Lebron was the guy, but Trout just lapped him. Who’s gonna be hockeys Trout?

TheGriceBoys

TheGriceBoys

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We discussed the growth potential in hockey cards last night on SCL. Hockey has so much room for growth because the top guys in “other sports” have peaked or climbed out of range.

Goldin auctions just auctioned off a Mike Trout red refractor autograph numbered to 5 from Bowman Chrome Draft. I said it could be a $700-800K card someday, maybe in this auction. It sold for $900,000! And yes, for those familiar, it was Vegas Dave who also owns the 1/1 Superfractor which was a STEAL.

https://www.beckett.com/news/2009-b...utograph-sells-for-400000-meet-the-new-owner/

http://offthebaggy.blogspot.com/2020/05/mike-trout-winning-off-diamond.html

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.c...-refractor-auto-expected-to-bring-huge-price/

Who is hockey’s guy that can get the biggest money when the “other sports” guys come knocking to drive the market and find the next untapped oil well. My money is, has been, and always will be, on Sidney Crosby.
 
Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid.... they're obvious names, but all could fit that description.

Crosby could retire tomorrow, and he's already checked enough boxes to make him one of the all-time greats. He's won Championships, MVPs, scoring titles. When we talk about "greatness" it's an unquantifiable thing - but IMO Crosby is the greatest post-Gretzky hockey player.

Ovechkin's cards were always a bargain compared to Crosby & other stop stars. IMO, there were two primary reasons: Lack of team success, and country of origin. Once the team success came, his prices jumped like crazy. I would also suggest that as more "non-hockey" people get into hockey cards, birth place matters much less. His run at Gretzky's goal record is also going to draw huge interest in him, I think. Even if he doesn't get there - if he can become the third player to break 800, that's a massive accomplishment.

McDavid: Sky is the limit, but he needs to win a Stanley Cup (or several).



Really, it all depends on what the target will be. With Crosby & Ovechkin, you're talking about two of the greatest players in the history of the game... and their cards are modern enough that SSP'd parallels exist, Auto RCs exist, ARPs exist. With McDavid, you're talking about someone who could be even greater, but on June 21st 2020, he is not.
 
I would go with Crosby. When he retires, people will look back at the time period in which he played and realize how great he was (and I am a Flyers fan). Still, I don't see anything in hockey that will mirror basketball or football just because the collector base is much smaller and I don't see a high growth ceiling.
 
FrozenInferno said:
I still think the RCs of all time greats like Gretzky and Lemieux should be bigger dollar cards than they are.
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Should be. But they won’t, no serial number, no autograph, no flashiness and they don’t play in the era driven by massive, real time media platforms following their exploits.

Even the best Gretzky RC will be hard pressed to touch a million dollars someday, but there’s definitely a chance.

I agree that McDavid could be one that sneaks up on us, weird to say “sneaks”, but he is so low relative to other superstars. Crosby is still my pick as he had the accolades individually and team-wise, will continue to add to the numbers, has hockey immortality with the golden goal, and he plays in the US in the where the big hobby money is and people see him on NBC national hockey broadcasts more regularly.
 
TheGriceBoys said:
Should be. But they won’t, no serial number, no autograph, no flashiness and they don’t play in the era driven by massive, real time media platforms following their exploits.

Even the best Gretzky RC will be hard pressed to touch a million dollars someday, but there’s definitely a chance.

I agree that McDavid could be one that sneaks up on us, weird to say “sneaks”, but he is so low relative to other superstars. Crosby is still my pick as he had the accolades individually and team-wise, will continue to add to the numbers, has hockey immortality with the golden goal, and he plays in the US in the where the big hobby money is and people see him on NBC national hockey broadcasts more regularly.
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The lone gretz psa 10 would break 1mm today imo.
 
The hockey side of card collecting is so strange to me. You have a guy like Mike Trout in baseball who has won individual awards but never a World Series, and up until last year, I'd compare him to Ovechkin (pre Stanley Cup). Mike Trout cards were selling for insane amount but Ovechkin YG could be had for $50 and most of his cards were selling for a fraction of what they did until after he won the Cup. Makes no sense. Ovechkin's individual records are astonishing and he is close to breaking Wayne Gretzky's record but didn't get the huge hobby love until he won a Cup and is still riding second fiddle to other players in hockey. If Ovechkin was dominating like he does in any other sport he'd be up there with Trout in terms of value (obviously not as high as Trout since baseball is HUGE but he'd be on a similar level relative to hockey)
 
japhi said:
The lone gretz psa 10 would break 1mm today imo.
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Mine too. There are two of them however and I can see the superior of the two cracking a mill in today's hobby/business climate.

When there are only 2 of this card, in essence it is serially numbered (easy to determine the pop) and with all this new money in the hobby now, I have no doubt its a $1M card today. (owned by Patrick Bet-David)
 
It’s Auston Matthews hands down.

1. Plays in the biggest hockey market in the NHL.
2. Has the US appeal as he was born/grew up there.
3. Look how many goals he has already.

If he ever wins the Cup or helps the US to the Olympic gold medal, watch out.
 
I think Ovechkin has the most mainstream upside currently. He'll be constantly featured on ESPN as he knocks off the seven guys ahead of him. He also arguably has more marketability and personality than McDavid, Crosby and Gretzky combined.
 
I don't want this to come off as hate but can anything Vegas Dave does be taken at face value though? He's got like basically unlimited funds and just buys what he wants. All it will take is for two people with insane funds to want one guy and it'll happen. Maybe it's McDavid, maybe it's Crosby, maybe it's whoever goes 1st overall next year. Who knows. But in terms of these super high end cards, it's just down to deep pockets.

Also, everyone saying you need to win this or that to get to Trout level... Trout hasn't won anything. You just need to put up insane numbers to get hobby love.
 
Burner said:
The hockey side of card collecting is so strange to me. You have a guy like Mike Trout in baseball who has won individual awards but never a World Series, and up until last year, I'd compare him to Ovechkin (pre Stanley Cup). Mike Trout cards were selling for insane amount but Ovechkin YG could be had for $50 and most of his cards were selling for a fraction of what they did until after he won the Cup. Makes no sense. Ovechkin's individual records are astonishing and he is close to breaking Wayne Gretzky's record but didn't get the huge hobby love until he won a Cup and is still riding second fiddle to other players in hockey. If Ovechkin was dominating like he does in any other sport he'd be up there with Trout in terms of value (obviously not as high as Trout since baseball is HUGE but he'd be on a similar level relative to hockey)
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Trout is known as a 5 tool player and has been that consistently since he entered the league. He has also stayed out of trouble and prefers to just do his talking on the field. Baseball has 10 x the love globally.

If Ovie's name was Tom Jones and was born in Toronto, Ontario, that card would have been hotter than OVIE is now.

carry on.
 
I am so mad at myself for missing the show last night. The “long weekend” had me all mixed up.

I don’t have much to add to this conversation but I am hopeful that some of this spills over to our small corner of the hobby.
 
The only way Hockey will ever see Mike Trout/Pat Mahomes/Lebron James like prices is if the market/collector base grows exponentially. It has the smallest collector base by a long shot of the 4 main sports. Supply in almost all situations will outweigh demand. If you were to walk into any hobby shop in Canada that carries all 4 sports, I would wager that the majority of the product still sitting on their shelves right now would be hockey.
 
cfind said:
The only way Hockey will ever see Mike Trout/Pat Mahomes/Lebron James like prices is if the market/collector base grows exponentially. It has the smallest collector base by a long shot of the 4 main sports. Supply in almost all situations will outweigh demand.
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This. Hockey is a tiny wedge of an enormous pie.
 
paulxing said:
I don't want this to come off as hate but can anything Vegas Dave does be taken at face value though? He's got like basically unlimited funds and just buys what he wants. All it will take is for two people with insane funds to want one guy and it'll happen. Maybe it's McDavid, maybe it's Crosby, maybe it's whoever goes 1st overall next year. Who knows. But in terms of these super high end cards, it's just down to deep pockets.

Also, everyone saying you need to win this or that to get to Trout level... Trout hasn't won anything. You just need to put up insane numbers to get hobby love.
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Coupled with the accusation that he may have bought his own card.

Hockey doesn’t have the mass appeal that basketball or baseball has. UD isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire with innovative ideas to help that along.

Still, Trout selling for $900k will bring speculators out but I don’t see much of that money being aimed at hockey. Someone mentioned Auston Matthews. He may be it if the Leafs manage to do anything of substance.
 

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