EDMONTON -- A Connor McDavid rookie patch card will become the most expensive modern hockey trading card with a current bid of just over US$70,000.
The card, a 2015-16 "Upper Deck The Cup" rookie patch signed by the Edmonton Oilers captain, came from a pack at Jaspys Sports Cards & Collectibles in Hermosa Beach, Calif.
"We hit a Connor McDavid RPA, and it's 97 out of 99! Wow!" said the man who opened the pack at the shop.
"He paid, you know, maybe a few hundred dollars for the team in that case break and luckily got the card and luckily it was 97 of 99," Jordan Gilroy at Lelands, the website where the card is being auctioned, told CTV News Edmonton.
The Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) graded the rare card a Mint 9. The PSA Mint 9, just one point off Gem Mint, is "a superb condition card" with one minor flaw, including a "very slight wax stain on reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders."
The card includes a photo of McDavid wearing the Oilers' white jersey, his signature, and a white, blue and orange patch. The back of the card features McDavid's stats in his three seasons with the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Photo credit: Lelands
The auction started on May 17 with a US$2,500 offer. On May 28, it climbed from US$6,486 to US$52,797, and it currently sits at US$70,274.
"In the beginning I thought it was going to be around 50 or 60 and it's already at $70,000, so obviously it's just blowing us out to the water regardless," Gilroy said. "At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up at 100 to $150,000 plus."
Bidding closes on Friday.
The Oilers captain currently holds the record for the most expensive hockey card. In 2018, his "2015 Upper Deck The Cup" rookie card sold for US$55,655.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adam Cook
