The Gretzky Stickers, #’s 209, 252, and 264:

Miscuts:
From my experience, sticker number 209 is the easiest to find. It is also the easiest to find in nice shape without the dreadful miscut which plagues this issue. My theory on this is that the factory sheet shifted toward the end of its cut. This shift probably occurred because the sheet is thinner than that of traditional cards (causing it to either fold up or move to the left or right,) resulting in nearly all of #’s 252 and 264 to have a bad cut. Consequently the high numbered stickers on each sheet tend to have this miscut.

There are 269 stickers in this issue with 29 being foils. The foils were printed on separate, smaller sheets, and are thicker than the regular stickers. Because of the size and thickness of the foil sheet, not as many of them are miscut.

With the remaining 240 stickers, I am unclear as to whether they were all on one sheet or broken up, for example (1-120, 121-240) or (1-60, 61-120, 121-180, 181-240). The latter here makes more sense as # 209 has less of a miscut than #’s 252 and 264, but no matter how many were on each sheet, the Gretzky stickers were all near the end.  While the lineup here is not perfect, it shows how the end of the sheet shifted during the cut.




As far as 209 being the easiest to find of the three, my belief is that because OPC had a mail-in offer, collectors requested 209 as it was both his regular issue (and not an award issue like 252/Art Ross and 264/Hart Trophy) and advertised on the front cover of the album.







While many 209s still have the miscut, you have a better chance finding one without it possibly because of its place on the sheet and since it was more popular than 252 and 264 in mail-in orders.

As far as finding #’s 252 and 264 without the miscut, my theory is that either the sheet was put in backwards (cutting them first) or because of the mail-in offer, a separate sheet could have had all Gretzky stickers, were cut, and then filed away for orders. The former is, in my opinion, a more viable scenario.

PSA will grade some miscuts depending on how severe it is.  You have the option to request "No Qualifiers" on your submission form, but be prepared to have the overall grade knocked down one to two grades.  The following are some which PSA graded:

And a couple PSA would not grade:




Color Variations:

Each of the three Gretzky stickers has two color varieties. These are the “Deep Color” and the “Faded Color” versions. The easiest way to tell the difference between the two is by looking at Wayne’s helmet. While submitting these to PSA they do not distinguish between the two, but if you mix the two together in a submission you are more apt to have the grader, not downgrade a “Faded” but give preference to the “Deep” as it has more eye-appeal.




Here is an example of a “Faded Color” which was submitted along with a “Deep Color.” The Deep Color receives the .5 bump and the Faded Color does not.





Here the same Faded Color is sent back under review without an example of a Deep Color for the grader to have in front of them. Through review the sticker receives a .5 bump.



Note: all three PSA 10 GEM MINT Gretzky '81 stickers are "Deep Colored."


Centering:

As far as centering it is important to note that the border starts at the bottom of the number.  The first picture (209) is centered nice.  The second one (252) is not and from experience knocks the grade down to a PSA 7 or 8.






Creases:

Creasing is probably the next biggest issue next to miscuts. Some creases are very difficult to find without holding the sticker next to a light while moving it back and forth. A crease in a sticker automatically knocks the grade down to a PSA 6 minimum.

Here is an example of a 209 with very nice centering, sharp corners, great eye-appeal, and for sure a great candidate for a PSA 9 MINT grade.  However, upon a hands on inspection, under a lamp you can see a crease (next to Gretzky's right shoulder, above his glove). This card automatically is a PSA 6 at best!







At first I thought sellers were mishandling their stickers, but after opening many packs from this issue, I have found that a lot of creases are present straight out of the pack.



Off-White / Discolored Backs:

Most of the stickers from this issue have off-white / discolored backs. I don’t know what causes the back to lose its whiteness, but pack-fresh stickers tend to not have any discoloration. PSA does not take off for the back being off-white / discolored, but I would advise not mixing the two in a single submission.







Important questions to ask sellers before purchasing raw ungraded ’81 Gretzky stickers (especially on eBay):

Has the sticker ever been sent to PSA for grading? Many that come back miscut or trimmed end up on the market just to be re-purchased and re-submitted by others.

Is this a stock photo? Many sellers use stock photos.

Has this sticker been trimmed? A lot of sellers try to hide the miscut by trimming the sticker.

Are there any creases/indentions present? Very important! A perfectly centered, “Deep Color,” with the sharpest corners will get at best a PSA 6 for even the smallest crease/indention.

Can I see a scan of the back? If you think you’ve found a GEM, you need to see the back.

A small introduction the 1981 O-Pee-Chee Stickers:

Throughout Quebec and Ontario, O-Pee-Chee released their sticker production in 1981 in an effort to test the marketplace. Beginning in 1982 O-Pee-Chee Canada, as well as Topps USA, manufactured sticker sets separate from their regular issue run due to the enormous success of this prototype set and would continue to do so all through the ‘80’s. Being a trial issue, the 1981 O-Pee-Chee Stickers were short printed and are difficult to find, especially since they were mostly peeled and placed in albums. Common problems such as factory miscuts, bubbling, sensitive paper stock, and being poorly centered make the 1981 Stickers difficult to find in at least nm-mt condition.

Welcome!

I am a huge fan as well as a collector of 1981 O-Pee-Chee Stickers. Currently I am building a PSA Registry set with the goal of first knocking out the key, hard-to-find stickers (Gretzky 209, 252, 264 and Bourque 49) before spending money on what’s left.


While selling raw ungraded Gretzky stickers from this issue I have been asked what my opinion on the potential grade would be from PSA. Because there has been a lot of interest in submitting these for grading, and since I have personally sent in over 70 in to be graded or reviewed through PSA, I made this small webpage in an attempt to share my experience.

Note:  I am not a professional grader.