1971 O-Pee-Chee Steve Blass #143 Pittsburgh Pirates

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Steve Blass #143 Pittsburgh Pirates When the Pittsburgh Pirates rolled through the early 1970s as baseball's most flamboyant clubhouse, right-hander Steve Blass was the steady arm beneath the gold bangles and mustard jackets, and this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Steve Blass #143 captures him mid-stride in the classic black-bordered design that collectors adore. O-Pee-Chee of London, Ontario printed this companion set to Topps for the Canadian market, and the run was dramatically smaller than its American cousin, which is why a 1971 O-Pee-Chee Steve Blass #143 with honest eye appeal is a genuinely scarce find today. The front presents the warm facsimile signature across the lower third of the photo, the bold yellow PIRATES banner, and the crisp blue pitcher designation that define the 1971 issue, while the reverse carries the distinctive tan and black statistical layout that makes the Canadian printing so easy to identify at a glance. Blass authored one of the most famous clutch performances in World Series history, scattering nine hits to win Game 7 of the 1970 Fall Classic against Baltimore, and he backed it up during the championship 1971 campaign by anchoring a rotation that delivered Pittsburgh another title. He would go on to win nineteen games in 1972, finish second in the National League Cy Young voting, and toss a no-hitter in San Diego, accomplishments that transformed a small-town Arkansas product into a household name across baseball. Pop culture later cemented his legacy twice over, first through the celebrated mystery of his sudden losing battle with the yips, immortalized as Steve Blass disease in the broadcasting booth and in countless sports psychology columns, and second through his long career as the beloved voice of Pirates radio. For set builders chasing the black border years, this card is a cornerstone of any Pittsburgh collection. the front retains strong gloss with only light corner whitening at the lower left tip, faint chipping along the bottom black border, and centering that sits a touch right of perfect at roughly 55/45, while the reverse shows the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with French statistical headings rather than a puzzle back, along with mild toning and a hint of edge wear at the top left corner. There are no creases, no wrinkles, and no surface marks visible under casual inspection, though the black frames do reveal the light handling this fifty-year-old survivor endured. Because black borders magnify every touch, we grade conservatively, and the combination of sharp corners, clean surface, and honest centering supports a solid mid-grade assessment that should please collectors who buy for eye appeal first and population reports second. Grade Estimate: EX 5