Although the market really boomed in the 1980s and 90s, NHL trading cards have a long history prior to that. There were cards made even as far back as over 100 years ago, well before it became the global entity that it is now. Like early baseball cards, hockey cards were first found in packages of cigarettes. The tobacco cards were made from 1910-13 and then there was only one post World War I set made for the ’24-’25 season.
Other companies got in the act, including food and candy companies like Paulin’s Candy, Maple Crispette, Crescent, Holland Creameries and La Pietrie.
One of the most well-known hockey card makers was O-Pee-Chee, though there were none made during World War II.
Things picked up in ’51, with Shirriff Desserts, which made these cool old hockey coins, York Peanut Butter and Post Cereal all printing hockey collectibles. Parkhurst joined the fray in ’51 as well and Topps came into the picture in ’54. Neither O-Pee-Chee nor Topps made cards for the ’55-’56 season, but they started again the following year. Many of the most iconic players from the era have their rookie cards in those 1950s sets.
Most of the great post-War hockey rookie cards were made by Topps or its Canadian subsidiary, OPC.
Throughout the years, especially in Canada, there have been countless set issued regionally as part of special promotions. Esso even experimented in the ‘70s with printing small hockey cards on soft paper that were given out to people who bought gas.
Most the companies kept printing, though O-Pee-Chee sold its licenses to Topps and then Upper Deck in the mid-90s. There was a lockout that wiped out the entire ’04 NHL season. After all the debris cleared and play resumed in ‘05, there were only one company standing at the time – Upper Deck. They secured an exclusive contract and then after it ran out, while they renewed it, Panini America was also allowed to produce NHL trading cards.
As you can see, hockey cards have their own rich varied history that rivals MLB, the NFL and the NBA. It will be interesting to see what the next 100 years brings.
| 1968 Topps Phil Esposito #7 - Bruins - Vg/Vg+ - B486 | |
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$6.00 Time Remaining: 29d 4h 27m Buy It Now for only: $6.00 |
| 1968 Topps Checklist #121 - Gd (marked) - B560 | |
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$8.00 Time Remaining: 29d 4h 27m Buy It Now for only: $8.00 |
| 1968 Topps Derek Sanderson #6 - Bruins - Vg+ - B485 | |
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$5.00 Time Remaining: 29d 4h 27m Buy It Now for only: $5.00 |
| AUSTON MATTHEWS 2016-17 UD BLACK 9/15 AUTO PATCH RC ROOKIES BGS 9 MINT | |
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$1,899.99 Time Remaining: 6d 10h 38m Buy It Now for only: $1,899.99 |
| CONNOR MCDAVID 2015-16 UD ULTIMATE COLLECTION 1/10 AUTO PATCH RC ROOKIES BGS 9 | |
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$3,299.99 Time Remaining: 6d 10h 38m Buy It Now for only: $3,299.99 |
| 1963 Topps Hockey # 23 Glenn Hall HOF PSA 6 EX/MT Chicago Black Hawks | |
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$20.00 Time Remaining: 29d 3h 45m Buy It Now for only: $20.00 |
| 1959 Parkhurst Ted Hampson ROOKIE RC, PSA/DNA AUTO #34 PSA 7 NRMT (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 17m |
| 1968 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Bill Goldsworthy ROOKIE PSA/DNA AUTO PSA Auth (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 20m |
| 1968 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Bill Goldsworthy ROOKIE RC PSA/DNA AUTO PSA 4 VGEX (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 20m |
| 1970 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Dale Tallon ROOKIE RC PSA/DNA AUTO #225 PSA 4 VGEX (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 9d 11h 21m |
| 1967 Topps Hockey Jean Gilles Marotte ROOKIE RC, PSA/DNA AUTO PSA Auth (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 19m |
| 1968 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Mickey Redmond ROOKIE RC PSA/DNA AUTO #64 PSA 3 VG (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 20m |
| 1965 Topps Hockey Ron Ellis ROOKIE RC, PSA/DNA AUTO #82 PSA 5 EX (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 19m |
| 1957 TOPPS BASEBALL LOT X 10 CARDS... | |
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$1.50 Time Remaining: 6d 23h 36m |
| 1957 Parkhurst Charlie Hodge ROOKIE RC, PSA/DNA AUTO #17 PSA 4 VGEX (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 16m |
| Bobby Hull 2001-02 Be A Player Ultimate Memorabilia Relic BGS 9 Mint V84 | |
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$1.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 11h 59m |
| 1970 NHL TOPPS HOCKEY MURRAY HALL #118 PSA MINT 9 ! | |
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$19.99 Time Remaining: 29d 5h 49m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
| PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS 2017-18 Upper Deck Young Guns RC - BGS 9 | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 4d 9h 38m |
| 1968 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Bill White ROOKIE RC, PSA/DNA AUTO #37 PSA 5 EX (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 20m |
| 1970 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Brian Glennie ROOKIE RC, PSA/DNA AUTO #216 PSA 5 (PWCC) | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 9d 11h 21m |
hi my name is Alisha. I am Trying to find the value of what seems tol be retro hockey cards with just thier first and last names on the front of the cards
Thank u for your time much appreciated.
Alisha