Highest Valued WHA Hockey Cards From The 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Set

The 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee hockey card series featured 52 cards from number 290 to 341 that were not NHL cards. The World Hockey Association was in it's first year of existence and with stars like Bobby Hull, Gerry Cheevers, Bernie Parent and Derek Sanderson taken from the NHL, it looked like the league might be around for awhile. Although the first WHA series that was completely separate from the NHL didn't come out until 1974-75, O-Pee-Chee added on these 50+ additional cards at the end of the 1972-73 series.

Other than checkist number 334B, there are only three cards from the WHA portion of the 1972-73 series that are rated by Beckett Hockey Monthly. However, common cards from card 290 and beyond are worth up th $8 each, $3 to $5.50 more than other commons in the series.

Of course, number 336 of Bobby Hull is the top card. Hull's 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee card is worth up to $60. The card shows him as a Winnipeg Jet but isn't the only Bobby Hull card in the set. Hull is also included as an All-Star playing for the Chicago Black Hawks on card number 228. That card is worth $30. Not quite the value of his 1958-59 Topps rookie card ($3000), the 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee card is the most valuable hockey card of Bobby Hull as a WHA player.

At half the value of the Bobby Hull card, number 340 with Gerry Cheevers of the Cleveland Crusaders on the front is the next most valuable of this group of cards. Cheevers was the top goalie in the WHA in that inaugural season and continued on with the Cleveland Crusaders until returning to the Boston Bruins part of the way through the 1975-76 season.

Gerry Pinder?!

The third and last rated card from the group belongs to none other than Gerry Pinder. The number 341 card of Pinder as a Cleveland Crusader is worth $20. The great Gerry Pinder played 223 regular season NHL games over three campaigns then followed that up with 353 in the WHA. Pinder began his NHL career with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1969-70. After two seasons in Chicago, he played one more in the NHL with the California Golden Seals before escaping to the WHA. After four seasons with the Crusaders, he played a half season with the San Diego Mariners then five games with the Edmonton Oilers in 1977-78 before hanging up the skates.

Pinder appeared in only five different sets of O-Pee-Chee hockey cards. Each of his hockey cards, including his 1970-71 rookie card is considered a common card, except for the 1972-73 card. We would have to assume that it's a case of scarcity. Gerry does appear in the 1973-74 Quaker Oats WHA set, as well.

Tom is the author of http://www.ohlalumnicentral.com/ (OHL Alumni Central). OHL Alumni Central is a daily updated blog featuring graduates of the Ontario Hockey League and their careers in professional hockey after leaving the OHL.

The centrepiece of ohlalumnicentral.com is the OHL Alumni Big List. The Big List is an on-going database of the whereabouts of all the active OHL grads.

The Three Most Valuable Hockey Cards of the Post-War Era

What is considered the post-war era in hockey card collecting began with the 1951-52 Parkhurst series. With that set, yearly production of hockey cards has gone unbroken to this day. Before that series was produced, hockey cards were produced on an irregular basis and the last major set came out over a decade before.

Despite the attention given to the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee rookie card of Wayne Gretzky, there are three cards that have been produced in the post-war era that are fundamentally more valuable. The trifecta of hockey cards consists of the rookie cards of three of the greatest hockey players in National Hockey League History. All three cards are valued by Beckett Hockey Monthly at up to $3000.

1951-52 Parkhurst #66, the Gordie Howe rookie card. Howe's first hockey card came five years after his NHL career began. Gordie first played for the Detroit Red Wings in 1946-47 and continued with the team until the end of the 1970-71 season. He returned to professional hockey in 1973-74 with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. Gordie played in the WHA for the duration of its existence, finishing with the New England Whalers. He returned to the NHL for one last season in 1979-80 with the Hartford Whalers.

Over his lengthy pro hockey career, Gordie Howe won six Hart Memorial Trophies as NHL MVP and six Art Ross Trophies as the league's leading scorer. He won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and two Avco Cups in the WHA with the Houston Aeros. He remains the only player to play an NHL game while in his 50's and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

1958-59 Topps #66, the Bobby Hull rookie card. Hull began his NHL career with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1957-58 and continued with the club until the end of the 1971-72 season. In that time, Bobby won the Art Ross Trophy three times, the Hart Trophy twice and won one Stanley Cup with the Black Hawks in 1960-61. For two years, he owned the NHL record for most goals in a single season with 58 in 1968-69.

In 1972-73, Bobby Hull became the face of the World Hockey Association when he was signed by the Winnipeg Jets for $1 million. In the WHA, Bobby was MVP twice and was part of three Avco Cup winning teams in Winnipeg. When the WHA merged with the NHL for the 1979-80 season, Hull played one more NHL season split between the Jets and the Hartford Whalers. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

1966-67 Topps #35, the Bobby Orr rookie card. Orr began his NHL career in 1966-67, therefore the stats on the back of his rookie card were blank. He played with the Boston Bruins until the end of the 1975-76 season then finished off his NHL career with the Chicago Black Hawks, playing just 26 games over three seasons.

Despite his career ending prematurely due to devastating knee injuries, Orr's list of accomplishments is long. He still owns NHL record for most assists in a season by a defenseman (102), most points in a season by a defenseman (139) and the highest +/- of any NHL player in a single season (+124). All three records were set during the 1970-71 season. Bobby is the only defenseman to ever win the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top point getter, doing it twice (1969-70 and 1974-75). He has won more Norris Trophies than any other NHL player (8) along with Hart Trophies and two Conn Smythe Trophies.

Tom is the author of http://www.vintagehockeycardsreport.com (Vintage Hockey Cards Report). Vintage Hockey Cards Report provides information on a wide range of vintage hockey cards and the players that appear on them. One focus is to provide a real eBay pricing guide based on the winning bids of vintage hockey cards on eBay auctions.