Wayne Gretzky Mint PSA 9 O Pee Chee Rookie Card
sushihotwings
Posts: 452 ✭✭✭
Hey all. This is my 1st post here. I have been lurking in the forum for a long time & enjoying and learning from the knowledge of so many. My collecting has been sporadic over the years and I seem to have caught the bug again recently to get more involved. In order to raise some cash to spring to buy some new items I have decided to sell one of my most valuable cards. I bought this Wayne Gretzky PSA 9 rookie many years ago and it has been locked away. It is holdered in one of the original style PSA cases and wish I got it reholdered prior to listing in the auction to really enhance the beauty, but really just wanted to get it up for sale. I posted the link to the Ebay auction listing here with many pictures and scans. I have over a decade of experience and feedback on Ebay which is 100% positive. There is another PSA 9 Gretzky up for auction from a major consignor going concurrently but I thought it would be nice to have buyers get two choices to compare and contrast. I do not have thousands of Ebay transactions as the other person, but I am reliable and will handle the transaction with utmost integrity. I also think I have the nicer card of course I had to put a reserve as I am not using a major auction house, but it is fair. The last public auction for a PSA 9 O Pee Chee Gretzky sold for $23,962. I welcome any comments/questions/feedback.Mint O Pee Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie
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It surprises me that the old flip is a turnoff to many. Old flip or new flip, a 9 is a 9 in my mind. I realize the new flips are nicer looking but the card quality has always been my focus when shopping, with the old flips being more of an annoyance. I just dislike the idea of the risk of mailing the card in, getting handled again and shipped back with the possibility of things going awry at multiple points in the process (not to mention the cost). I realize my feedback is low but is over a long period of time with all positive. I can see how this will turn away some buyers right away. I thought, people will see I have been on Ebay for a decade and have some trust that I have had no negative feedback in over 10 years and this should mean something. I understand it probably will not fetch quite as much as a major auction house, but if it can save the buyer and seller some money than all is good. I could be completely off base and this may be a learning experience. Maybe I am being too optimistic and naive. The reserve is there for protection even though it is costly. I really appreciate the feedback so far!
Wayne Gretzky Mint 1979 Rookie O Pee Chee Ebay listing
I am selling one of my prize possessions of the greatest hockey player to ever live. This is a stunning Mint PSA 9 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie card that has been in my collection for years, stored carefully and looking for a new owner for the right price. It is one of the very first O-Pee-Chee rookies to receive the coveted Mint 9 grade by PSA demonstrated by sporting PSA's original style slab labeling and only 1 has ever been graded higher. Centering on the card is amazing, corners are sharp, colors pop. Card has the beautiful characteristic O-Pee-Chee rough cut edge guaranteeing it was never laser cut from a sheet. These superior quality cards are drying up as collectors secure the remaining few in their vaults and prices are skyrocketing as demonstrated by the recent Mile High auction last Fall selling a Gretzky rookie at a healthy premium to recent "book value". There is another PSA 9 auctioning on Ebay right now & wanted to take this opportunity to contrast the quality of my card against another. The corners on my card appear crisp and the blue border is bold without significant chipping which has plagued so many O-Pee-Chee cards of that year. Judge for yourself. I just added several more photos to show the outstanding quality. I included a photo with the ad promotion from the October 2015 Mile High auction where one sold for $23,962 (not this card). The faint scratch seen next to the "S" in Oilers is on the case not the card. Bid confidently as I have 100% positive feedback and have been a trusted member of Ebay for over a decade. In person pickup is an option if you prefer.
On Feb-22-16 at 16:37:48 PST, seller added the following information:
I am going to make one final pitch to ensure a successful auction. I have received some feedback on reasons this Gretzky rookie is lagging behind the concurrent auction happening on Ebay ending around the same time for the same grade of card.
#1)People don't like the look of the old slab. I agree. I called PSA today and for $35 you can have the card re-encapsulated by PSA at the same exact grade. If I had know this was an issue I would have submitted it for re-encapsulation myself
#2)My feedback is low for the value of the card. True enough. However, check my profile and you will see I have been on ebay since 2005 with 100% positive feedback buying and selling. I have not been waiting over a decade to do something devious. Bid with confidence.
#3)Some prefer a major auction house. While there are many fine auction houses, I prefer to save us all some money and you can avoid a huge buyer's premium.
I did add additional pictures from the original listing and hope this auction can be successful. The card is mint, mint, mint, with a beautiful rough cut edge characteristic of O Pee Chee that year which ensures this is not a sheet cut card. It is a real beauty! Wayne Gretzky Mint 1979 Rookie O Pee Chee Ebay listing
1) If you want a quick sale, and want to know the real value of the card, start it at 99 cents with no reserve (most of the big auction houses do this most of the time).
2) Put it at a pretty high number with a 'best offer' option. You will have to haggle some, and it might take longer than a straight auction
3) If you want to guarantee some number for yourself, then put it at buy it now and be prepared to wait
All of these are better than setting a secret reserve price.
Auction ends in 7 minutes. Reserve $23,000. Very close
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
edit to add - this is just me, but if I had a card of this "calibur" still, I'd really consider having someone like PWCC handle the auction. Would totally be worth any additional fees.
Dave
edit to add - this is just me, but if I had a card of this "calibur" still, I'd really consider having someone like PWCC handle the auction. Would totally be worth any additional fees.
+1
The sale prices coming out of the auction houses are staggering!
Those prices are not being realized because the seller has 100% feedback but because they have a loyal following who purchase high end material.
On another note - Sushi, that's two PSA 9 Gretzky's in less than 6 months! Look forward to seeing your BST posts here!
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Just a note, that is an oil drop in the Oilers logo, not a flame as mentioned in the auction description.
Also, it is very common to have a centered oil drop in the Topps issue. It's the OPC ones that are notoriously off-centered.
Indeed you are correct. All these years I thought it was a flame. Growing up around oil refineries and seeing the flares I always thought the orange color and shape represented an oil refinery flare and never considered otherwise. Thanks for correcting me.