Mario Lemieux
Hockey • 1988-89 Topps Hockey
Sport & Year
Hockey • 1988
Brand & Set
Topps - 1988-89 Topps Hockey
Card Number
#1
Card Type
Veteran / Star
Rarity
Base
Parallel Variant & Language
Base • English
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Grade
Near Mint (NM 7)
Estimated Market Value
Raw: $5 - $15; PSA 8: $40 - $60; PSA 9: $150 - $200
Recent Sales
Raw copies typically sell for $5-$12 on eBay. PSA 9 examples have recently consolidated around the $160 mark, while PSA 10s command a significant premium over $1,500.
Condition Details
The card shows fairly good centering left-to-right but is slightly weighted towards the top. The bottom right corner shows a tiny bit of soft rounding or whitening. The edges appear clean through the top-loader, and the surface shows no major creases or scratches.
Grading Recommendation
Only worth grading if you believe it can achieve a PSA 9 or higher. Based on the visible corner wear and centering, it likely falls into the PSA 7 or 8 range, where the cost of grading may exceed the value increase. Recommended for a personal collection 'slab' but not necessarily for profit.
Card Description
Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins is shown in his white away jersey, jersey number 66 clearly visible. He is looking upward in a celebratory or focused pose. The card features the 1988 Topps 'Stick-and-Puck' design with a blue border and an orange nameplate 'pinned' to the left side.
Notable Features
Hall of Fame player; Card #1 in the set; Iconic late-80s Topps design; Features Penguins logo and Center position designation.
Authentication Notes
The card exhibits the correct dot-matrix printing patterns and color saturation typical of 1988 Topps stock. The cardboard is the standard gray-toned stock used for the American Topps release (as opposed to the brighter white O-Pee-Chee stock).
Owner Notes
1988
Scanned: 2026-04-14T16:03:35.652765