Welcome back to The Verified Vault: stories, values, and fake-spotting tips from the world of rare collectibles.
No hockey card gets questioned more often than the 1979-80 Wayne Gretzky #18 rookie. The same photo and design were used for two different cards, O-Pee-Chee in Canada and Topps in the United States. On top of those two, there are later legitimate reprints and a steady supply of counterfeits, some of them sitting in fake or altered grading slabs. In our experience at Sprunger Originals, there are at least six different fake versions of this card in the market. This guide walks through the checks we use, from the first glance to the loupe, so you know what you're holding before you buy, sell or insure it.
If you'd rather have someone look at your card, skip to the end. Our Is my Gretzky rookie card real? – Free Verification service is free.
Quick comparison
| 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18 | 1979-80 Topps #18 | Reprint | Counterfeit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where sold | Canada | United States | Later official issues (1992 OPC, 1998 Topps and OPC Chrome) and novelty copies | Sold as an original |
| Back text | English and French | English only | Varies; the 1998 reprints have Topps English-only backs | Copies the OPC or Topps back, often blurry |
| Yellow print speck on left shoulder | Yes, on every genuine copy | No | May copy it | May copy it |
| Card stock | Brighter, lighter stock | Darker, greyer stock | Modern stock; the 1998 Chrome versions have a glossy chrome finish | Often wrong thickness, feel or finish |
| Print under a loupe | Sharp rosette dot pattern, crisp text | Sharp dot pattern, crisp text | Modern printing | Fuzzy text, pixelated or jagged borders |
| Edges | Often rough factory cut | Usually cleaner than OPC | Clean, modern cut | Often too clean, or hand-trimmed |
| Value | Highest | Lower than OPC | Low | None |
Step 1: Is it O-Pee-Chee or Topps?
Both cards share the same front photo and blue-bordered design, so start with the back. The O-Pee-Chee back is bilingual, with English and French text, including the cartoon and biography. The Topps back is English only. This is the quickest and most reliable way to tell them apart.
On the front, look at Gretzky's left shoulder (on the right as you look at the card). Every genuine O-Pee-Chee rookie has a small yellow print speck in the same spot. It's a print production flaw that's part of the plate, not damage. Topps copies don't have it. Collectors also describe the OPC stock as brighter and lighter than Topps, and say it glows more under a blacklight.
Step 2: Check the card stock and the edges
O-Pee-Chee cards from this era are known for rough, slightly frayed factory cuts. PSA has written that "all the OPC Gretzkys should have a rough cut on the edge," and that counterfeits often fail to reproduce it. That's a guide, not a rule. Some genuine cards are cleanly cut, for example cards cut later from uncut sheets.
Be wary of edges that are perfectly smooth and laser-sharp. PSA has also noted that laser-cut Gretzky rookies exist with "uncharacteristically pristine edges." PSA declines to grade them, but they can turn up in other companies' holders.
Measure the card. A standard card from this era is about 2½" × 3½" (63.5 × 88.9 mm). A card that's noticeably narrow or short, or that has uneven edges and corners that don't look factory-cut, may have been trimmed or reproduced.
Step 3: Get out the loupe
A 10x–30x jeweller's loupe or a good phone macro lens is the best fake detector you can buy for a few dollars.
- Dot pattern. Genuine cards from this era were printed by offset lithography, which leaves a regular rosette pattern of coloured ink dots. Home-printed and inkjet fakes show irregular sprays of dots, a visible pixel grid or smeared colour.
- Black borders and lines. On a genuine card, the black lines framing the photo are solid and smooth. On fakes they often look jagged or stepped.
- Lettering. The white "WAYNE GRETZKY" name text and the fine print on the back should be crisp. Fuzzy, blurry or broken letters are a red flag.
- Photo sharpness. Counterfeits are usually copied from a scan, so the photo looks softer or cloudier than on an original.
Many O-Pee-Chee copies show faint blue vertical print lines. Not every genuine card has them, so a card without them isn't necessarily fake.
Step 4: Reprints
If the back passes the bilingual test, make sure the card isn't a later reprint. Reprints of famous rookie cards have been sold for years, from official tribute issues to unlicensed novelty copies. Legitimate reprints are usually identified somewhere on the card, for example with a "reprint" notation or a later copyright line, and they're printed on modern, often glossier stock. The risk comes when a reprint is trimmed, aged or listed without disclosure. If a listing says "RP," "reprint," "novelty" or "replica," it isn't an original.
The Gretzky rookie card has been legitimately reprinted several times, including:
- 1992 O-Pee-Chee 25th Anniversary Inserts #12
- 1998 O-Pee-Chee Chrome – Blast from the Past #1
- 1998 O-Pee-Chee Chrome – Blast from the Past Refractor #1
- 1998 Topps Blast from the Past #1
By 1998, Topps held the licensing rights to the O-Pee-Chee name after the company was sold to Nestlé in 1996. Topps printed and distributed the 1998 sets that included these inserts. The backs of cards 2, 3 and 4 have Topps English-only copy.
The 1992 insert is marked "Anniversary Series" on the front, and the 1998 Chrome cards have a shiny chrome finish, so these are easy to tell from an original once you know what to look for.
Step 5: Don't trust the slab blindly
A grading holder is good protection, but slabs and labels can be faked or tampered with.
- Look up the certification number on the grader's own website: PSA's cert verification, SGC's cert lookup or Beckett's verification tool. Check that the year, set, card number, grade and, where shown, the images match the card in front of you.
- Compare the label with known genuine labels from the same company and era. Look at the fonts, spacing, colours and logo placement.
- Check security features. Each grader uses its own holograms or security marks on the label or case. Make sure they look right.
- Inspect the case for cracks, glue, re-sealed edges or a card that sits loose or crooked inside.
- Remember a real cert can be put on a fake slab. A matching number alone doesn't prove the holder is genuine.
Red flags in listings
- Only one photo, a stock image or no photo of the back
- Price far below recent sales for that grade
- Words like "RP," "replica," "novelty" or "authentic copy" in the fine print
- Raw "high-grade" cards with suspiciously sharp corners and clean edges
- Seller won't provide extra photos, the cert number or a photo with a dated note
- Slab photos with glare that hides the label or the cert number
When to get it graded or verified
If you're buying, selling or insuring a raw Gretzky rookie, get it checked before money changes hands. Third-party grading from a major company is the standard for resale. If you first want to know whether a card is worth grading, or you're looking at a deal online, start with a free second opinion.
Sprunger Originals' free verification service reviews images and details of your graded or ungraded card to assess authenticity. It costs nothing. We also publish a free Gretzky Rookie Card Cheat Sheet that summarises OPC vs Topps, reprints and fakes on one page.
For more, from the card's history to PSA population analysis to selling with ID-verified buyers, visit the Gretzky Rookie Card Portal. You can also see genuine Gretzky rookies that have changed hands in our Recently Sold collection.
Not sure about your card? Send us clear front and back photos for a free verification.
Happy collecting, and see you in the Vault.
— Sprunger Originals