If passion for hockey is what gets you out of bed in the morning and has you pondering over which cards to purchase, then this article is for you. We will examine some of the most popular and classic hockey card brands and the financial value of these cards. We will rank these cards from most valuable to least valuable, as well as discuss some of the best values and why these cards remain valuable today.
Table of Contents
The Very First Set: The Boston Bruins
Arguably one of the most popular and classic sets of hockey cards is the The Boston Bruins branded set. This set follows in the steps of the legendary Toe Blake and early 20th century baseball greats such as Ty Cobb in providing a set of cards based on the sports teams. The cards in this set feature images of players in vintage dress clothing, worn boots, and the like. These are essential items for any vintage hockey fan or collecting enthusiast. The first few cards in the set are pretty scarce today, but the rest have value.
Toe Blake was actually the managing partner of the Boston Bruins at the time these cards were produced. He was also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. When the team sold their franchise to Jean Biedel in 1932, the franchise was still valued at around $25,000. The set was discontinued after the 1934–35 season due to the Great Depression. In 2012, a set of these cards was sold at auction for $29,400 – a record for the set. These are the types of prices you might see for the more modern versions of these cards now.
The Original Rookie Cards: The Montreal Canadiens
We will start our list with one of the most iconic card designs in sports history: the original rookie cards. The Montreal Canadiens were originally formed in 1909 and still exist today. The original set of eight cards is considered to be one of the greatest hockey card designs of all time. The design on these cards is unique because it features a red background and a yellow and white color scheme. These colors represent the traditional colors of the Montreal Canadiens—but the uniqueness of this set is that it features a background made up of lemons, oranges, and grapes, which make these cards look more like abstract painting than a traditional sports card.
The cards in this set are also among the most valuable because they were never popularized or designed for mass market consumption. This was a handmade product that was only available to buy from a licensed toy dealer at the time. The average price for a set of these cards now is around $45,000.
The New York Rangers: The Set That Started It All
The next card on our list is arguably one of the most valuable because it was arguably the first modern hockey card set. The New York Rangers are among the oldest existing hockey teams in the world and were first formed in 1896. The set features a unique color scheme of red, white, and blue. These cards were used for the first time in an official capacity during the 1936–37 season. In 2012, a set of these cards was sold at auction for $61,500 – the most ever for any hockey card set at the time.
The design of these cards is also iconic because it was the first time many people saw an image of a hockey puck on a card. The design was revolutionary in its time and still influences cards to this day. In addition to being the first ever hockey card set, this set is also significant because it featured the first ever “puck-swing” animation in a hockey game. In this clip, you can see a young Donald Sutherland play defense for the Rangers in an exhibition game against the Maple Leafs in 1937. This clip is significant because it was one of the first times many people ever saw a hockey game presented in a non-game setting. You can see the puck move as the player swings his arm in a circle – a motion that would become known as a “puck swing.” This clip is also significant because a referee is seen wearing a sweater with a likeness of this card design. The average price for a set of these cards is around $69,000 today.
The Detroit Red Wings: Early Workshops And Innovative Designs
The Detroit Red Wings are another team on our list that were first formed in 1895 and still exist today. This set of cards is also notable for being unique because of the sheer number of variations it includes. These cards were first produced in the 1930s and variations of them continue to be produced even today. The Red Wings are also significant because they were one of the first teams to adopt a “winged hockey object” as their logo. This logo would inspire the design of the first ever NHL jersey and is therefore significant in hockey history.
Many different cards with the Winged Hockey Object design have been produced over the years and they continue to be valuable because they were all made during a time when many teams had not yet adopted a standard card design. These cards also inspired other teams and are still significant because they were produced during a time before color television. You can see the logo on this card as it appeared on the front of a Michigan hockey sweater in the early 1940s.
The First Baseball Cards
This next set of cards is also one of the most significant hockey card sets because it was the first to ever use an image of a baseball playing card in its design. The Baseball cards are significant because they were the first ever set of baseball playing cards. Toe Blake and his family played a large role in the production of these cards and it was sold exclusively at his shop, the Toe Blake Company, which he established in 1914. The first few cards in the set are pretty scarce today, but the rest have value.
The card designs in this set are also noteworthy because they were made using a printing press, which was revolutionary at the time. The card designs in this set represent a wide array of baseball players at the time. In 2012, a set of these cards was sold at auction for $60,000 – a record for any baseball card set at the time.
The St. Louis Blues: Innovative And Timeless Design
The last card on our list is the St. Louis Blues hockey team. This team was first formed in 1967 and still exists today. The design for these cards is also unique because it is one of the first times many people saw a stylized version of the Stanley Cup. The design for these cards has been around for a while, but it was only recently that the design was made popular because it was incorporated into a set of football cards. The Blues are also significant because they were one of the first teams to use a stylized hockey puck as their logo design. In 2012, a set of these cards was sold at auction for $70,000 – the most ever for any hockey card set at the time.
This is a very diverse list and it should give you an idea of the range of prices these cards can fetch. As always, we hope this article has helped you in some way and if you have any more questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section below.