Alex Ovechkin is one of the greatest players in hockey history and the new owner of the NHL’s all-time goals record. In the world of trading cards, those distinctions make him one of the most coveted players to collect.
On April 21, Ovechkin’s “2005-06 The Cup Rookie Patch Autograph – Gold Rainbow” numbered eight out of eight copies sold for $381,000 in Sotheby’s Timeless Titans auction. Per Cllct’s Ben Burrows, the card, graded an 8/10 by Beckett Grading Services with a 10 autograph grade, set a new all-time high sale price record for any modern hockey card.
The sale more than doubles the previous record for any Ovechkin card, a $182,400 mark set by an Ovechkin 2005-06 The Cup Rookie Patch Autograph numbered to 99 copies and graded a 10 by PSA, which sold at Goldin in 2021.
Multiple factors likely added to the new record being set.
- “The Cup” is Upper Deck’s highest-end product, producing the most expensive cards each year
- The card is a parallel to the base rookie patch autograph (99 copies), limited to just eight copies
- Ovechkin’s jersey number is no. 8, and the card is numbered as the eighth of the eight copies
- Gold parallel cards typically fetch a premium because collectors simply like how they look
- The game-used patch inserted into the card is four different colors
- BGS graded the card an 8 out of a possible 10 and graded Ovechkin’s on-card autograph a perfect 10
Sotheby’s, a company that dates back to 1744, is one of the world’s largest brokers of collectibles, holding auctions for sports memorabilia, fine art, jewelry, watches, and wine. Ovechkin’s card sold with a group of 11 other gigantic sports cards, including a 1916 Babe Ruth rookie card; a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan triple autograph card; and a Tom Brady rookie autograph card.
Cllct’s Burrows adds that the sale is now the third-most ever paid for a hockey card, according to public records. The previous record for any modern hockey card was the $228,000 paid for a 2015 The Cup Connor McDavid Rookie Patch Autograph numbered to 99 copies and graded a 10 by PSA, which sold at Heritage Auctions in 2022.
The current record for any hockey card is the $3.75 million paid for a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card graded a 10 by PSA, which was sold via private sale in 2021.
