A Little Bit of History Repeating Itself
The 2026-27 Upper Deck Series One hockey card set hit hobby shops last week. Naturally, fans were looking forward to the new crop of Young Guns to collect.
But Upper Deck also threw in a surprise “Draft Pick” card of first-overall pick and Maple Leafs’ rookie Gavin McKenna, pointing his finger with one hand and holding up a puck with the other.
The card is found less than one per 10-box case of Series One. Some breakers have speculated that the card is found maybe one in three or four cases.
If this sounds all too familiar, it is because Upper Deck did the exact same thing three years ago, when they put an unannounced Draft Picks card of Connor Bedard in the 2023-24 Upper Deck Series One set. The card used a similar photo of the ‘Hawks first-overall pick from the 2023 Draft.
When the “Easter Egg” card of Bedard was found about one in every two cases (20 boxes) of 2023-24 Series One, it quickly shot up in value. Everyone wanted the card. It had early eBay sales prices of $800 USD, before settling down to about $300. And once his Young Guns card came out, interest in the Bedard Draft Picks card cooled off even more.
Today, you can find the Bedard Draft Picks card for around $150.
The McKenna card, which is barely one week old, had early high sales of about $550 USD, but has quickly fallen to around $250 or so, with a few outliers in either direction.
It looks like collectors and speculators have learned their lesson from the Bedard Draft Picks card. Just because a player was drafted first overall does not mean he will be the second coming of McDavid, Crosby, Gretzky, or whatever generational talent you want to compare him to. Though McKenna certainly has the tools to be such a player.
And while an “Easter Egg” card of McKenna may be nice, it will be quickly cast aside once his Young Guns rookie card comes out in Series Two. So, maybe don’t break the bank on this one. Wait a bit, and you’ll find it at a better price. Or if you need it now, there’s over 60 of them currently available on eBay. The card may be tough to pull from a pack, but it isn’t particularly rare.
What do you think? Do you like surprise cards like this in Upper Deck Series One? Leave a comment, or hit me up on social media @puckjunk, and let me know.
Note: This article is an updated version of an editorial that originally appeared in Volume 4 – Issue 41 of the Puck Junk Newsletter. For stories like these, plus news and updates about hockey cards and collectibles, subscribe to the newsletter here.
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