The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the most storied franchises since their move from Quebec City, Quebec to Denver, Colorado. Not to take any digs at their former name (the Nordiques) and location, but the proof is in the fact that they won three Stanley Cups since their move.
Trading cards have been around for a very long time. One of the most notable companies that create and sell trading cards is Topps, which was created in 1938. They have physical cards, but also apps that you can collect virtual cards, some free and some for a price. I play a couple, including Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney. But there are many more that are available.
However, Topps does not make NHL trading cards at this time. The brand that does, however, is Upper Deck, which was founded in 1988.
Checking things out on eBay, I was impressed to find several different Avalanche cards that are available.
2013-14 Ultimate Collection Nathan MacKinnon Rookie Auto 29/99 Jersey #1/1 BGS 9
Cost: $30k
You read that number correctly.
Nathan MacKinnon has become one of the best players in today’s game. He has a Hart trophy, a Stanley Cup, a Ted Lindsay trophy, has won the Lady Byng award, and also boasts a Calder trophy as the league’s best rookie. He was also named the MVP of the 4 Nations Face-off tournament in 2025.
This card’s condition is listed as “Graded - BGS 9”. In other words, it’s in top shape. That right there is significant when it comes to a card’s worth because, well, you wouldn’t want to buy a card that has a rip in it, do you?
The card features Nathan MacKinnon and his signature, including his number 29. There are apparently 99 in the world, and this particular one is the 29th one ever made. Doing some additional research, it appears that they refer to that as a “jersey match.” That is pretty cool if you ask me.
Additionally, this card has something they call a “patch” behind MacKinnon. It is one of the various designs that companies like to use. On the back is another picture of MacKinnon, along with some personal details such as his name, date of birth, height, weight, which way he shoots (dominant), and his hometown.
As MacKinnon played in the QMJHL, the card features some stats for when MacKinnon played for the Halifax Mooseheads.
It also has some key logos such as Upper Deck, NHLPA, and NHL emblem.
2018-19 Nathan Mackinnon/Tyson Jost UD Ultimate Collection Dual Shield Patch /2 BGS 8
Cost: US $5,174.99 or Best Offer
Just having Nathan MacKinnon on a card is worth plenty. Then, you add another player to drive the price up.
This rookie tandem card is very cool, as it is obviously a collectable with one of the team’s top players in their history. Tyson Jost was also a first-round pick (10th overall in 2016). While he only played for the Avalanche for six seasons, he’s established himself enough to hold on to a career that has spanned 12 seasons so far.
Two other things that drive the price of this card up is the NHL logo itself, as well as the fact that the card has a rainbow tint to it, which is a signature Topps move.
The fact that this card is not signed by either player (they would have both players sign, not just one), probably drives the price down a little bit, but having the NHL logo on there makes up for it.
2013-14 Ultimate Collection Nathan MacKinnon Rookie Patch Auto /25 Top Patch
Cost: $5,999.99
This MacKinnon card is pretty cool. Not only is there one of Topps’ signature patches on it, and not only is itsignedby MacKinnon himself, but there are only 25 of them in existence! That is one of the cool things about these cards—there isn’t very many of them.
The cost of this single card is not an accident either. The fewest there are of a card, the more rare it is and therefore the more expensive they can be. In today’s world, money rules a lot.
Leaning away from the trading cards, there are also other merchandise items that are available, such as pucks, jerseys, and sticks.
This is perhaps the coolest thing that I found while scouring eBay for this article. It is a Cale Makar puck display, featuring nine different pucks that were used as part of Makar’s tremendous 2023-24 season.
Now, I would never pay that much money ($4k) for something like this, but it is so fascinating to see the different types of things that are out there for someone to purchase and hang up in their home.
Excuse me while I do some more digging just out of facination.
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