O-Pee-Chee is a Canadian brand of sports and entertainment collectible trading cards that was first introduced in 1948 and is now part of Topps’ trading card portfolio. During its height of popularity from the 1950s through the 1980s, O-Pee-Chee produced baseball, hockey and other sports cards that were nearly identical to their Topps counterparts but printed for distribution in Canada. Due to their limited initial print runs and the fact that they were solely available in Canada for many years, high-grade vintage O-Pee-Chee cards can be considerably rarer and more valuable than their American Topps equivalents.
One of the most valuable and significant O-Pee-Chee baseball cards is the 1952 Mickey Mantle #311. Considered by many to be the finest post-war baseball card in existence, the ’52 Mantle is ultra-rare in high grades due to its fragile paper stock and the fact that Mantle was still an up-and-coming rookie at that time. In January 2022, a PSA Mint 9 copy of the ’52 O-Pee-Chee Mantle sold for an astonishing $5.2 million, making it the highest price ever paid for a baseball card. Other high-grade examples in PSA 8 or 9 condition typically sell for $1-3 million due to their scarcity. Even well-centered PSA 6 or 7 copies in average condition still command six-figure prices.
Another hugely valuable O-Pee-Chee rookie card is the 1958 Willie Mays #144. Like Mantle in ’52, Mays was still establishing himself as a superstar at this early point in his career. High-grade ’58 O-Pee-Chee Mays cards are exceedingly rare, with only a handful believed to exist in PSA 8 or above. In July 2021, a PSA 8 copy sold for a record-setting $393,000, making it the highest publicly recorded auction price for a non-Mantle baseball card at that time (until being surpassed by the ’52 Mantle). Most others in similar PSA 8-9 condition would bring $250,000-500,000. Even lower-graded but centering copies still sell in the $50,000+ range.
Another highly significant early card is the 1954 Hank Aaron #269 which captures “Hammerin’ Hank” in his second season with the then-Milwaukee Braves. Numbered cards from the mid-1950s era are scarce to begin with, especially for star players before they achieved superstar status. A PSA 8 example sold in 2020 for $188,800. Other high-quality PSA 7-9 specimens typically sell in the $100,000-250,000 range. Along with Mantle and Mays, the ’54 O-Pee-Chee Aaron is considered one of the holy grails for vintage rookie cards at the beginning of Aaron’s Hall of Fame career.
Staying in the 1950s, the 1957 Ted Williams #280 is another iconic O-Pee-Chee issue during the hitter’s final season before retirement. Widely regarded as one of the best pure hitters in baseball history, Williams’ career was winding down when this card was produced. Graded examples higher than a PSA 6 are exceedingly rare, with PSA 8’s selling for well over $100,000. Even a low-grade, but well-centered, copy could still fetch $20K-$50K due to the legendary player featured and the scarcity of high-quality specimens.
Two of the most coveted late-1950s/early-1960s O-Pee-Chee issues are the 1960 Roberto Clemente #340 and 1961 Roger Maris #444. Both capture these Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees sluggers mid-career during pivotal seasons. A PSA 8 1960 O-Pee-Chee Clemente set the auction record for that particular card in 2020 at $93,750. PSA 7-9 copies routinely sell for $50K-$150K. The ’61 O-Pee-Chee Maris is equally scarce in high grades after his historic 61-home run season. PSA 8’s have reached $75,000, with most other PSA 7’s and 8’s bringing $40K-$100K.
While the 1960s era saw a decline in scarcity and value compared to the 1950s, there remains strong collector demand for early cards of all-time greats like the 1968 Nolan Ryan #460 capturing the Hall of Famer in his second season with the Mets. Higher graded PSA 7-9 copies command $15,000-$40,000 due to Ryan’s legendary career and relative scarcity compared to English-language issues. Another iconic late-1960s issue is the 1969 Willie McCovey #530, with PSA 8’s trading hands for $10,000-$25,000.
Into the 1970s, the 1970 Tom Seaver #667 rookie remains a widely sought key issue, with PSA 8’s reaching $15,000-30,000 in recent years. High-grade versions of the 1971 Johnny Bench #757 rookie also fetch $7,500-$15,000 due to his status as arguably the greatest catching talent ever. Further, the 1973 Mike Schmidt #805 rookie has also gained tremendous collector interest in recent years. PSA 8-9 copies have reached $10,000-$20,000 on the strength of Schmidt’s long Hall of Fame career.
Vintage 1950s O-Pee-Chee cards of all-time greats like Mantle, Mays, Aaron and Williams and early 1960s gems featuring Clemente and Maris are consistently some of the most valuable issues for the brand due to their inherent scarcity and representation of legendary players before their superstardom was fully established. But desirable high-grade 1970s rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Seaver, Bench and Schmidt also hold tremendous collector value and interest from baseball card investors. With limited original print runs and decades of collecting history, top-graded vintage O-Pee-Chee issues will likely always be sought after prizes for serious Canadian and American sporting memorabilia collectors alike.
