Connor McDavid's rookie card valuation at auction had left NHL fans speechless

For those who are unaware, the price paid at an auction for the 2015 Upper Deck Connor McDavid signed rookie card may astound many.

McDavid was the No. 1 pick for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Before being drafted, the 26-year-old Richmond Hill, Ontario native was widely considered to be the generational talent.

Over eight years since his debut, Connor McDavid has lived up to that hype to the fullest. In his relatively young career, McDavid has won a plethora of awards and is already on the verge of cementing his name as one of the NHL's all-time greats.

Considering all these facts, it came out as no surprise that his signed rookie card would've auctioned for some great amount. In 2020, at the Lelands Spring Classic Auction, the 2015 Upper Deck rookie card featuring Connor McDavid's autograph and a patch of his Oilers jersey was auctioned for a whopping $135,811 amount.

The card was in excellent condition with only one flaw: it had a very small stain of the wax on the back side and the printing on the white-off borders was slightly imperfect.

Interestingly, this rookie card with McDavid's autograph and a patch of his Oilers jersey was one of a kind as it was the 97th of only 99 such cards made.

Who was the seller of Connor McDavid's rookie card?

The 2015 Upper Deck Connor McDavid rookie card was sold by a man named John at the Lelands Classic Spring Auction. McDavid is someone John has never met in person, but he has watched on YouTube. John was fortunate to receive the card for only $150.

Speaking to Sportsnet, John said:

“I don’t even remember what I paid, maybe $150, and I ended up with a few of the Oilers’ player’s cards,” John explained. “But the one everyone wanted was McDavid. I was very, very fortunate. The stars were aligned and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

John explained how the card was auctioned off:

“From $5,000 it jumped to $50,000 then $90,000 before it eventually finished at $135,811.20.”

The fact that this card was number 97 out of 99 contributed to its high price. Furthermore, McDavid wears the number 97 for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL.

The final bid for the card, according to Lelands officials, was $113,176, which included the buyer's premium taking it for a total of $135,811.

With a record sale of $3.75 million, the 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card is the most valuable rookie card in the sport of hockey.