Elburn,
IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/12/2006
Seven
years following Wayne Gretzky's retirement,
the greatest player in the history of professional
hockey is still setting records. MINT State,
a collectibles dealer specializing in high-grade
sports cards, based in Elburn, Illinois has
sold a 1979 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky rookie
card for $80,000, making it the most valuable
hockey trading card in existence.
Although Gretzky’s 1979 rookie card is
perceived to be a fairly modern issue and not
considered especially rare, the record-setting
card is the only Gem Mint 10 ever graded by
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the
industry’s most recognized sports card
authenticator and grader. PSA uses a ten-point
grading scale and Gem Mint 10 is the highest
grade used by the authentication company.
Rick Snyder, founder and President
of MINT State, brokered the sale between two
of the company’s clients.
“Our consignor purchased
the only PSA-graded Gem Mint 10 of Gretzky’s
OPC rookie card in August 2005,” explained
Snyder. “He made a recent decision to
refocus his collection and asked MINT State
to find a buyer. In less than 30 minutes, the
card had sold to a private collector for $80,000,
the highest price ever paid for a single hockey
card.”
Snyder continued, “Extremely high grade
football, basketball, and hockey cards continue
to escalate in value at higher rates than their
baseball counterparts. The buyer viewed this
as a rare opportunity to acquire the finest
known rookie card of a major sport’s universally
recognized all-time greatest player.”
About MINT State
MINT State is a PSA Authorized Dealer of vintage
football, basketball, baseball, and hockey issues,
specializing in Mint and Gem Mint graded cards.
PSA can be visited on the web at http://www.psacard.com.
Utilizing an extensive network of dealers, private
collectors, and other sellers to obtain high-grade
sports cards, MINT State assists with many of
the finest collections ever assembled. Established
in 2002 and in its fifth year, MINT State purchases
single cards, entire collections, and offers
a consignment package as an alternative to outright
purchase. For more information, please visit
http://www.mintstateinc.com
or contact MINT State by email (info@mintstateinc.com)
or telephone (630-365-9790).
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