1952-53 Parkhurst NHL Most Valuable Rookie Hockey Cards
For the 1951-52 National Hockey League season, Parkhurst reintroduced hockey cards to North America after more than a decade without them. For the next two years, Parkhurst would be the only producer in the market before Topps came along in 1954-55. 1952-53 was an excellent sophomore set for the company with design improvements, along with stats and information on the back instead of being blank like the previous year.
105 hockey cards make up the 1952-53 game and the book value for an entire collection is set at $7,000. The first card in the set turns out to be the most valuable, belonging to Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens with a book value of about $1,200.
Tim Hortons – Toronto Maple Leafs
Tim Horton of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the subject of the most valuable rookie card. Tim Horton’s rookie card is listed as number 58 in the set and is worth up to $700. This makes this hockey card the second most valuable in the series behind Richard’s. Prior to 1952-53, Tim played only five NHL games for the Maple Leafs during the previous two seasons. 1952–53 was his first season as a starter for the club, appearing in all 70 regular season games.
Horton was a regular in the NHL until his death during the 1973-74 season, also playing for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabers during his career. He was a multiple-time All-Star, a member of four Stanley Cup-winning teams with Toronto, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.
Dickie Moore – Montreal Canadians
The 1952-53 Parkhurst rookie hockey cards of Dickie Moore and George Armstrong are valued at $250. Moore played with the Montreal Canadiens from 1951-52 to 1962-63. He returned for one season with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1964-65 and played 27 games for the St. Louis Blues in their inaugural season, 1967-68. The man who would lead the NHL in scoring twice, he played just 18 games for the Canadiens in 1952-53 after appearing in his first 33 with the club the year before. In fact, it wouldn’t be until 1954-55 before Moore was a regular for the Habs.
Dickie won five Stanley Cups as a member of the Canadiens. He was honored with the Art Ross Trophy in consecutive seasons as the NHL’s points leader, 1957-58 and 1958-59. In 1958-59, Moore recorded 96 points while appearing in all 70 regular-season games for Montreal, a National Hockey League record that stood until 1965-66 when Bobby Hull eclipsed him by one point. Dickie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974 and his number 12 was retired by Montreal in 2005.
George Armstrong – Toronto Maple Leaves
George Armstrong still stands out today as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ career leader in regular season games played. He played 1,188 NHL games between 1951-52 and 1970-71, all with Toronto. He captained the team for eleven of those seasons and the team won the Stanley Cup championship four times. George Armstrong was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.
Bob Hassard – Toronto Maple Leaves
The fourth most valuable rookie card in the 1952-53 Parkhurst set belongs to Bob Hassard of the Toronto Maple Leafs. This hockey card is valued at $125, not because of Bob’s NHL stardom but because of scarcity. Hassard’s rookie card was number 105 of 105 cards in the set, and often the last card in older sets has a high value, despite the player appearing on the front.
1952-53 was Bob’s only full season in the NHL, playing all 70 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Between 1949-50 and 1954-55, Hassard played a total of 126 games for Toronto and the Chicago Black Hawks between 1949-50 and 1954-55. Only two hockey cards were produced that featured Bob, the 1952-53 rookie card and a card at the 1953-54 Parkhurst game.
Toronto and Parkhurst had reason to be optimistic about Hassard. In 1951-52, with the AHL affiliate Pittsburgh Hornets, Hassard led the team with 64 points in 67 regular season games. The King Clancy-coached Hornets won the Calder Cup championship, defeating the Providence Reds in the final. Bob also helped the Hornets win another Calder Cup championship in 1954-55 when the Howie Meeker-led club eliminated the Buffalo Bisons in the final.