All the stories about collectors have one thing in common. We’re referring to children getting a certain item, growing interest in the subject, then they become collectors by pursuing others. Of course, this is just a small fragment of the whole story, but it is crucial. While people collect various things, we have to agree that sports memorabilia are the most popular choice by far. The United States has three main disciplines: basketball, football, and hockey.
Even though soccer, or European football, is gaining prominence, we believe decades will pass before that happens. But when it comes to memorabilia, we must say that hockey has a special place. Surely, you know that hockey kits are among the most expensive ones in the world. It translates to other memorabilia affiliated with this sport. Just think about autographed hockey jerseys, and if you want to see a respectable collection, you can find here a very good one.
No matter how big your collection is, it needs that one item to push it above average. Every collector should understand that a few exceptional items will make all the difference and increase the collection’s value. Today, we want to discuss the rarest and most expensive hockey memorabilia sold for an exceptional price. Without further ado, let us begin.
The Stanley Cup Trophy
The Stanley Cup is the most prominent competition in the sport. Teams and players that won it at least once have become immortal. The trophy is considered one of the most beautiful by all standards. The competition itself was established back in 1893, which makes it easily one of the oldest competitions in all sports, not just hockey. Since it was established, the trophy was redesigned several times into what we have now.
The trophy is awarded to teams that win in the playoffs. As you can imagine, this is a massive task, and there are numerous steps before the team can achieve that level of quality and cohesion. It certainly takes time to achieve it. Some teams are projects built for a couple of years before they are ready to win. With that in mind, you can see why it is held in the highest possible regard. Not many teams achieved this in the past.
While this is not memorabilia like others, we need to stress the importance of this trophy because of its value. You will see that its value is around $10 million, which is without competition in the sport. It weighs around 34.5 pounds and is 35.2 inches tall. Even though the materials invested in it are not cheap, we must say that the emotional value is above anything else. It represents the pinnacle of achievement for hockey players, after all.
Hockey Cards
Hockey cards hold a special place in every collection. They are quite common, but this doesn’t mean they all play a vital role in a collection, as we’ve explained before. However, certain cards have exceptional prices. Wayne Gretzky’s card from the season 1979/80 is one of the rarest and, therefore, among the most valuable ones. It is worth millions of US dollars today, and the price rise shows no sign of stopping.
Gretzky’s name is on another highly popular card from his rookie season. While it is not among the rarest ones on the market, the ones preserved in mint condition are highly regarded. When you know that only two of these cards are examined and seen as preserved in the best possible condition, you can see just how important this piece can be in your collection.
Bobby Orr is widely perceived as the most competent defensive player of all time. His rookie card was sold for a respectable $275,000 in 2021. While this cannot compete with many other high-value cards, it is a good example of how a card that’s not as rare can be valuable. To this day, Orr is perceived as one of the best players ever, especially in defense. He would have achieved even greater heights if he hadn’t experienced so many injuries in his short career.
Player Figures
Player figures are not as widespread as other memorabilia; a certain number of them have gained in both value and popularity. Once again, we are talking about the best players in the history of the sport, like Gretzky, which was mentioned so many times in this article already. The most valuable one at the moment is Connor McDavid’s action future. We cannot wait and see how much it will be worth.
Popular Players’ Jerseys
Lastly, we want to discuss popular players’ jerseys. They are easily the most common memorabilia you will find in hockey, alongside player cards. We’ve mentioned before just how valuable signed jerseys are. However, this shines a new light when the player is highly popular and successful. Emotions should be put aside in this case; having a signed jersey of your favorite player doesn’t mean it will generate too much profit in the future.
The price range for these items is exceptionally wide. They can go from a couple of thousands to millions. The best example is Wayne Gretzky’s jersey from the eighties. As you probably know, he was among the best players then. His jersey was sold for half a million US dollars. But when you calculate it to today’s value, you will see the price rising to millions. Another fine example is the shirt of Paul Henderson from the seventies, especially the one he wore in a match against the Soviet Union.
Since this is the only piece in the world, its price currently sits at $1 million. This is only one copy of these, representing the best example of their value. Of course, there are lower levels of a rarity among the jerseys. For instance, you will find jerseys worn by other prominent players such as Maurice Richard or Gordie Howe. While these don’t reach millions in value, you will see them at a respectable level of a couple hundred thousand.
In Conclusion
Perceiving hockey memorabilia as an investment is something many people do. Here, you can find items that would be a great addition to your collection. Of course, you should be prepared to pay top dollar for some of them.