Published April 17, 2007
Article Copyright © 2007, Eric Bonnici. All Rights Reserved.

The hottest hockey card on the market right now is the 2005-2006 The Cup Sidney Crosby Autographed Patch Rookie Card limited to 99 copies.

The April 2007 issue of Beckett Hockey Collector magazine and price guide lists the book value of this hockey card at $4000 to $7500. Beckett reported early this April on their web site that a 3 color patch version this rookie card recently sold on eBay for $10,000 and its book value will definitely be on the rise.

On April 16, 2007 I did a little research on eBay and was amazed to find a single colored patch version of this Sidney Crosby card sell for an unbelievable $15,500 US! Normally a single colored patch sells for less than those with multiple colors but this one was special because it was serial numbered 87/99. 87 is Crosby’s jersey number.

It’s no surprise to hockey fans involved with the hockey card collecting hobby that Sidney Crosby's rookie cards are climbing in value, but the amounts are amazing even to the most seasoned collectors.

Why is this happening? First, NHL scouts noticed Sidney Crosby's phenomenal talent several years before he joined the NHL. Crosby was greatly publicized by the NHL just before and during his rookie year. Wayne Gretzky even stated, "He’s dynamite. He’s the best player I’ve seen since Mario (Lemieux). He’s that good". On March 2, 2007, at 19 years old Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to score an amazing 200 points, shattering Wayne Gretzky's record by 141 days.

Considering Sidney Crosby's accomplishments and talent its not just hockey card collectors who are after his cards. In fact, the story on Beckett's web site says, "a surprisingly large part of that demand is coming from well-heeled collectors who don't normally traffic in hockey cards. These folks simply know a good investment when they see it."

Should the young Sidney Crosby remain healthy his entire career, his skill and talent can only improve with experience. The question is not will his limited edition The Cup autographed patch rookie card increase in value but by how much?

About the author:

Eric Bonnici started collecting hockey cards during the 2003-2004 season and quickly realized that things had changed from when he collected as a kid in the early 1980's. So many brands, manufactures, insert sets, subsets, etc. had him confused and overwhelmed. He shares what he has learned through the hockey card related content and articles on his web site. To read more of Eric's hockey card articles or to buy, sell, or trade hockey cards with him visit www.hockeyheadquarters.com .

Article Copyright © 2007, Eric Bonnici. All Rights Reserved.