Wayne Gretzky 1995-96 Topps Marquee Men 375 Power Boosters HHA 9

Description: One of the most coveted cards of the "Great One" Wayne Gretzky, not just a Topps "Marquee Men", but the beautiful rainbow reflective "Power Boosters" insert. A card that looks amazing on a lighted display shelf. Wayne Gretzky, known as “The Great One,” is widely regarded as the greatest hockey player of all time. He revolutionized the game with his exceptional skill, vision, and intelligence on the ice. Gretzky holds numerous NHL records, including the most career goals (894), assists (1,963), and points (2,857). He is the only player to score over 200 points in a single season, a feat he achieved four times. His unique ability to anticipate plays and his unparalleled scoring prowess made him a dominant force in hockey, setting a standard that remains unmatched. The Hockey History Archive (HHA) has deemed this card historically significant. Authenticated, graded, and placed in an attractive and protective acrylic display case. The HHA features many different themed historically curated collections, including the popular "Enforcers" series, all authenticated and graded by HHA experts. Browse this seller's items to see other HHA Legends of the Game collections and to purchase all or just your favorites players in the Enforcers series. Combined shipping is available if you buy more than one item, so check out my other cards, all graded cards. Typically we can mail 3 cards for the price of one. Usually what we do is if you buy 3 cards and each card costs $8.45 to mail, we will round it off and refund you $8 on cards 2 and 3, for a total refund of $16. So initially Ebay will charge you $25 or so for shipping (varies depending on where you are), but we will refund you $16. The photo is a photo of the actual card so please take a good look at the card and pay attention to grading. Please note that while grades 7.5 through 10 are easy enough to understand, we do not number cards less than 7.5, we simply grade those G/VG etc and let you decide. G/VG does not mean the cards are not collectible at all it just means it did not make the 7.5 threshold which is where most of the money circulates in terms of investment cards, but the card is still collectible. In collecting, as supposed to simple investing, imperfections are actually frequently endearing and give the cards character and speak to their age and authenticity. Detailed Facts On the HHA grading and authentication company, and their grading standards:The Hockey History Archive (HHA) is a new hobby card authenticating, grading, reclamation, historical collection, packaging and presentation service. We reclaim and regrade cards that investor-focused groups like PSA have, in our opinion, bumbled and failed to recognize the true collectible nature and historical value of, particularly with cards made prior to the late 1990s when laser centering etc began to be used. Our grades are done without reference to PSA or other such companies because we feel their standards do not adequately take into account standards of the day and age related considerations that *must* be taken into consideration when grading. We judge cards based on their historical value and the general condition relative to the production standards of the time with allowances for time-caused decay in controlled conditions. When you do this with cards created prior to the late 1990s slight centering issues and minor paint/ink issues should not influence a cards grade in terms of collectability. In fact, cards perfectly centered in that era should be regarded as flukes not standards. Significant marks or decay should, but HHA treats cards from the 2000s quite different than older cards, and we believe failure to do so is historically irresponsible. HHA takes into consideration the age of a card, the type of paper used, and the printing standards of the time. Companies such as PSA judge all cards the same, which is anti-historical. An off-center card in 1989 with minor ink flaking on the edges was endemic to a typical artifact from that time. Cards came out of packs brand new with these "issues." HHA is interested in collectors and historians period, *not* investors or person's with OCD conditions caused by hyper-analyzing artifacts using unrealistic standards. Our founder is a lettered historian whose primary interest is in the historical value of a card in terms of "is it an artifact in excellent condition and representative of the time and place the card was made?" "If there is perceptible minor imperfections are they commensurate with natural decay in controlled conditions?" If both questions are answered "yes" then you have a perfectly collectible card and artifact in excellent, ergo, "10" condition. Deductions on older cards occur when serious imperfections in production are observed that indicate a factory flaw, such as plates being abnormally off-center and or when ink fading or specking occur that were caused by quality control standards not being met. Under this system cards do not have to be perfectly centered or devoid of any imperfections, they simply have to be commensurate with productions standards of the time. HHA does not recognize PSA's standards at all; we grant them zero authority on the subject because they are not historians and to be frank it is not clear what they are or where their claimed authority comes from. They do not have "perfect" specimens by which they can compare cards they grade, so they do not know that the "imperfection" they identify is not endemic to the design, and without a perfect positive from manufacurers all opinions are arbitrary, hence HHA's "general standards of the time" make infinitely more sense. Until manufacturers and graders work together providing manufacturer "perfect" specimens, the practise of card grading will remain arbitrary. PSA does not judge cards for what they are or were at the time of release, they judge them by what they think they should be today. They expect 50 year old cards to be flawless, which is anti-historical. HHA seeks to put sanity back into grading, particularly for older cards created before the laser era. So the next question is: what are HHA's grading standards? What grades indicate:10. A card graded as a 10 is deemed a highly collectible card in excellent or even perfect condition. HHA does not put the emphasis on centering that PSA does for cards created before the late 1990s (when laser centering began) and will only downgrade a card if the centering is dramatically off. Slight skews this way or that way are 100% consistent with print standards of the day for older cards. In fact, a slightly off-center card might actually be more representative of a perfect artifact of the time, whereas perfectly centered cards must be regarded as flukes. For cards created with laser centering and modern methods our grading expectations increase. Cards created during the laser era are expected to be within certain thresholds. Unlike cards created prior to laser centering, off center cards are NOT the standard of the time, hence off center cards will be downgraded. The usual corner condition, surface condition, edge condition are all examined with deductions being made where appropriate. Image quality is relative to the standard of the time as well. But all this is done with collectors and museum standards in mind, *not* with OCD hyper-analysis in mind. 9.5 A virtually perfect card with some slight visually observable imperfections not consistent with standards of the time the card was made. All imperfections must be visible with the naked eye, particularly with older cards. Imperfections only visible with magnification are of little interest as collectors view cards with their eyes, and what matters is how a card appears to the naked eye. 9. A card with some significant but not major imperfection. This might be centering, significant edge wear, minor corner bends etc, or slight surface problems such as minor specs or print lines etc. 8. A card in very good condition but with some more significant imperfections or damage. 7.5. This is the lowest number grade HHA gives and it indicates a card that it is just barely above the point of no longer being considered in excellent condition. VG/G These are the lowest grades HHA gives, and it can manifest as either VG or G or VG/G. These grades indicate that the card is in good or very good collectible condition but cannot be considered in excellent condition. Cards not regarded as good or excellent will not be graded, and will just be marked "NGI" as in "no grade issued." HHA Curated Card Collections:Enforcer Series: this series features cards of the toughest and the meanest players (not always the same thing) in hockey history. We are hockey historians so the cards are curated using our knowledge of the game. Power Forwards Series: this series was made to address a discrepancy in the Enforcers Series, for players like Wendel Clark and Brendan Shanahan, namely, that these players use strength and power as a key feature of their playing style but are not "enforcers" by trade, even though they may or may not drop the gloves and fight from time to time. These players are known as much for their skill as for their strength. Power Defenders: Same as power forwards but for defensemen who used their physical strength to punish opposition, such as Scott Stevens. Grinders and Agitators: This card recognizes a sometimes ignored class of hockey player who uses an in your face / poke them in the chest, or do whatever you have to agitate and annoy opposition. Players like "Terrible" Ted Lindsay, Esa Tikkanen, Claude Lemieux, Bob "Mad-dog" Kelly, and the always forgotten Dale Hunter. These players frequently cross the line into arguably "dirty" play and occasionally end up in fights when they over-agitate an opponent, but this style of player can be enormously valuable to a team. Greatest Goalies Series: Self explanatory. Again, we look at the entire history of the NHL and select cards of goalies we consider greats of the game. Aesthetic Excellence Series: This series highlights some of the best designed cards in hockey trading card history. Foil cards, refractors, colorful artistic cards, just cards that are very visually appealing and look good on a lighted display shelf. Sharp Shooters: This category focuses the greatest goal scorers in hockey history, typically payers whom repeatedly scored 40+ goals in a season. Playmakers: This series focuses on some of the most talented players in league history, who use speed, skill, and finesse to set up goal scoring opportunities, the obvious best example is Wayne Gretzky, but you include players like Denis Savard, Theoren Fleury, and Bobby Clarke. Greatest Defensemen: This category focuses on the greatest defencemen in hockey history, both offensively and defensively. Unsung Heroes: This series features players who were great and essential in their time but who have not gotten the credit they deserve. Dale Hunter is probably the best example of this, but their are many more. Immortals: The best of the best, the greatest of the great, those players whose names are known to all serious hockey fans. These are the ultra legends of the game.

Price: 119 CAD

Location: Summerland, British Columbia

End Time: 2025-01-07T13:05:11.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.81 CAD