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.
| 2016-17 Upper Deck Clear Cut Young Guns YG Tristan Jarry BGS 9.5 True Gem+ | |
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$185.00 Time Remaining: 30d 23h 18m Buy It Now for only: $185.00 |
| 1953 Parkhurst 60 Jack Stoddard. PSA 9 MINT w/ clear focus. (TX5417RXM-C). | |
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$550.00 Time Remaining: 30d 23h 21m Buy It Now for only: $550.00 |
| 1979-80 Topps #18 Wayne Gretzky RC BVG 5 | |
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$320.00 Time Remaining: 27d 26m Buy It Now for only: $320.00 |
| 1953 Parkhurst #16 Bob Solinger VG X1716947 | |
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$10.00 Time Remaining: 1d 5h 3m Buy It Now for only: $10.00 |
| 1962 Parkhurst #35 Len Lunde NM X1742975 | |
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$15.25 Time Remaining: 7d 5h 17m Buy It Now for only: $15.25 |
| 1965-1966 Parkhurst Hockey Reprint #108 Marcel Pronovost Autograph 35346 | |
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$9.75 Time Remaining: 14d 21h 2m Buy It Now for only: $9.75 |
| 1953 Parkhurst #14 Fern Flaman G/VG X1744575 | |
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$9.50 Time Remaining: 9d 4h 56m Buy It Now for only: $9.50 |
| 1962 Parkhurst #28 Howie Glover NM X1742971 | |
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$15.25 Time Remaining: 7d 4h 23m Buy It Now for only: $15.25 |
| 1969-1970 TOPPS HOCKEY BRIT SELBY #48 | |
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$1.99 Time Remaining: 3d 7h 55m Buy It Now for only: $1.99 |
| 1961 Topps #19 Cliff Pennington NM/NM+ X1785935 | |
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$16.25 Time Remaining: 16d 5h 56m Buy It Now for only: $16.25 |
| 1962 Parkhurst #27 Val Fonteyne NM X1742970 | |
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$15.25 Time Remaining: 7d 4h 33m Buy It Now for only: $15.25 |
| 1966 Topps Gary Bergman #47 SGC 8 NM MT | |
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$80.00 Time Remaining: 9d 7h 23m Buy It Now for only: $80.00 |
| 1970-71 TOPPS HOCKEY - SELECT CARDS FROM LIST | |
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$0.99 Time Remaining: 23d 3h 34m Buy It Now for only: $0.99 |
| 1970-71 TOPPS HOCKEY #45 BOB BARLOW NM | |
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$2.95 Time Remaining: 15d 5h 28m Buy It Now for only: $2.95 |
| 1962-63 Topps Hockey No. 34 Hawks Stan Mikita Vg | |
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$35.00 Time Remaining: 21d 24m Buy It Now for only: $35.00 |
| 1961 BOSTON BRUINS TOPPS #20 NM *5350 | |
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$38.49 Time Remaining: 2d 6h Buy It Now for only: $38.49 |
| 1970-71 TOPPS FRANK MAHOVLICH #22 NM V8730 | |
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$10.79 Time Remaining: 6d 9h 33m Buy It Now for only: $10.79 |
| 1958 Parkhurst #27 PSA 7 Bert Olmstead Maple Leafs 27 | |
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$39.99 Time Remaining: 14d 2h 17m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 |
| 1970 TOPPS #20 STAN MIKITA SGC 7.5 NM+ CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS | |
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$18.95 Time Remaining: 29d 22h 59m Buy It Now for only: $18.95 |
| 1959-1960 Parkhurst Hockey #12 Marcel Bonin (Exmt) c04998 | |
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$20.00 Time Remaining: 14d 18h 23m Buy It Now for only: $20.00 |
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