1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Steve Atkinson #40 Buffalo Sabres Right Wing

Description

1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Steve Atkinson #40 Buffalo Sabres Right Wing Steve Atkinson's 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee card captures the right winger leaning on his stick in classic early-70s posed style, representing one of the lesser-known but historically interesting names on the Buffalo Sabres' formative rosters. Originally Boston Bruins property, Atkinson was made available in dealings that brought him to Buffalo, where the card back notes he "was picked to be top rookie in the CHL before he can play center," and highlights that he was one of the top rookie candidates for the Sabres during the franchise's early expansion years. Playing right wing on a roster stacked with names like Perreault, Martin, and Robert meant Atkinson often operated in a supporting role, but his card remains a valuable piece for collectors assembling complete Buffalo Sabres team sets from the club's inaugural seasons, since depth players from this era are frequently harder to find in strong condition than the star cards that were saved and protected more carefully by original owners. The reverse of the card follows O-Pee-Chee's standard Canadian bilingual English/French presentation, including full career statistics and a small illustrated cartoon vignette, both signature touches of the 1972-73 design. this card is confirmed as a genuine bilingual O-Pee-Chee back, not a puzzle-back variety, consistent with the entire Canadian print run of this set. Visual review shows some softening at the bottom-left corner along with light general handling wear across all four corners, clean but slightly uneven edges, and centering that shifts noticeably toward one border, a common trait for this difficult-to-find-well-centered issue. The photography itself remains clear and well-focused, and the orange border retains reasonable color vibrancy with only light natural toning. No major creases or surface scratches are visible, though the overall corner and centering characteristics place this card toward the lower-middle of the condition spectrum for the set. We are applying a conservative grade here given the visible wear, since depth-player commons like this one were often handled more roughly by young collectors at the time of issue. A solid, honest example for team-set builders and Sabres expansion-era specialists. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4