Card of the Day: 1985-86 Topps #9 Mario Lemieux RC — The Defining Modern Hockey Card
If the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan is the Mona Lisa of modern basketball cards, then the 1985-86 Topps Mario Lemieux #9 is the equivalent for hockey — the single most important card of the modern era for its sport. And yet, it trades for a fraction of the price, making it one of the most compelling value propositions in the entire graded card market.
"Super Mario" entered the NHL at age 18 and immediately transformed the Pittsburgh Penguins from a laughingstock into a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Over a career spanning 17 seasons, Lemieux amassed 690 goals, 1,723 points, and five Art Ross Trophies. Wayne Gretzky himself called Lemieux "the most talented player I ever saw" — high praise from the man who holds virtually every NHL scoring record.
The 1985-86 Topps design is unmistakable: the yellow bottom banner, the team crest cutout in the upper right, and the grainy action photo of a 20-year-old Lemieux in his Penguins road whites. It is instantly recognizable to any hockey collector and anchors the entire modern hockey card market.
PSA Population Report
| PSA Grade | Population | Value |
|---|---|---|
| GEM-MT 10 | 79 | $15,750 |
| MINT 9 | 1,232 | $1,450 |
| NM-MT 8 | 2,980 | $525 |
| Total Graded (All Grades) | 7,325 | — |
* Population data as of June 18, 2026.
The O-Pee-Chee Factor
Like many 1980s hockey cards, the Lemieux rookie exists in two versions: the standard Topps release and the Canadian-market O-Pee-Chee parallel. The OPC version is identical in design but printed on slightly different card stock with lower print runs, and it commands a 20-30% premium over the Topps version in equivalent grades. For serious hockey collectors, the OPC is the definitive copy.
The Value Gap
Here's where the opportunity becomes clear. Compare the Lemieux to other defining rookie cards of the same era:
- 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan PSA 10 — $70,000+
- 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. PSA 10 — $2,500+
- 1985-86 Topps Mario Lemieux PSA 10 — ~$15,750 (79 total graded copies)
The Lemieux PSA 10 has fewer than 80 known copies in existence — a rare card by any standard. A Jordan PSA 10 trades at nearly 5x the price with a population that is larger in absolute terms. Hockey remains the most undervalued major sport in the card hobby, and the Lemieux RC is the foundational proof point of that thesis.
With the hockey card market maturing — driven by Upper Deck's exclusive NHL license, the annual National Hockey Card Day promotion, and increasing crossover between hockey and other sports collectors — the conditions for a re-rating are in place. The Lemieux RC doesn't need to catch Jordan to be a good investment. It just needs to close half the gap.
The Verdict: Mario Lemieux's rookie card is one of the most undervalued Hall of Fame rookie cards from the 1980s. With 79 PSA 10s and a growing hockey market, this card has room to run.
