This article was previously published at another site but is indeed written by us. The site it was published at has little interest now in sports articles, especially hockey. It has become a site that is most interested in published crap like “the 10 best episodes of celebs vomiting in public”, etc… In our best interests, we had the article deleted from that site and published here, at a website dedicated to the sport of hockey and the collecting of hockey cards. It is bit lacking in details, compared to what we normally publish, but we hope someone out there will find it useful and get some enjoyment from it.
For 1975-76, O-Pee-Chee released a 132 card set featuring players from the World Hockey Association. The complete set is valued at $400 and a common card is worth $4. What follows are the four highest valued hockey cards in the series.
Gordie Howe – Houston Aeros
The number 100 card of Gordie Howe is valued at $50. Howe played in the WHA from 1973-74 to 1978-79. His first four years were spent with the Houston Aeros and his final two were with the New England Whalers. In 419 regular season WHA games, Howe totaled 508 points.
He was part of two Avco Cup championship teams with the Aeros and won the Gary L. Davidson Award as league MVP in 1973-74. The Davidson Award was later renamed the Gordie Howe Trophy. Howe entered the WHA already a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, inducted in 1972.
Mark Howe – Houston Aeros
The number 7 card of Mark Howe is also valued at $50. Mark’s World Hockey Association journey was identical to his fathers. He played with Houston from 1973-74 to 1976-77 and New England for the 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons. In 426 games, Mark contributed 504 points.
Along with the two Avco Cup victories in Houston, Howe won the Lou Kaplan Trophy in 1973-74 as the WHA’s rookie of the year. Mark was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.
Bobby Hull – Winnipeg Jets
Bobby Hull’s number 1 card is valued at $50, as well. This is a long way from the $3000 that the rookie hockey cards of Gordie Howe and Bobby are valued at. Hull played his entire WHA career with the Winnipeg Jets from 1972-73 to 1978-79. In 411 games, Bobby totaled 638 points.
With the Jets, Hull had his name engraved on the Avco Cup three times. He won the Gary L. Davidson Award twice, 1972-73 and 1974-75, as WHA most valuable player. Bobby entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
Jacques Plante – Edmonton Oilers
The number 34 card of Jacques Plante is valued at $50. Plante played just one season in the World Hockey Association, 1974-75, with the Edmonton Oilers. Jacques played 31 games in the Edmonton net with one shutout and a 3.32 goals against average. This was the end of a legendary hockey career.
Plante played 837 NHL regular season games in goal for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. He became a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.
Not included in this top four is checklist number 132. The only checklist of the set is valued at $50. This was the last of the really valuable checklist cards in the vintage hockey card world.