1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Greg Findlay #35 British Columbia Lions EX 5

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL Greg Findlay #35 British Columbia Lions EX 5 Here is a second copy of Greg Findlay's card number 35 from the classic 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set, showing the British Columbia Lions linebacker from Timmins, Ontario, in the distinctive orange-and-black West Coast uniform. Findlay stands in for everything that makes vintage CFL collecting so rewarding, because he was a Canadian non-import who built a career on toughness and football intelligence rather than fame, and his card celebrates that often overlooked Canadian homegrown talent. In 1970 the game was still comparatively unpolished and physical, and a linebacker like Findlay going into his fourth professional season was exactly the kind of player a coach leaned on, which is why the back text calls him a standout athlete. The front image places him against the stadium and open sky that give the 1970 white-bordered CFL cards their airy, period charm, while the red-orange team logo in the corner grounds it firmly in the Lions' brand. The larger story of this set adds meaning to the card as well, because 1970 O-Pee-Chee was the first bilingual CFL issue, and its dual-language backs are now a hallmark of authentic Canadian cardboard that collectors specifically hunt for. Since the 115-card set was printed with some players appearing more than once on the uncut sheets, duplicates such as this second Findlay are relatively common and excellent for the builder who needs the number, or for the collector who wants a spare for trade. It is a dependable, affordable slice of Canadian football history that fits perfectly into any Lions or CFL set run. The card has sharp corners with only mild softness at the tips, clean edges free of chipping, a smooth surface with no visible creases or wrinkles, and fairly even centering with a light rightward lean, and its back is the standard Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with green accents and not a puzzle back. Considering the clean, fresh-looking surface and tidy edges offset by the slight corner softening and centering, a conservative raw grade estimate of EX 5 is appropriate and defensible. Grade Estimate: EX 5