Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card: Which One It Is and How to Identify It

• 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee #18 (O-Pee-Chee): the key card in the set
• 1979-80 Topps #18 (Topps)

• Front shows a posed or game-action photo with a blue border and team name above the image: player photos are either posed or game-action shots, surrounded by a blue border.
• Back uses a distinctive skate-shaped layout: the card number is in the upper left, and the player's vital stats appear in the top area of the skate-shaped layout.

• The card has been widely reprinted; graded copies are recommended for higher-value purchases: it has also been widely reprinted, so collectors should be careful of counterfeits.
• Safest path for high-grade examples: professionally graded cards are the safest option.

Topps also issued a U.S. version of the same 1979-80 design and number (#18); the O-Pee-Chee (Canadian) printing is the one most cited by the hobby as Gretzky's key rookie card, and is the version independently sourced here. A source-quoted confirmation specific to the Topps-branded #18 printing was not located in this session (PSA/Beckett/TCDB were blocked, 403).

• Card number and set on the back must match the listing above; "rookie card" is a specific card, not any early card of the player.
• Print quality: genuine cards have crisp text and a regular dot pattern under magnification; reprints and fakes blur, especially in small type.
• Stock and size: compare thickness, gloss and corners against a common card from the same set.
• Chrome and Prizm parallels carry a foil, color or serial-number mark that the base card lacks; the base card is the reference rookie unless the source says otherwise.
• Grading is a separate step; a slab authenticates and grades, and the grading guide explains what the number means.

Shoot the front flat, straight on, in daylight, with all four corners in frame, then the back so the card number and copyright line are readable. For chrome or foil cards, take a second front shot tilted under the light to show the finish. The app reads the player, set and number; the checks above confirm the version.