1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Advice

[usmc03vet]

Good evening,

I would really appreciate some advice and feedback regarding a couple of 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky PSA 9's that I own. No comment will be discounted, please give me your honest opinions.

What I am thinking about doing is attempting a possible PSA 10 grade bump.

What I am hoping for from this community is advice, recommendations, and also "Why" you would choose one over the other.

Please go to the attached Photobucket link for high resolution scans.

1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky by usmc03vet | Photobucket

Semper Fi!
Joe - 626.590.0965

[JzWand]

The one with the serial # ending in 5842 looks like it would have a chance over the other one with the bad edges.

Good luck if you decide to go through with it but I think a 9 is a gem just as it is.

[rustyisin]

you won't get a psa 10 - perfect Gretzky OPC rookie don't exist.
That first one has rough edges - easy to see why it isn't a psa 10. The second one is either a trimmed or sheet cut copy. Not sure how that one got slabbed in the first place.

[Davis]

Wow....that's one of my dream cards right there (times 2)! I really really really like the 8555 card with the rough edges. I've collected a handful of versions of this card and feel like I know it pretty darn well. Your 8555 is one of the better ones I've seen.

One thing to keep in mind, PSA is very well aware that the PSA 10 Gretzky is a Pop 1 and I think they're proud of that. If another Gretzky is going to a 10, it is going to have to be absolutely perfect. They're (even if it's subconsciously) going to want to protect that Pop 1. Here is the 10 for reference:


Before I nitpick, let me say I would LOVE to own either of those cards and both are amazing examples. However, I think both stay 9's. Here's what I think:

x8555: I actually don't think the rough edges hurt this card at all. Many Gretzky RC collectors prefer the rough cut edges and I don't think PSA discounts rough edges on this set as long as they're uniform, which this one is. Many collectors have a fear of buying a post-production sheet-cut Gretzky, which PSA claims they do not grade as it's not factory produced. Tell-tale signs of sheet-cuts are 4 edges without any being rough, but not a certainty. What keeps this a 9 is the white on the corners, especially bottom right. Also, there's a fisheye above the E and G of his name. Fisheyes on this card are going to keep it a 9 IMO, even if the corners were perfect.


x5842: This one is pretty easy IMO. Stays a 9 due to top/bottom centering and possibly the right bottom edge (might just be the pic). Also, I'd be worried about this one being sheet-cut. Never-ever-ever crack this one out if you're going for a 10. BGS would grade it for sure, but I would be concerned it wouldn't get approved by PSA a 2nd time.


One other aspect I look at when dissecting a Gretzky OPC rookie, is the registration of the photo and whether all the print colors stay within the black border. Many times, the colors didn't line up perfectly, which is why some cards are noticeably blurry. You'll see, even on the PSA 10 the photo goes outside the border just a tad to the right. Both of your cards also have slight bleeding to the right, but overall are very good and provide a pretty crisp image. If you compare the 3 images above, you can see what I mean, with the 8555 being a bit more blurry that the others.

[ernieren]

I don't see either changing from a 9 to a 10 . They both have factors that will prevent a 10

[BestRCs]

I think the assessments by Davis are spot on, especially on the 5842.

[charnick]

davis bringin the OPC knowledge! truth across the board.

[k13]

The 10 looks trimmed...
But who really knows the truth with vintage...

[rustyisin]

Yup.
That psa is laser trimmed on top edge and shaved along the left edge.

[robert0629]

I'm another one in the Davis camp here. His assessment is spot on. The PSA 10 is a special card that will likely break records every time it goes up for auction. This is huge publicity for PSA. They aren't going to want to dilute the pop report on this card unless they're blown away by something. Your two cards come up short in comparison with the PSA 10 in my opinion. However, the 8555 is a great card. If you're thinking of selling it you should do well with that.

I'm not quite sure what to make of the 5842. I can't say that it's definitely sheet cut or trimmed, but if it were up for auction I would be hesitant to bid on it because of the near perfect edges.

[rustyisin]

Most of the PSA high grade Gretzky on ebay are in fake holders with a barcode that won't scan.

Don't buy any high grade PSA until you've checked it yourself.

Apps

[Davis]

Originally Posted by rustyisin

Most of the PSA high grade Gretzky on ebay are in fake holders with a barcode that won't scan.

Don't buy any high grade PSA until you've checked it yourself.

Apps

That's interesting. Can you share some examples?

[rustyisin]

Do it yourself. I'm not pointing fingers

[usmc03vet]

This is quite an interesting topic, I can add that even some of the counterfeit PSA holders with counterfeit flips actually do scan out correctly and have certification numbers that check out...the problem is, when you compare the card to another one with the same cert number that has sold, the cards look different.

There are always tiny details, or "fingerprints" associated with cards that differentiate them from others. These "fingerprints" do not match but a very clear indicator is the centering whether it be front or back, they clearly look different.

Rule of thumb: Always check past sales for the card, compare the one you are purchasing to the ones that have sold with the same cert number, if something does not match up...keep clear!

Of course that method is not foolproof either, but it is one thing that I ALWAYS do when buying a high end card.

[usmc03vet]

Side Note: My 1979 O-Pee-Chee Gretzky PSA 9 ending in (5842) is for sale if anyone is interested feel free to PM me, the other one has been sold.

Asking $40,000 OBO

[rustyisin]

Hey Joe,

I've not seen any fake labels that scan. That would involve a level of PSA insider fraud that I don't think is likely.

I'll trust the scan...but, with respect to opc Gretzky, if it looks trimmed or sheet cut I won't touch it...regardless what the Barcode tells me.

[Stat Monsters]

The card "is what it is" buy the card not the label is the advice I've always heard since any flaws are apparent and grading is subjective.

If you really wanted a 10, just submit the card with $500 in cash inside of the top loader

Just like "Age ain't nuthin' but a number" so is the condition of a card in essence.

[usmc03vet]

Does anyone else feel that the, 1979 OPC Gretzky PSA 9's are super undervalued right now?

The population of the card being only (68) PSA 9's with approximately half of which being over graded (in my opinion) and given that there is only (1) PSA 10 that recently sold for $465,000 there just seems to be such a discrepancy there.

Opinions?

[rustyisin]

Originally Posted by usmc03vet

Does anyone else feel that the, 1979 OPC Gretzky PSA 9's are super undervalued right now?

The population of the card being only (68) PSA 9's with approximately half of which being over graded (in my opinion) and given that there is only (1) PSA 10 that recently sold for $465,000 there just seems to be such a discrepancy there.

Opinions?

honestly, I think Gretzky and hockey in general is losing steam. Psa 8 opc Gretzky was over 5K is Aug and Sept and I see Nov sale at 3.5K.

It used to be tough to locate a psa 9 opc. Maybe one copy listed every couple of years
This year the population has gone up 20 copies - up to 68 total
Now I see one for sale anytime I do an ebay search.

It's still a tough one - but I'm not sure how a high grade example would compare favorably with a true vintage card like 1951 Parkhurst Howe.
There are only 34 PSA 8 Parkhurst Howe and the last copy sold for 17K.

Speculators and investors got a hold of opc Gretzky and created some much higher prices.
I see PSA 9 opc Gretzky settling somewhere around the cost of a psa 8 Parkhurst Howe...about 15-20K for legitimate unaltered copies.

[robert0629]

Originally Posted by usmc03vet

Does anyone else feel that the, 1979 OPC Gretzky PSA 9's are super undervalued right now?

The population of the card being only (68) PSA 9's with approximately half of which being over graded (in my opinion) and given that there is only (1) PSA 10 that recently sold for $465,000 there just seems to be such a discrepancy there.

Opinions?

The PSA 10 is a one of a kind item, and I don't think you can use that to gauge what the lower graded cards should sell for. That PSA 10 will continue to appreciate every time it's put up for sale. Those with deep pockets treat these kind of items as investments and probably don't even have an actual interest in owning the card. I could be wrong but I doubt they even consider it a collectible. They're probably more interested in return on investment.

The bottom line is sports cards as a whole are not good investments. Some of the high grade vintage rookies of the greatest players and rare short printed cards will have investment potential. However, buyers of the lower graded examples and less rare cards will often have a difficult time making a profit. The more of these cards you see pop up, the more you will need actual collectors (not investors) willing to own the card for a long period of time in order for it to appreciate in value.

This is definitely the case for a Gretzky PSA 8 or lower grade. The values of these cards tend to stay the same for a longer period of time and may go up a bit with inflation. I found it interesting that after the PSA 10 card sold for a record amount everyone and his brother put their PSA 8's up for sale for $8K and even higher in some cases. To my knowledge none of these cards sold as the market just doesn't work that way. Now the ones that are still selling have all lowered their asking prices. Some are just over $4K, and recent auctions for the card have even been in the 3.5K range. This is even lower than what the card sold for before the PSA 10 broke the record.

I can't say for certain what will happen with the PSA 8.5 and PSA 9 examples. After the PSA 10 sold there seemed to be a pretty healthy market for these cards. But as more of them have popped up sales of these seemed to have slowed as well. I doubt you will find enough investors willing to part with $35K+ for a card that is not that rare knowing they won't be able to get their money back in the short term. So that means there has to be actual collectors out there willing to part with that kind of money and own the card for a long time for the demand to stay high. I just don't see that being the case. There are too many well centered PSA 8 and lower grades that collectors are happy with and they don't have to break the bank to get them.

[rustyisin]

"I doubt you will find enough investors willing to part with $35K+ for a card that is not that rare knowing they won't be able to get their money back in the short term".

translation...flippers aren't buying these anymore since the days of easy money are over.