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.
| 1955-56 Parkhurst Quaker Oats #51 Paul Meger, Montreal Canadiens - strong VG-EX | |
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$38.00 Time Remaining: 29d 59m Buy It Now for only: $38.00 |
| 1970-71 Topps Set Break # 58 Peter Mahovlich EX-EXMINT *GMCARDS* | |
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$0.79 Time Remaining: 9d 8h 32m |
| 1954 TOPPS HOCKEY #40 LARRY WILSON PSA 8 | |
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$180.00 Time Remaining: 29d 23h 48m Buy It Now for only: $180.00 |
| 1954 TOPPS HOCKEY #51 TED LINDSAY PSA 7 HOF | |
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$230.00 Time Remaining: 29d 23h 49m Buy It Now for only: $230.00 |
| 1954 TOPPS HOCKEY #56 EDGAR LAPRADE PSA 7+ CENTERED HOF | |
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$150.00 Time Remaining: 29d 23h 50m Buy It Now for only: $150.00 |
| 1954 TOPPS HOCKEY #27 MARCEL PRONOVOST PSA 7.5+ CENTERED HOF | |
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$125.00 Time Remaining: 29d 23h 47m Buy It Now for only: $125.00 |
| 1969-70 Topps Set Break #132 Checklist Card VG-VGEX *GMCARDS* | |
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$0.79 Time Remaining: 9d 8h 16m |
| 1970-71 Topps Set Break #131 Gilbert Perreault EX-EXMINT *GMCARDS* | |
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$0.79 Time Remaining: 9d 8h 34m |
| 1954 TOPPS HOCKEY #25 FERN FLAMAN PSA 7 CENTERED HOF | |
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$100.00 Time Remaining: 29d 23h 46m Buy It Now for only: $100.00 |
| 1965 - 66 #35 BOBBY ORR BOSTON BRUINS ROOKIE REPRINT CARD - | |
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$1.35 Time Remaining: 3d 22h 56m Buy It Now for only: $1.35 |
| 1953-54 PARKHURST #87 HAL LAYOE BOSTON BRUINS CREASE FREE, CENTERED! | |
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$12.99 Time Remaining: 29d 7h 11m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 |
| 1962-63 Parkhurst Set Break # 24 Claude Laforge NM!! | |
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$9.99 Time Remaining: 29d 10h 53m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
| 1962 Topps #33 Bobby Hull PSA 8 | |
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$275.00 Time Remaining: 29d 2h 2m Buy It Now for only: $275.00 |
| Allan Stanley 1963-64 Parkhurst #1 - Toronto Maple Leafs Centered, Crease free!! | |
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$19.99 Time Remaining: 29d 7h 28m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
| 1953-54 Parkhurst #94 Joe Klukay EX-NM | |
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$12.99 Time Remaining: 28d 23h 29m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 |
| 1953-54 Parkhurst Set Break # 58 Hy Buller NM! | |
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$19.99 Time Remaining: 28d 21h 18m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
| 1959-60 Parkhurst Hockey # 38 Dick Duff - Centered Crease Free! | |
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$19.99 Time Remaining: 29d 7h 55m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
| 2010-11 UPPER BECK Jeff Skinner 2 Card Rookie Lot Graded BGS 9.5 GEM MINT SABRES | |
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$20.00 Time Remaining: 6d 4h 36m Buy It Now for only: $20.00 |
| 1968-69 Topps Set Break #125 Marcel Pronovost VG-VGEX *GMCARDS* | |
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$0.79 Time Remaining: 9d 8h 2m |
| 1970-71 Topps Set Break # 53 Terry Harper NM-MT OR BETTER *GMCARDS* | |
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$0.79 Time Remaining: 9d 8h 32m |
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