Wayne Gretzky Master Collection: “Gold 87” and a 250-Box Run

Wayne Gretzky’s signature has plenty of room to skate here. The Signature Inscriptions “Gold 87” preview puts a large blue autograph across a pale field, adds the inscription underneath and leaves the photograph to the left. Gretzky’s orange-and-blue uniform supplies almost all the color. The rest is silver scrollwork, black panels and a tiny 1/6 stamp. It looks like a hockey keepsake that was given a proper writing desk.

That is a good introduction to The Upper Deck Master Collection – Wayne Gretzky: a 250-collection edition built around a complete career-spanning base set, Gretzky autographs, memorabilia and a substantial wooden presentation box. The direct preorder is $5,999.99, with estimated shipping on December 31, 2026.

A complete set before the extra hits

Every collection starts with the complete 25-card Gretzky base set. Upper Deck’s career outline runs from the World Junior Championship through his NHL accomplishments, Hockey Hall of Fame induction and league-wide number retirement. The manufacturer checklist includes Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York, Team Canada and All-Star entries, so this is a collection about the whole career rather than one uniform.

The box’s additional card mix is unusually specific:

That complete-set starting point matters to the presentation. The wooden chest is not simply a container for a few individually dramatic cards; there is already a connected Gretzky collection to put inside it. The extra signatures, diamond parallel and memorabilia supply the variation between boxes.

Two very different places for the signature

The “Gold 87” card gives the handwriting its own broad, light-colored area. Gallery Signatures takes the opposite approach: the Los Angeles photograph fills the central panel, and the pale signature runs across Gretzky’s dark uniform. Ornamental silver framing surrounds the picture, with the set name in script below. The pictured copy is numbered 1/5.

Those are meaningfully different autograph designs. The inscription preview makes the added words easy to read beside the signature. Gallery Signatures folds the ink into the photograph, using the black jersey as its backdrop. “Gold 87” is our favorite of the two—the second line gives the eye another reason to stop—while the Kings card has a handsome, formal portrait quality.

The checklist gives Signature Inscriptions nine entries, each numbered to six, with subjects including “4 cups,” “9 MVPs,” “894 goals” and “2857 points.” Those inscriptions make the series about particular accomplishments instead of nine interchangeable photographs carrying the same autograph.

The diamond and the memorabilia take separate routes

The diamond parallel keeps the career photograph prominent. In the Cup-lifting preview, the little circular setting sits near the lower nameplate; the trophy, raised arms and Edmonton captain’s jersey still do most of the storytelling. The checklist separates the Diamond Gem Relics parallels /10 from their autographed 1/1 counterparts. The regular diamond parallel is the one included in the stated box configuration.

The stick-relic design gives the material much more space. A large shaped window occupies the lower half, surrounded by the same silver decorative language used elsewhere in the collection. The visual contrast is appealing: pale wood grain below a bright blue-and-orange portrait, with “STICK” identifying the memorabilia category at the right.

The Six Relics booklet spreads that career idea across two facing panels. Edmonton, New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Team Canada labels accompany six portraits and six material windows. It is one of the gallery’s strongest uses of the booklet format: the extra space allows several Gretzky chapters to appear together. Booklets and the wider multi-athlete autograph offerings are chase content, rather than an additional promise in every box.

Three lids with something extra to say

Upper Deck specifically identifies three presentation boxes that Gretzky has signed and inscribed: #1/250 commemorates his 2,857 points and number-one standing; #4/250 marks four Stanley Cups; #9/250 marks nine Hart Trophies. The chosen box numbers are part of the idea. Four is not an arbitrary serial when the inscription celebrates four championships.

The November 6 announcement accompanies Gretzky’s designation as an Upper Deck Legacy Partner alongside Michael Jordan. It also honors his late father, Walter, through the renamed Hockey Hall of Fame resource centre. A collection organized around career keepsakes fits that announcement particularly well.

This is Gretzky’s second Master Collection. Upper Deck describes the 2000 edition as two groups of 150 sets, with a red foil maple leaf distinguishing the Canadian base cards. The current offer uses one 250-set edition shared across the US and Canadian audiences, rather than two regional SKUs.

Price, preorder and the preview we’d choose

Upper Deck limits the $5,999.99 preorder to one collection per customer. December 31 is an estimated ship date and may change. Preorder products must be ordered separately from ready-to-ship items in Upper Deck’s store.

Our standout remains the “Gold 87” inscription design. The large blue handwriting, the second line and the clear separation from the photograph give it a distinct personality within a very ornate product. The signed presentation boxes are the charming extra: in this collection, even the lid can carry a piece of Gretzky’s record book.