy who you just referred to in this last thread ?

2- Did you play minor leagues in the states ? I won't say anything if this is true.

marc

Howitallbegan · April 5, 2004 9:49PM

"You may be wrong but you may be right" Billy Joel 1980

Kinda fits

helionaut · April 5, 2004 11:12PM

With the registry driving a lot of the submissions and purchases, I would think most people go for the OPC since their sets are usually larger and more inclusive. Sure, players collectors and completists will get the Topps, but they are usually the only ones. It's just the flipside of baseball, where OPCs often go underpriced unless it's the big names, and even then they are cheaper than their Topps versions even if the populations are far apart.

goodriddance189 · April 6, 2004 12:34AM

<< <i>

<< <i>still up

thinking about picking it up, since the last one on ebay didnt meet reserve at $125 or so >>

goodriddance, save your money. within a year there will probably be over 50 of that card in a 9. >>

yeah, i was figuring it had just as much to do with lack of submissions

RedHeart54 · April 6, 2004 12:49PM

Yeah, I saw the $99 1989 Sakic (as well as the Gretzky and Lemieux.) I'd like to find an Yzerman.

yawie99 · April 6, 2004 1:59PM

They'll be a little cheaper after the Preds bounce the Wings in the first round.

NewbietoPSA · April 6, 2004 11:33PM

The main reason I would assume to wait on cards after 1985 that are scarce in high grade is that they're all over the place. Igf the Sakic only has 9 graded a 9 and there are people paying $90, greed will take control and all the Mr Mint's of the world will go out buying 1989 Topps packs, and in six months there could be 200 Sakic PSA 9. Didn't everyone notice about 4 years ago everyone across the continenet on ebay and off were selling PSA 10 Opc Premier cards for over $100 commons? I don't even think the Jagr card goes for more than $50 now. I remember seeing the Tie Domi being sold for $150.00. If you check the population report, there are at least 3 10's now of every single card in that said, and if I am not mistaken, there already is at least complete PSA 10 of this set on the registry.

zsz70 · April 6, 2004 11:54PM

I've opened 30 boxes of 1989 topps hockey.
It is very difficult to pull a PSA 9 sakic out of them.

I'm just not sure if topps made vending in 1989 hockey.
I'm almost positive they didn't.

Can anyone give any insight ?

I have boxes of 1989 topps hockey in my back room.
I won't open them, because all the sakics will come out
with printing defects and poor centering.
There is usually only 1 (maybe 2) a box. The chances of
getting a 9 in a box is tough.

What is the POP on the sakic ? I'll have to go and check.

marc

robstar · April 7, 2004 12:19AM

marc

I have opened close to 10 boxes of this in the last few years, mainly just for the thrill of bustin some wax on a cold winters night. Yeah, I'm into cheap thrills

I have never pulled more than 1 Sakic from any of those boxes and on a couple of occasions there we're none. The card seems to be plaugued with printing defects, eg: O/C and snow in the background. Same can be said for the OPC version.

Rob..

zsz70 · April 7, 2004 1:16AM

Rob,

Did you bid on the sakic ?
Is that you.

I went back and opened 20 packs.
I got one Sakic. It again had the PSA
8 corners and bad centering.

The key question is...............
is there vending from this year ?

If there isn't, then 1989 topps is going to be
very difficult to get in PSA 9. Trust me.

When these cards were first distributed, before
PSA was big, I was on the chase for mint sakics.
I never came across one. I was also on the chase
for mint hull's. I was able to get a PSA 9 Hull.
The card is impossible in my opinion.
I'm going to go check the POP's now before
I start sounding like an idiot.

marc

RedHeart54 · April 7, 2004 9:37AM

The main reason I would assume to wait on cards after 1985 that are scarce in high grade is that they're all over the place. Igf the Sakic only has 9 graded a 9 and there are people paying $90, greed will take control and all the Mr Mint's of the world will go out buying 1989 Topps packs, and in six months there could be 200 Sakic PSA 9.

This will not happen because it would have happened already. Joe Sakic has been one of the best players since he started in 1988. His hobby popularity grew when the Nords moved to Colorado in '96 and has only grown two Stanley Cups later. In fact, during the last Avs Cup run, there were multiple OPC PSA 9 Sakic rookies available on ebay (and still are). Many were obviously submitted around the same time frame. I can count on one hand the number of Topps rookies I have seen since then. The 1989 Topps set, despite its plentiful availability, has proven to be perhaps as tough as any 1980s OPC set as far as getting high grade cards. The Lemieux currently for auction is a 1 of 1. The Gretzky is 1 of 9 or so.

Hey Steve! That Wings projection hurt!

robstar · April 7, 2004 10:53AM

Marc

I have never seen Topps vending, however I know that OPC made factory sets, I wonder if there are Topps factory sets.

Oh yeah, thats not me that bid on that auction.

Rob...

Topps hockey cards...underappreciated?

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