Hulk Hogan Wrestles Back the Throne: Iconic 1982 Card Sells for $132K!
The most iconic wrestler in the most iconic wrestling card set of all time is back on top. The 1982-83 Wrestling All-Stars set features some of the biggest names in wrestling, with “rookie” cards of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and André the Giant. Over the weekend, Hulk Hogan reclaimed the throne of wrestling cards when one of his cards sold for $132,000.
🚨RECORD PRICE🚨
— Heritage Auctions Sports (@Heritage_Sport) December 8, 2024
Last night this Hulk Hogan 1982 Wrestling All Stars in a Mint 9 sold for $132,000, a record price for a wrestling card 💪 pic.twitter.com/juSxlXViGX
Before this sale, the previous record for a wrestling card was held by a modern piece. A 2022 Prizm Black 1/1 The Rock card sold for $126,000.
This is the highest wrestling card sale there has ever been. $126,000 for The Rock 2022 Black Prizm.
— Wrestling Card Price Guide (@card_guide) September 12, 2024
Do you think we'll ever see a number like this again in our hobby? What say you wrestling card experts? pic.twitter.com/H31DaSVis3
Heritage Auctions had an exceptional weekend, achieving over $22.7 million in sales. Among the highlights was a sealed 1979 O-Pee-Chee case containing Wayne Gretzky rookie cards, previously sold for $3.7 million before the buyer defaulted. This time, the case sold for $2.5 million, which, while lower than the original price, is still a significant figure.
Are you down with O-Pee-Chee? A case of 16 sealed and unopened boxes of the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards returned to the auction block to lead @Heritage_Sport 's $23.77 million December 5-7 Winter Sports Catalog Auction.
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) December 9, 2024
🏒 Read the release: https://t.co/tubYulRoMu pic.twitter.com/CCpLc6KOXH
When discussing the greatest wrestling card sets of all time, the 1982-83 Wrestling All-Stars set consistently tops the list. However, a modern set could rival its legacy in the future. In 20 years, collectors might view the 2002 Fleer Royal Rumble product as equally important.
Perhaps the greatest rookie crop ever in wrestling. The 2002 Fleer WWE Royal Rumble set features four future Rumble winners from the decade. Brock Lesnar 2003. Batista 2005. John Cena 2008 and Randy Orton 2009. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/OYjbTngxB6
— David Peck (@dpeck100) January 27, 2024
The 2002 Royal Rumble set boasts a star-studded lineup comparable to the Wrestling All-Stars. Its rookie cards feature legends like Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Batista (credited as “Deacon Batista”), Rob Van Dam, Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, and John Cena. With such a roster, the set arguably matches or even surpasses its predecessor in terms of superstar caliber.
Before this record-breaking sale, Hulk Hogan's dominance in the 1982 set was already established. Two previous sales of his card were close to $50,000, and a BGS 9.5 André the Giant card sold for $47,970.
There are only 18 PSA 9-graded Hulk Hogan cards from this set, and no PSA 10s exist. This particular card carried an MBA Gold sticker on its PSA case, indicating it is one of the better-graded copies, which may explain the premium price it fetched.
Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.