March 21, 2019: Sports & Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/21/2019
Here are two high-grade complete sets (minus one card from 1972) from 1971 and 1972 O-Pee-Chee CFL, the Topps north-of-the-border counterpart that produced cards for the Canadian Football League. While the CFL typically would be confined to the enthusiasms of our Canadian neighbors, the inclusion of young quarterback Joe Theismann in these two years provided the issues with a broader audience and heightened collecting interest. The eventual NFL star started his professional career with the Toronto Argonauts, and his first-ever bilingual Rookie is the key to the 1971 O-Pee-Chee issue. The offered set is pretty evenly divided between Excellent, Ex-Mt and Near-Mint condition, which is high praise indeed for the full-bleed red borders that so readily reveal even the slightest bit of wear. The Theismann Rookie is a solid Ex-Mt-Plus; one anomaly within the 132-card set would be a Good condition No. 132 Checklist. The 1972 O-Pee-Chee near set (missing only No. 132) is in a bit better condition than its earlier counterpart, essentially Ex-Mt to Near-Mint or better, with a few below to Ex-Mt or Excellent, with the emphasis easily to the upper end of the spectrum. Theismann’s second-year card, once again the key to the issue, is in a sparkling Near-Mint condition; there is a brief run of a half dozen or so cards around the middle of the series, roughly Nos. 66-72 or so, where there is some light indentations on the edges, with cards largely presenting within the broader condition range but likely saddled with a lower technical designation of Very Good or even Good.
1971 and 1972 O-Pee-Chee CFL High-Grade Football Sets (2)
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