1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Jim Schoenfeld #86 RC Rookie Dark Back Sabres

Description

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Jim Schoenfeld #86 RC Rookie Dark Back Sabres This 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee card of Jim Schoenfeld is a genuine rookie card, and a Dark Back parallel example at that, documenting the debut appearance of a defenseman who would go on to become one of the most recognizable names in Buffalo Sabres history both as a player and later as a coach. The card back confirms his rookie status directly, describing him as "another in the first crop of rookies developed by the Sabres" and noting he "was the first defenseman chosen, and Buffalo's first pick, in the 1972 draft," underscoring the organizational importance placed on him from the very beginning of his career. Schoenfeld would go on to captain the Buffalo Sabres, anchor their blue line through the franchise's historic run to the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, and later transition into an accomplished coaching career, most memorably remembered in wider hockey pop culture for his fiery postgame confrontation with referee Don Koharski during the 1988 playoffs, immortalized by his shouted line "Have another donut," a moment still replayed in NHL retrospectives decades later. As a key rookie card within a set already celebrated for featuring several notable first-year players including Larry Robinson and Bill Barber, Schoenfeld's card holds a respected place among 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee's most collectible rookie issues. This particular example is confirmed as the scarcer Dark Back parallel variety, a detail that carries real premium significance since documented market data shows this set's alternate back-color printings command noticeably higher prices than the standard version for key rookie names like this one. The bilingual English and French biography and statistics on the reverse round out O-Pee-Chee's classic Canadian production style for this landmark issue. this card is confirmed as a genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee issue in the Dark Back color variety, not a puzzle-back format. Visual inspection shows generally sharp corners with only light wear at the tips, clean edges with minimal chipping, and centering that is reasonably balanced for this notoriously hard-to-cut torn-edge design. The photography is crisp and the red border retains strong, even color with no significant fading. No creases or major surface flaws are visible in the available images. Given the rookie status and scarcer parallel designation, along with the generally clean presentation, we apply a conservative but respectable Grade Estimate: EX 5