Hockey collecting guide
Mario Lemieux1985-86 O-Pee-Chee #9
Lemieux’s O-Pee-Chee rookie card and rookie sticker give Pittsburgh collectors two different purchases.
Mario Lemieux spent his NHL career in Pittsburgh, won two Stanley Cups as a player and later bought the franchise. O-Pee-Chee #9 catches him at the rookie end of that story. It also presents a practical question at a card show. Does the price tag describe the card or the sticker?
Follow the full catalog entry
PSA lists the 1985–86 O-Pee-Chee hockey card as #9. In its separate sticker guide, Lemieux appears as #97. Both belong to the same player and season, and a search for an O-Pee-Chee Lemieux rookie can bring up either. Record product and number together. Photograph the back and the complete holder label if you plan to revisit the listing later. 1 2
The player behind the card
The O-Pee-Chee release is dated 1985–86. Lemieux had 141 points for Pittsburgh that season, 93 of them assists. Those are the figures for the card’s season, not his NHL debut season a year earlier. 6
The card’s season
1985-86 · Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL regular season
79 games · 48 goals, 93 assists, 141 points. 6
Decide what the extra grade buys
PSA’s saved set guide places the #9 PSA 8 reference around $1,075 and the PSA 9 reference around $3,500. Those are guide entries. They illustrate how expensive the next grade can look on paper. Put two actual candidates side by side and decide whether centering, corner shape or the clarity of the player image gives you a visible reason to prefer the higher-priced copy. 3
Build a Pittsburgh pair around it
For a player collection, #9 can stand for the beginning of a career that produced six scoring titles. Pair it with a later Penguins card from a season you followed. That gives the second purchase a purpose. If you prefer to tell the story of the rookie season alone, the separately cataloged sticker makes an interesting companion with a different format and budget. 1 2
Documented prices
PSA estimate
$1,005 USD · PSA 8
Reference recorded Nov 4, 2026 for this grade.
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Best Matches
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Collector questions
What does #97 identify?
PSA lists #97 in the 1985 O-Pee-Chee sticker issue. The hockey card here is #9.
How should I compare two PSA 8 copies?
Start with full-size front images and decide which print, centering and corner presentation you prefer. Then check the backs and holder qualifiers.