Orr rookie card takes online auction spotlight

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/02/2021 (2008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Who’s the best, Gretzky or Orr? It is, perhaps, the most enduring and passionate debate among sensible hockey fans of a certain age.

When it comes to collectibles, however, Frank Hunt believes his pristine trading card of legendary Boston Bruins defenceman Bobby Orr is the undisputed superstar — more precious than one of the “Great One” that recently sold for seven figures.

The Winnipegger posted an Orr rookie card — graded a “pristine 10” by Beckett Services — from the Topps series for the 1966-67 NHL season via online site Heritage Auctions over the weekend.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the top bid was already at US$105,000, with 25 days left before the auction closes.

“What makes it rare is that it’s 55 years old and it’s been deemed a perfect card,” said Hunt, 61. “It’s a very hard-to-get card. There weren’t as many produced in 1966.

“I’ve only had one other (Orr rookie) in the last six months, but that one will only grade out at about a six.”

Hunt’s goal is to shatter the record for the most expensive hockey card of all time, currently held by a Wayne Gretzky rookie card sold in December.

The 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee series card of the Edmonton Oilers centre (deemed “Gem Mint 10” by Professional Sports Authenticator) fetched a jaw-dropping US$1.29 million — the first time a buyer had shelled out more than US$1 million for a hockey card.

However, Hunt prefers his horizontal Orr card — a portrait of the fresh-faced teen from Parry Sound, Ont., buzz cut and all — not only because of its impeccable shape but its scarcity.

“There’s no comparison between the rarity of the Orr and the Gretzky (rookie cards). The Orr is so much rarer, and the fact it’s a 10 really sets it apart,” he said. “If you look at any other grade… and you compare what the Gretzkys sell for and what the Orrs sell for, the Orr is always at least double the amount of money.

“So, you would think this one would go for $2 million, but you just don’t know the market,” Hunt said.

“There’s probably a 100 times more Gretzkys that were produced and still in the market than Orrs… This week alone, I’ve had 30 (Gretzky rookies) in my hands and I bought 17 of them.”

Hunt collected sports cards as a child, then turned a hobby into full-time work from 1988-96 as a dealer, travelling the country in search of treasures to buy and sell. The trading card market crashed in the late 1990s, but has gained steam in recent years and is red-hot during the pandemic, with prices skyrocketing.

Hunt got back in the card game about six years ago, juggling the intriguing sideline with his job as finance manager at Maserati & Alfa Romeo of Winnipeg.

“I’m like one of those guys from American Pickers (TV show). I travel across Canada and find these in people’s houses that sometimes they didn’t even know they had them, and I get them to people who collect them,” he said.

Hunt acquired the perfect Orr card just six months ago.

“I knew someone that had it and they were willing to sell it to me for my price, and I thought I’d be able to put in in the auction and make a little money on it,” he said, adding his purchase price will remain a secret.

The online auction closes Feb. 26. Until then, Hunt admitted he’ll be clicking onto the Heritage Auction site repeatedly.

“Ten times a day,” he said with a laugh. “It won’t do a lot up front. There’ll be a few bids, but even the Gretzky didn’t get traction until a couple of weeks in and when there got to be a lot of press behind it. The last week will be the tell of how it goes.

“It certainly will help (in retirement plans). What it will do is enable me to continue to do what I love to do, which is to go out and find cards… I’m always looking to buy.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell