1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Wax Box With 48 Unopened Packs - with Gretzky Rookie on Back of Pack! ...

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1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Wax Box With 48 Unopened Packs - with Gretzky Rookie on Back of Pack! Like 1986-87 Fleer Basketball, the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey issue has seen its hobby immortality assured by the rookie card of its sport's greatest figure. It's been the former that has seen the most fanfare over the past several months, riding the massive wave of interest in Michael Jordan spawned by "The Last Dance" documentary that flourished in the live-sports-free era of early pandemic. Heritage quickly set a world record for His Airness' number fifty-seven card at $96,000 in May of 2020 for a PSA Gem Mint 10 specimen, then toppled that short-lived reign with an astounding $420,000 for the only SGC Gold Label Pristine 10. Fleer wax boxes have predictably followed the same soaring trend.

We offer this data in the interest of providing a degree of perspective into just how profoundly rare and important the offered lot is within the post-war trading card community. While there is no precise data for wax box populations, there are over 300 Jordan rookies assessed at a PSA Gem Mint 10 level. The population of Gem Mint 10 OPC Gretzky rookies?

Two.

We're pleased to offer one example from that elite pair in this Signature auction, a card that is expected to provide a world-record result for a hockey trading card. But could that duo soon become a trio?

It would be an incredibly gutsy move to crack into the sealed wax packs contained within this forty-year-old virgin box, but we can guarantee at least one untouched Great One among the 672 cards contained within. One of the forty-eight packs of fourteen cards clearly displays a Gretzky at the back.

While a 1979-80 OPC wax box is a supreme rarity with every last card a mystery, the certainty of that Gretzky distinguishes this particular example as the most thrilling of that profoundly endangered species. There could be a million dollars or more lurking inside for the collector interested in some high-stakes gambling. The more cautious among us will maintain the box in its current state, affirmed and sealed by the wax world's most trusted experts. Reviewed and factory sealed by Steve Hart-Baseball Card Exchange.