A Macklin Celebrini rookie card sold for $1.28 million USD on Saturday, making it the highest public sale for any non-Wayne Gretzky hockey card ever, according to Goldin Auctions.
The card is the one-of-one "Outburst Gold" parallel of Celebrini's "Young Guns" rookie from 2024-25 Upper Deck.
The owner bought the box hoping to get a base Celebrini "Young Guns" after the phenom's performance at the Olympics with Team Canada.
He was chasing a base Young Guns. He pulled the GRAIL! 🤯🏒⭐
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) August 15, 2026
Bid now in our Monthly Sports Elite Auction that closes tonight with Open Extended Bidding at 10pm ET: https://t.co/Ax1nWl1bfs
One hobby box turned into the pull of a lifetime when James hit the 1-of-1 Macklin… pic.twitter.com/1IIoPArQY8
Celebrini's 2026-27 salary, before performance bonuses, is $975,000, though the San Jose Sharks forward has already signed a contract extension that will see him earn $94 million over five seasons.
The most expensive hockey card sale is a Gretzky O-Pee-Chee rookie graded 10 by PSA, which went for $3.75 million USD in a private auction in 2021.
Modern superstars Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin don't have one-of-one parallels of their "Young Guns".
Celebrini exploded with 45 goals and 115 points last season, the third-most points by a teenager ever, trailing only Gretzky (137) and Crosby (120). He finished as a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award.
Celebrini, 20, was named the IIHF Male Player of the Year after featuring at the Olympics and World Championship.
The Sharks drafted Celebrini first overall in 2024.
